Fountainbridge Canalside Community Trust return with the Edinburgh Canal Festival and Raft Race centred on Edinburgh's historic waterway, the Union Canal.
The day-long festival returned in 2022 after a three year absence.
A highlight in 2023 will be seeing sailors in their home-built crafts competing (or sinking) in the Raft Race which starts at 3pm at the Canal Basin.
It's all in the name of appreciating the Union Canal which after decades of neglect has become something of a community life-force. The canal celebrated its 200th anniversary last year and was a major focus of the Edinburgh Art Festival in August.
Zone out
Activities will take place at 6 Festival zones along the Union Canal (check website for latest programme info): the Lochrin Basin at Fountainbridge, the Leamington Lift Bridge, Climate Fringe (@ Bainfield Student Accommodation Lounge), Fountainbridge Green, Discovery Trail and Harrison Park.
Each zone has a mix of activities, food, art and music performances.
Walk, wheel, scoot or take the ‘Kingfisher shuttle’ between zones and explore the canal's local blue and green spaces.
Apart from the activities, community stall holders will be raising awareness about their organisations, their mission and goals, and how to get involved or support their work.
This year the festival has teamed up with the 'Climate Fringe' for one of the zones with a focus on climate and sustainability. With science and theory provided by ‘Climate Detectives’ from Heriot-Watt University sitting alongside practical drop-in activities from Shrub Co-op and Edinburgh Seed Network.
Climate Fringe is a community-organised series of events taking place across the whole of Scotland.