Around Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Edinburgh isn’t shy of putting on more than a few festivals and events throughout the year. Here is a small selection of the very best that the Scottish capital has to offer.
The International Festival is probably the centrepiece of the city’s summer programme. It features an ever-growing celebration of opera, theatre, music and dance from around the globe, which lasts for three weeks.
Every August, the city hosts the world’s largest arts festival in the form of the Edinburgh Fringe. More than 250 venues showcase thousands of performances by street performers, comedians, musicians, children’s entertainers and other household names. The Royal Mile is totally taken over by the event, and every available space becomes a venue, including churches, theatres, bars, caravans and restaurants.
Many well-known names owe their careers to the Fringe, including Jude Law, Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. Many of the shows are free.
The International Film Festival is another extremely popular annual event. Taking place at the end of July, the event features films from all corners of the globe. It aims to introduce visitors to new movie-going experiences, such as re-creating cinemas in public places, hosting debates and combining moving images with musical collaborations.
The festival also features more mainstream fare and in recent years, it has been the chosen event at which to premiere such titles as Little Miss Sunshine, Ratatouille and the Oscar-winning Hurt Locker.
Usually coinciding with Halloween is the Scottish International Storytelling Festival. Artists and audiences alike are brought together from across the country and beyond to create activities, discussions and workshops as well as inspiring and entertaining storytelling performances. Although the festival centres on the Royal Mile’s Scottish Storytelling Centre, there are all sorts of things going on throughout the city in schools, libraries, museums and art galleries at this time.
Cementing its reputation as one of the greatest venues for those celebrating Christmas and Hogmanay, Edinburgh hosts the Edinburgh Sparkles event, which lasts for six weeks over the festive period. Activities and facilities laid on over this period include a treasure hunt, the Big Wheel, the German Market and one of Europe’s largest ice rinks.
Those visiting are of course encouraged to use some of their time spending money in Edinburgh’s numerous shops and restaurants. After Christmas is time for street parties to kick off in celebration of Hogmanay.
Although Edinburgh is always a good place to be when there is a rugby match being played at Murrayfield, things really come to life when the Six Nations is on. Those without a ticket for the game can always enjoy the atmosphere as bars and pubs across the city screen the match and fill with local punters cheering on their countrymen.
Another fine event in the Edinburgh calendar is the Military Tattoo. The spectacle takes place at Edinburgh Castle and features a combination of music and military spectacle. There are large fireworks and lighting displays, humorous routines and some lively dancing to enjoy. Each night of the Tattoo is brought to a close with the Lone Piper echoing out across the city from the battlements.
