New College Festival – Karine Polwart featuring Dave Milligan

Join us for a captivating conversation with acclaimed singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, exploring ‘Windblown’ (Hudson Records, 2026), her hauntingly beautiful tribute to a 200-year-old Sabal palm at Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden. This multimedia publication combines story and music by Karine Polwart, Pippa Murphy and Dave Milligan, giving voice to the palm’s extraordinary journey from Bermuda to Scotland and its final days, while reflecting on colonial legacy, ecological care, grief and resilience. With pianist Dave Milligan, Karine will include a couple of songs from the album as part of the conversation.

Accessibility

We are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive attendee experience. In line with fire safety regulations attendees using a wheelchair must be able to self-transfer to an evac chair in order to safely evacuate the building.

If you have specific accessibility needs or accommodation requests please let us know during registration or contact us in advance by emailing divinity.news@ed.ac.uk.

Additional information can be found at Accessibility Information: New College

Venue & Travel

The event will take place at New College on the Mound. Please access via the glass door through main gated entrance.

New College is very accessible on foot, bike and bus. We would encourage all attendees to consider sustainable travel options to the event. Car parking is not available and limited only to nearby street parking:

Find parking bays – The City of Edinburgh Council

Further information on the venue and travel options can be found at

Travel Options