What's on in Museums this December?
Winter season museum opportunities
Explore historic records and online exhibitions at www.johngraycentre.org
Revisit past exhibitions from John Muir’s Birthplace www.jmbt.org.uk
Explore the paths around Prestongrange Museums using the mobile phone tour as a guide through 400 years of local industry. www.eastlothian.gov.uk/prestongrange
Take a tour of Dunbar Town House Museum and Gallery with Dunbar and District History Society on a Saturday afternoon. www.eastlothian.gov.uk/dunbar-town-house
Come in out of the cold
Museums are warm, friendly and free to visit with regularly changing craft activities suitable for children and families as well as temporary exhibitions and reference books available to browse and read. Check out the links below for our festive opening hours.
John Muir's Birthplace has a new exhibition, Christmas crafts and some lovely locally-designed gifts in stock.
New Exhibition
Flight disruption
John Muir’s Birthplace, High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ
Saturday 6 December to Saturday 31 January
(closed Thursday 25 December to Friday 2 January)
Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 1pm to 5pm
Free admission
This exhibition is a collection of prints of wild British birds that are impacted by climate change. Climate change is affecting our birds in many ways: warming seas impact the food chain, rising sea levels change the geography of where birds can breed and lay eggs, bad weather can make it hard to find food and feed young and extreme temperatures can make survival difficult. Numbers of British birds are predicted to fall drastically over the coming years. The exhibition features original, hand-pulled, linocut prints of birds seen along the coast of East Lothian. Many of the birds featured are impacted in some way by climate change and are either on the red or amber list of the BTO Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK.
John Gray Centre Museum
Cryptic Christmas Trail and Crafts
Challenge yourself with our cryptic Christmas trail!
Suitable for all ages. A selection of Christmas craft activities will also be on offer too.
Last chance to see
Golden Days: The life of Charlie Horne
30 August through until 13 December
John Gray Centre (Museum). 15 Lodge Street, Haddington, EH41 3DX.
Free admission.
Thursday and Friday 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 4pm.
www.johngraycentre.org
Charlie Horne is a local D-Day veteran, fisherman, husband, father and a great dancer!
Using images and material from Charlie's own extensive collection, Golden Days looks back over his life. Featuring audio recordings from Charlie, a diary he kept during D-Day, film footage, family letters and images, Golden Days tells the story of a fascinating life well-lived.
East Lothian Council Museums
15 Lodge Street, Haddington, EH41 3DX.
Thursday and Friday 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm
Saturday 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm
126 High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1JJ.
Wednesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
Sunday 1pm to 5pm
High Street, Dunbar, EH42 1ER.
Wednesday to Sunday 1pm to 5pm
(from Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 28 September)
Morrison’s Haven, Prestonpans, EH32 9RX.
Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 4.30pm
(from Wednesday 2 April to Sunday 28 September)
School Road, North Berwick, EH39 4JU.
Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 4pm
(from Wednesday 9 April to Saturday 25 October)
65 High St, Musselburgh, EH21 7BZ.
Thursday to Saturday 10.30am to 4pm
(from Thursday 3 April to Saturday 27 September)
The Brunton has lots to offer this holiday season
As the holiday season approaches, The Brunton continues to entertain audiences of all ages with a varied programme through panto season and into January and February 2026.
Follow the yellow brick road to Musselburgh and Haddington for The Wizard of Oz - The Brunton's magical, musical panto adventure!
Join Dorothy and a host of familiar faces on a whirlwind journey bursting with chart-topping pop hits, shout-out loud silliness and plenty of local laughs.
The ultimate Christmas treat for all ages runs at Corn Exchange, Haddington 5 to 13 December and Loretto Theatre, Musselburgh 19 to 27 December.
Claim your exclusive discount for pantomime tickets
Talented pianist Ariel Lanyi takes the stage for a captivating afternoon of music on Tuesday 9 December at Northesk Parish Church, Musselburgh. The final Bite-Sized Concert at lunchtime for 2025 begins with an optional light lunch of soup and a sandwich at 12 noon, followed by the concert at 1pm.
Ariel Lanyi, Piano: Bite-Sized Concerts at Lunchtime
Start 2026 with another National Theatre Live gem on Thursday 22 January at Loretto Theatre, Musselburgh. Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.
National Theatre Live: Hamlet
Two very different but equally enjoyable music gigs entertain at Corn Exchange, Haddington in February.
Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle
Key members of celebrated folk collective Transatlantic Sessions, and legends in their own right, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle charm with a warm and intimate concert. Ease into late February with them at Corn Exchange, Haddington on Friday 20 February.
Bombskare with support from Fright Years
Or raise the roof on Saturday 21 February with Scotland’s ska godfathers, Bombskare. With an energy packed DIY punk ethic and big band showmanship, their live shows are the stuff of legend. Supporting are Edinburgh’s Fright Years. Crafting emotionally charged, guitar-driven indie rock, they are one of the UK’s most exciting new acts!
Why not give the gift of a great night out this Christmas? On sale now and coming up in 2026…
Scotland’s own hilariously cheeky, riotously effervescent comedian, Craig Hill, bounds on stage for a kilt swingin’ highland fling of an evening at Loretto Theatre, Musselburgh on Saturday 21 February.
Craig Hill - Wait 'Til You See My Entrance!
Jack Docherty, star of BBC Scotland’s Scot Squad and The Chief, dissects the state of the nation, from politics to policing, football to families, bams to biscuits. Comedy gold at Corn Exchange, Haddington on Friday 3 April.
Jack Docherty in The Chief - No Apologies
If you have a Doris Day fan in your life, Que Sera Sera pays homage to one of Hollywood’s greatest stars! A tribute to her amazing career in music and film is at Corn Exchange, Haddington on Sunday 15 March.
Que Sera Sera