Sketchy Beats Cafe

Sketchy Beats Cafe Non-profit community arts space,
Pay-as-you-feel practice room downstairs. Opening hours depend on bookings! BYOB, donation-based.
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Send us a message or book online:
https://sites.google.com/view/sketchy-beats/home Sketchy Beats is a not-for-profit arts space on Great Junction Street, Leith. The space is an open platform for creatives of any kind to use and share their ideas with the public. The concept started off as an experimental life drawing event, incorporating a live musician, a dancer, a nude model and a live DJ set.

This took place once a month in the basement of Yellow Bench on Leith Walk. As this event gained popularity, money was raised through a crowdfunding campaign to create a community space where creative concepts like this could happen every night. The space is designed to be affordable and accessible to everyone - people who have never organised events before, musicians who have never played outside their own bedroom, artists who have never exhibited before. It aims to be a space where creativity brings the community together, without money being an obstacle. Everything in the space is donation-based. If you want a cup of tea or coffee, you can help yourself and leave a small donation. If you want to bring your own alcohol, just leave a donation for corkage. If you want to organise your own event, it's free to book, we just ask for a donation from each person who comes in. If you are interested in booking the space for your own event, workshop, meet-up or rehearsal, send us a message! You can also book online through our website:
https://sites.google.com/view/sketchy-beats/home

14/08/2026
Next Sunday 🪡
13/08/2026

Next Sunday 🪡

06/08/2026
05/08/2026

UPDATED HOURS IN AUGUST! 📢

8/8 SAT - 10-6 pm: Social Centre
9/8 SUN - 3-11 pm: Social Centre & OPEN JAM

14/8 FRI - 6-11pm: LATE NIGHT DJ EVENT Hosted by Binrats
15/8 SAT - 10-2:30pm: Social Centre
2:30pm: Walk to Restalrig for Community Litter Pick with Nae Pasaran Edinburgh & Leith Foodnotbombs. Feel free to join us - equipment will be provided!

22/08 SAT - 10-3pm: Social Centre & COMMUNITY ORGANISING WORKSHOP hosted by comrades visiting from Cologne.

💥OPEN MIC VARIETY SHOW
💥SECRET GIGS
💥& MORE TBA!!!

We strive to make the space as welcoming as possible: come relax, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, grab a seat either inside or outside - if the weather permits!

Peruse our community resource library - take a zine, leave a zine! 📚 Burnout arts & crafts materials, games & jam equipment will ALWAYS be available for use during social centre hours (bring your own instrument – or some will be available). Please ask a volunteer for assistance!

BYOB corkage fee applies for late night events. All donations go back into the project and help keep the lights on at Sketchy Beats Arts Café.

No one ever turned away for lack of funds!

05/08/2026
30/07/2026

WE ARE OPEN IN AUGUST!!!! Leith CRAIC is a small volunteer-run grassroots collective regularly opening the doors of Sketchy Beats Arts Café as a radical social centre. We celebrate Leith's diversity, and strive to be a safe space for marginalised communities.

OUR ANSWER TO OPPRESSION IS CREATION.

The space is equipped with games, arts & crafts supplies, zines, access to jam equipment, tea & coffee. Got a creative project you're working on, want to start something new, or wish to simply exist in a supportive environment? Come get the craic wi' us.

Saturday Aug 1st & 8th will be regular opening hours (10 am - 6 pm) but MANY more announcements and exciting schedule of August activities coming SOON to our website (www.craic.scot).

29/07/2026

Next Wednesday, the 5th of August

The glorious, laborious, return of the Sad Song Club; one night only for this month ☝️

Due calendar conflicts and the mercy of God, Sad Song Club will not running during Fringe 😱

Come along and share a sad song, or a poem, or something. I don't know. It's like thirty degrees where I am right now. 🥵

Sign up from 7pm at the world famous arts café in Leith

Make no mistake, this will be a real event with actual people attending. You can BYOB in exchange for a small donation.

Bye

The booking links for August are now live!
27/07/2026

The booking links for August are now live!

Our programme of community art classes - all abilities welcome!

Address

208 Great Junction Street
Edinburgh
EH65LW

Website

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