FESTIVAL CITY
Join in the biggest party on the planet in Edinburgh
IT’S the world’s favourite festival city, with 12 major festivals taking place throughout the year. And festival frenzy truly reaches a peak in Edinburgh during its busy summer season. Although the festival action takes place all year round, August is a game changer, with five festivals taking place in one month.
They transform the capital and create one of the most vibrant stages in the world for entertainment, debate, performing and the visual arts.
Here’s just a snippet of what’s on offer in Edinburgh this month:
EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL (UNTIL AUGUST 28)
The UK’s largest annual festival of visual art brings together the capital’s leading galleries, museums and artist-run spaces alongside new public art commissions by established and emerging artists and an innovative programme of special events.
The vast majority of the festival is free to attend. www.edinburghartfestival.com
THE ROYAL EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO (UNTIL AUGUST 27)
Set against the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, this 100-minute performance is a unique blend of music, ceremony, entertainment and theatre, hosting over 1,000 military and civilian performers every night.
This year’s programme will showcase a phenomenal mix of military pageantry, music, dance, technical wizardry and special effects and brings together contingents from across the world.
The 2016 military spectacle will pay tribute to Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th year, the 100th anniversary of The Battle of Jutland and the Great Arab Revolt, and mark the rich history of military music in Tunes of Glory. www.edintattoo.co.uk
EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE (UNTIL AUGUST 29)
The world’s largest arts festival transforms the capital every August, when thousands of performers – from big names in the world of showbusiness, to unknown artists building their careers – take to hundreds of stages across the city to present shows for every taste.
Theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, music, children’s shows, exhibitions, musicals, street performers and much more take place in 294 venues.
www.edfringe.com
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL (UNTIL AUGUST 29)
Inaugurated in 1947 as a celebration of peace through the arts, the Edinburgh International Festival showcases the very best and most prestigious international companies.
Featuring opera, music, theatre and dance from around the world, the festival is one of the most accessible events in its league, with tickets starting at £8. This year it will welcome the world to Edinburgh, with 2,442 artists from 36 nations represented as part of the hugely exciting programme. www.eif.co.uk
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL (AUGUST 13 – 29)
The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest public celebration of ideas and the written word in the world. More than 800 participants from 55 different countries are welcomed to Charlotte Square Gardens in the historic heart of Edinburgh, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature. More than 220,000 people will take part in creative workshops and attend meet-theauthor events. In a world of global uncertainty and shifting influence, this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival explores the power of the human mind to imagine a better world. www.edbookfest.co.uk
Visit www.edinburghfestivalcity.com for information on Edinburgh’s 12 year-round festivals.