Monster Cabaret

Monster Cabaret returns to The Banshee Labyrinth on Saturday 7 November, with Madam Mabh hosting. It's billed as a haunted house party run by Mabh, who describes herself as a chaos queen, and the night is a dark, campy cabaret that mixes classic acts with unusual happenings, all with a monstrous twist. The bill can pull in music, burlesque, comedy, witchcraft, the undead and edible projectiles, so it's the kind of thing that changes from one night to the next.

The venue is as much part of the draw as the stage. The Banshee Labyrinth is an underground events and rock & metal venue built into the Edinburgh Vaults, which were once the haunt of criminals and the unsavoury. Right next door stood the home of one of the city's richest men, Lord Nicol Edwards, so the place has always sat between two very different worlds. The pub is said to be haunted by 'The Banshee' herself: during refurbishment, workmen claimed to hear a terrifying scream, and a few hours later one of them learned a family member had died.

These days it's a proper night out, with seven rooms of entertainment running until 3am, over 60 varieties of rum, a free cinema, a pool room and open-mic nights. If you're not in the mood for the main show, there's plenty to do around it. The Monster Cabaret runs from 19:00 to 20:00, so you've got the rest of the night to explore the rooms and the rum. There's another date on 5 December if the November one doesn't suit.