Godiva Picks: What's on in Edinburgh in September

Aye Right? How No'? (7th September)
If you missed it during its Fringe run, Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister's satirical view of the independence referendum is back for one night only at The Stand in Edinburgh. Perfect if you haven't made your mind up yet, or would rather chortle than plough through the White Paper again...

Black Grouse presents... (9th September)
I'd love to be an explorer. Actually, that's a lie - I'm far too scared of spiders, snakes, and not being able to find a clean toilet. But in my dreams I'm the best explorer ever, and I love watching documentaries about explorers and reading travelogues. And get this: four real-life explorers (Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Kenton Cool, Olly Hicks and Ben Fogle) are coming to Edinburgh to talk about their expeditions! I sat opposite Ben Fogle on a train once. Wonder if he remembers me? 

Stockfest (20th - 27th September)
This year will mark the 3rd Stockfest, a week-long festival celebrating the Stockbridge area of Edinburgh! There'll be an opening party ceilidh, a vintage flea market, culinary battles, an allotments open day, guided walks, dance taster sessions, talks, music, readings and shopping evenings... phew!

Ross Noble: Tangentleman (27th & 28th September)
I saw Ross Noble during his 'Mindblender' tour at the Playhouse last year, and it was definitely one of the funniest nights of my life. His shows are unscripted, allowing his boundless energy and lightning-sharp wits to take centre stage. Watching him leap about the stage and feeding off the crowd is fantastic - and it honestly looks as though he enjoys his performances as much as his audience.

Edinburgh Doors Open Day (27th & 28th September)During Doors Open Day, you get the chance to explore some of Edinburgh's most beautiful and significant buildings for free - ones which are usually either closed to the public, or that charge an entrance fee. Highlights include the Royal Observatory, Summerhall and Edinburgh Sheriff Court - take a look at the brochure for a full list of properties.

Godiva Picks: What's on in Edinburgh in August

Edinburgh's festival season is well and truly upon us! We don't know how we've done it, but we've somehow managed to whittle down the thousands of gigs, exhibitions, shows, opening nights and closing parties on offer in the city this August to just five not-to-be-missed events. We'll see you there!

Broken Records (2nd August)
Broken Records play a special homecoming show in celebration of the release of their third LP, Weights & Pulleys. With special guests Kid Canaveral and Book Group.

Dinosaur Zoo (30th July - 25th August)
Ever wanted to meet a dinosaur? Now you can! Observe and interact with lifelike dinosaurs in this unique live show, brought to the Edinburgh Festival all the way from Australia.

David O'Doherty Has Checked Everything (30th July - 11th August)
The comedian and songster presents his latest solo show for an hour of talking and music, armed with just his tiny keyboard and his wit.

Bianco (31st July - 25th August)No Fit State Circus are back for a death-defying, heart-stopping performance that defies description, moving between wild moments of dance and comedy to delicate, fragile rope-work.

Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare (30th July - 25th August)
A classically trained cast with a randomly assigned drunk - this is the most raucous Shakespearean performance you'll ever see. 

Godiva Picks: What's on in Edinburgh in July

The sun is shining and the festival season is upon us! Who came down to the Grassmarket over the weekend to see the levitating magician? Amazing!

There's always something going on in Edinburgh, and the choice can often seem overwhelming for residents and tourists alike. We've perused the listings and found our top five events coming up in July:

The Edinburgh International Fashion Festival (17th-25th July)
This will be the EIFF's third year, and the programme seems to be expanding every season! You can expect a mixture of runway shows, exhibitions, workshops and talks across a variety of venues in Edinburgh: visit the website for the full schedule. We're looking forward to Knit Works!, an exhibition of work from Scandinavian and Scottish knitting experts plus a Nordic Knitathon to create a giant collaborative knitted masterpiece! Also excited for CRAVE Presents RACY: a fashion show debuting exclusive ranges from top Scottish designers including Hayley Scanlan and Obscure Couture.

Food on Forth (14th July)
We'd never turn down the offer of a foodie evening at Harvey Nichols! Food on Forth, an food and drink event in association with iOn magazine, will feature tastings, live cooking demonstrations, cocktail making masterclasses and samples of specialised foods. Yo! Sushi will be demonstrating the art of Japanese cuisine, and all guests will get to take home a goodie bag full of treats. Tickets available here.

BBC Live at Edinburgh Castle (19th July)
Godiva sits (almost!) in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, and I love catching that glimpse of it between buildings as I head into the shop. It provides an amazing backdrop for a fair few events throughout the year, but we're looking forward to BBC Live, a live concert featuring a whole host of British and international music artists and comedians including Paloma Faith, Kaiser Chiefs, Ella Henderson and Bill Bailey. Don't worry if you miss out on tickets: you can watch the whole event on BBC1!

Great Tapestry of Scotland (1st July - 13th September)
The Great Tapestry of Scotland has been installed in the Scottish Parliament over the weekend, and will be open to the public in a special exhibition from tomorrow. Together over 1000 stitchers, from all over Scotland, worked for over two years to embroider the tapestry - it's the longest in the world at 143 metres long! It aims to tell the entire story of Scotland from pre-history to modern times, and was masterminded by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith.

The Sumo Run (12th July)
This is an unusual one: the Sumo Run is an established event in London, but this is the first time the charity fun run will come to Scotland. Those taking part will don inflatable sumo suits for a 5k charity run in the Meadows, raising money for the organisers' chosen charity, Link. Link works with governments and communities in sub-Saharan Africa to improve education for children. Funny costumes and a worthy cause? That's something we can get behind!