National Library of Scotland
National Library of Scotland Causewayside building on top of a world map showing geographical zones for different animals.

Ever wondered what secrets lie in a map? Or wanted to go behind the scenes of a major collection? Do you just love maps?

Join us for the Map Festival, a day dedicated to all things cartographic. Discover the amazing maps and aerial photographs held by:

  • Edinburgh City Archives

  • Historic Environment Scotland

  • National Collection of Aerial Photography

  • National Library of Scotland

  • National Records of Scotland

  • University of Edinburgh

Drop in activities

This is a hands-on event for everyone. Get a temporary map tattoo, try map-based games and puzzles, chill with cartographic crafts and colouring, or get a selfie with our trig point (a replica of the concrete pillars you find on top of mountains that were used to improve the accuracy of mapping in Great Britain).

Bookable talks

Click through to read more about these talks and book them.

Bookable tour

The tour and collection display should last approximately 30 minutes.

You may be interested in

Using our georeferenced maps

Workshop
11 February 2026, 3:00PM to 4:15PM
A modern satellite image of an urban street overlayed with an older map.

Navigating the maps website

Workshop
28 January 2026, 3:00PM to 4:00PM
A map of Scotland with a magnifying glass enlarging Inverness.