FESTIVALS AND EVENTS IN EDINBURGH
Festivals and Events in Edinburgh. Festival and event calendar
Welcome to the City of Festivals
Edinburgh is not only one of the most beautiful cities in the world it is also very popular due to the number of festivals that take place in the city every year.
August is the busiest months in Edinburgh as it is when the Fringe Festival takes place. It is the biggest annual arts and comedy festival in the world. People are coming from all over the globe to participate in and visit the large number of shows on offer.
Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations that take place in December are another highlight. At Christmas Edinburgh becomes a winter wonderland with a fun fair, ice-skating rink and German market. The New Year is celebrated in style with a large street party, concerts in Princes Street Gardens and an impressive firework display.
Stay tuned as we will share the Festival programs and more information as soon as its available.
List of festivals and events in Edinburgh:
Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival
30 April 2019
https://beltane.org/
Celebrating the beginning of the summer season, this unique festival draws inspiration from ancient Gaelic traditions and the age-old Beltane festival, as Edinburgh’s populace gets pagan and elemental dancing and dazzling fire displays become the evening’s entertainment for the 12,000 plus people in attendance.
Edinburgh International Children’s Festival
25 May–2 June 2019
https://www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/
Edinburgh International Children’s Festival – formerly Imaginate Festival – is a performing arts festival. Unlike them, it is geared towards children and teenagers – and their accompanying teachers and families. It is the largest children’s theatre festival in the UK
Leith Festival
8–16 June 2019
A week-long community festival held in the historic port of Leith with a programme covering art, music, theatre, dance and historic tours.
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
12–21 July 2019
http://www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/
The biggest of its kind in Britain, the Jazz & Blues Festival gets the festival season off to a swinging start in July, making sure everyone’s in the mood before its larger festival cousins hit town.
Edinburgh Fringe
2–26 August 2019
www.edfringe.com
True to its founding spirit, the Fringe is open to anyone who can afford the journey. Student theatre companies rub shoulders with TV celebrities, Dutch comedians mix with Polish jazz musicians, and novices line up alongside seasoned pros.
Free Festival Edinburgh
1–25 August 2019
Inspired by PBH’s Free Fringe, the Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival was founded in 2004 by Laughing Horse Comedy promoters Alex Petty and Kevin McCarron with the intention of curbing the spiralling costs of putting on Fringe shows.
Edinburgh International Festival
2–26 August 2019
www.eif.co.uk
The first of its kind, the International Festival has inspired countless others outside Scotland. It is supported by Edinburgh locals and visitors alike, and takes place in some of the largest spaces across the city, including the Usher Hall and the Playhouse.
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
2–24 August 2019
www.edintattoo.co.uk
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo displays the musical talent of the British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands and display teams on the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. It takes place every evening throughout August, come rain or shine. The Tattoo was born in 1950 and is now high on most visitors’ lists – so high, in fact, that it sells out every year.
Fringe by the Sea
2–11 August 2019
www.fringebythesea.com
Small but perfectly formed and set in beautiful North Berwick, Fringe by the Sea is a miniature of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Highlights include the Belhaven Spiegeltent, part of the ‘tented village’, which will be home to eclectic musical performances.
Edinburgh Events: International Book Festival
10–26 August 2019
www.edbookfest.co.uk
Amid the frenetic activity of the other festivals, this one is an oasis of calm. Talking place beneath canvas in the genteel surrounds of Charlotte Square, the Book Festival is a celebration not only of the written word, but also of the big ideas that concern our times.