At the beginning of May there will be yet another, and last, opportunity to take part in Scottish Tides – Polish Spring, the joint celebration of Polish and Scottish cultures which is taking place in Perth in Scotland. On this occasion, Horsecross, the event organiser, will invite to Perth four of the favourite Polish cabarets: Ani Mru Mru, Smile, Łowcy.B and Dno.

Saturday 9 May is promising to be an extraordinary feast for those who enjoy humour. Poland’s four most popular cabaret acts: Ani Mru Mru, Smile, Łowcy.B and Dno will be entertaining the guests in Perth Concert Hall. Ani Mru Mru will present the old favourite gags as well as a new programme, never shown before. Artur Korgul, the group’s manager, commented, ‘As we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of our artistic existence, we have already booked so many tours that we won’t be able to visit Scotland again in the current year. So, do come to Perth, to see our one and only Scottish appearance this year!’

Ani Mru Mru will be followed by Duffy, Kinio, Szfagier and Kamil, known collectively as Smile, famous for such well-loved gags as A Visit to the Psychologist or The Male. The next act will be the cabaret group Dno, virtuosos of the prop and weird music who specialise in ‘the body theatre’. Last but not least will be Łowcy.B - the wacky, off-the-wall, unpredictable act, famous for their deadpan, absurd sense of humour. Marcin Wójcik, the Ani Mru Mru frontman, will be the MD, together with Mariusz Kałamaga from Łowcy.B. Tickets for the show can be bought here:  http://www.horsecross.co.uk/whats-on/2009/may/09/ani-mru-mru-smile-35749/

The May events of  Scottish Tides - Polish Spring will start with a concert of classical music by the Scottish Symphony Orchestra playing with the renowned violinist Tasmin Little. This will be an opportunity to listen to a violin concerto by Mieczysław Karłowicz, a Polish 19th century composer. Tasmin Little recorded an immaculate rendition of the concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Now there will be a chance to listen live to this impressive work.

On the 10th of May, aficionados of modern art will be able to meet Julita Wójcik, a Polish video artist. She will present her multimedia installations which have been created using the 22 screens in the foyer of Perth Concert Hall. The exhibition will remain open to the public until the 4th June.

On the 10th May, there will be an opportunity to meet Billy Kay, the author of The Scottish World, and to find out about the affluent Scots living in Gdańsk. In a lecture entitled The Forgotten Diaspora, Billy Kay, the well-known historian and researcher of Scottish culture, will be talking about Scottish migrations to Poland and, unlikely as they may seem, the close ties between the two countries.

A concert by Blazin Fiddles, a folk Scottish group, will be a perfect complement for this event. Blazin Fiddles are renowned for the wizard fiddle sound as well as for their subtle humour. One of the numbers will be Scozzese, which bears an amazing resemblance to a polka.

Tickets for all events are available from www.horsecross.co.uk/about/polish-spring/ , as well as in a number of Polish shops throughout Scotland, and you can access a list of these at www.horsecross.co.uk/about/polish-spring/ You can also ring 01738 621 031 to obtain tickets. Discounts are available.

Those who want to take part in the cabarethon on the 9th of May, can use the coaches, which can be boarded at the Haymarket Station in Edinburgh at 6pm (approx. 40mins trip). The coaches will take the guests from Perth Concert Hall back to Edinburgh after the concerts. Coach tickets can only be purchased in advance from Polish shops in Scotland, at £5. It won’t be possible to buy them on the day. You can find the list of the shops where the tickets will be on sale at:  http://www.horsecross.co.uk/about/polish-spring/  Transport is sponsored by Polish Tarpan vodka.

The programme Scottish Tides - Polish Spring is part of Homecoming Scotland 2009 and Polska!Year. Polish Tarpan vodka, The Polish Cultural Institute and the Polish Consulate General in Edinburgh are the official sponsors of the festival. The main media patrons are the websites emito.net and onet.eu, the weekly Polish Express, the monthly Scotland.pl and the Polish TV channel Telewizja Polonia.