Festive Family Concert: Under The Stars

Festive Family Concert: Under The Stars comes to the National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait on Wednesday 9 December, bringing live music and festive favourites to the Great Hall for a family audience. It's a morning session, so it's one of those things you can do with the little ones before the day really gets going.

The concert takes place in the Great Hall, which is one of the most distinctive rooms in the building. It's famous for its Zodiac ceiling, described as being like 2,000 golden stars and 47 constellations — and that's where the title Under The Stars comes from. The music will be live, with festive favourites on the set, played out under that ceiling.

If you haven't spent much time in the Portrait, it's worth knowing what you're walking into. The gallery is housed in a red sandstone neo-Gothic palace on Queen Street, decorated with elaborate murals and sculptural embellishments inside and out. The collection focuses on the Scottish story, and you'll find contemporary portraits of pop culture icons like Billy Connolly, Emeli Sandé and Tilda Swinton alongside historical figures like Mary Queen of Scots, Robert Burns and Charles Edward Stuart. The concert brings the live music into that same space.

There are two separate sessions on the morning of 9 December: the first runs from 10:30am to 11am for non-walking babies, and the second from 11:15am to 11:45am for toddlers. Both are free, and the venue is the Great Hall at the National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait, 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh New Town EH2 1JD.