LeithLate reveal full programme for 2017

Louise Stoddart

15 May 2017

Public poetry trails and new venues are added to the programme for the festival's sixth year

Curators of various art projects that include The Shutter project and The Mural Project, LeithLate have announced the programme for their annual arts festival, taking place next month. The festival started as a one night event back in 2011 with various grassroots venues opening up to showcase exhibitions, live music, dance, spoken word and film screenings. Now, the festival can be enjoyed over four days at more than 20 venues across Leith.

LeithLate continues to make use of interesting spaces including a former police box and charity shop, but has also introduced Trinity House's secret underground vaults, the Leith Walk Launderette and social enterprise café Punjabi Junction as new venues.

The eagerly anticipated Mural Tours make a welcome return on the final day of the festival, with recent initiatives by Elph, Kirsty Whiten and Too Much Fun Club, who will all get a chance to discuss their work. Edinburgh City of Literature have helped to curate the festival's Public Poetry Trails which take the audience from the Shore to Kirkgate, guided by the words of Edinburgh poet Christine de Luca.

Clara Hastrup, a recent graduate from Glasgow School of Art and recipient of the LeithLate Award, displays her work in the new underground hidden vaults venue. The theme 'Precarity in Leith' is addressed in an exhibition from Summerhall's former arts curator, Holly Knox Yeoman, featuring work from Stephanie Mann. Audience members are encouraged to donate food to the Edinburgh North East Food bank throughout the show, which is held at Punjabi Junction.

Film screenings exploring the problems of gentrification take place on the Friday at Pilrig Church, as part of the festival's partnership with London's visual arts festival, Deptford X. The film programme also runs at the London festival in September. Teaming up with Edinburgh Art Festival, LeithLate17 launches a special Leith edition of Every Woman Super Woman, with a print exhibition taking place at Out of the Blue Drill Hall.

Opening night festivities end with Lost Map Records' LeithLate Afterparty, headlined by Edinburgh guitar-pop band Kid Canaveral at Henderson Halls. Club Tropicana rounds up Saturday's events while the Leith Franklin Cricket Club hosts the late-night festival party with Edinburgh electro DJ's, FiniFlex. The festival closes with an all-day summer party with DJ sets, interactive experiences and indie games.

Various venues, Leith, Thu 15–Sun 18 Jun