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The Pleasance Courtyard Festival venue, 2013

Edinburgh fringe royal mile street performance

This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which runs alongside it. The latter is the largest event of its kind in the world. The term ''Edinburgh Festival'' is commonly used, but there is no single festival; the various festivals are put on by separate, unrelated organisations. However they are widely regarded as part of the same event, particularly the various festivals that take place simultaneously in August each year. The term ''Edinburgh Festival'' is often used to refer more specifically to the Fringe, being the largest of the festivals; or sometimes to the International Festival, being the original "official" arts festival. Within the industry, people refer to all the festivals collectively as the ''Edinburgh Festivals'' (plural).

The festivals

Listed in chronological order by 2018 start date, with year of foundation in brackets

April

* Dead by Dawn (1993) *

Edinburgh International Science Festival Edinburgh Science, founded in 1989, is an educational charity that aims to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to discover the world around them. Edinburgh Science is best known for organising Edinburgh's annual Science Festival the w ...

(1988)

Easter time

Ceilidh Culture Ceilidh Culture is an annual festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland which incorporates folk music, song, dance and storytelling. There is currently a month-long programme of events which take place around Easter time. The current format first too ...

(1951)

May

* Edinburgh International Children's Festival (formerly the Imaginate Festival) (1990)

June

* Leith Festival (1907) * Leith Jazz and Blues Festival *

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

(1947) * Edinburgh Annuale (2004)

July

Edinburgh International Magic Festival Edinburgh International Magic Festival, also known as MagicFest, is an annual arts festival which takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland in the first week of July each year. MagicFest was founded in 2010 by Magician Kevin McMahon and events organise ...

(2010)
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
(1978)

August

Edinburgh Art Festival The Edinburgh Art Festival is an annual visual arts festival, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, during August and coincides with the Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals. The Art Festival was established in 2004, and receives public funding fr ...

(2004) *

(1947) * Edinburgh Festival Fringe (1947) Fringe Facts
. edfringe: Official site of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2005. Accessed 26 June 2005. *

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and international military bands, and artistic performance teams on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the capital of S ...

(1950)
Just Festival
(formerly the Festival of Spirituality and Peace) (2005) *

Edinburgh International Book Festival The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a book festival that takes place in the last three weeks of August every year in Charlotte Square in the centre of Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh. Billed as ''The largest festival of its k ...

(1983) * Edinburgh Mela (1995) *

Edinburgh International Television Festival The Edinburgh International Television Festival is an annual media event held in the United Kingdom each August which brings together delegates from the television and digital world to debate the major issues facing the industry. The Festival ...

(1976) *

Fringe of Colour Fringe of Colour is an initiative dedicated to supporting people of colour at the Edinburgh festivals, in particular the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2020 and 2021, due to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the creative industries, the festival went o ...

(2018)

October

Leith Comedy Festival
(2020) *

Africa in Motion Africa in Motion (AiM) is an annual African film festival which takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, in late October/early November. The primary aim of the festival is to offer audiences in Scotland the opportunity to view the best of African cin ...

(2006) * Scottish International Storytelling Festival (1990) * Festival of Politics (2005) * Edinburgh Horror Festival (2016)

December

Edinburgh's Hogmanay Edinburgh's Hogmanay is the observance of Hogmanay—the Scottish celebration of the New Year—held in Edinburgh, Scotland. History The annual Hogmanay celebration was originally an informal street party focused on the Tron Kirk in the High ...

(1994)

Uncertain dates

Edinburgh People's Festival The Edinburgh People's Festival is an arts festival and labour festival in Edinburgh, Scotland which is intended as a celebration of indigenous talent and cultural entertainment at venues across the city, especially in the outer schemes at prices ...

(2002, but claims heritage from earlier festival of same name 1951–1954)

Defunct festivals

* Edinburgh Interactive Festival (2003) * Edinburgh International Internet Festival (1999) * Edinburgh Swing Festival (2006) * Fringe Film Festival (1984 - 1990) * Fringe Film & Video Festival (FFVF) (1991 - 1996) * iFest (2007) — the Internet Festival and Conference * West Port Book Festival (2008) – a free book festival involving secondhand bookshops in the West Port area

Notes and references

External links

Edinburgh Festival City

Edinburgh Festivals
a guide to the festivals that take place in Edinburgh which are members of Festivals Edinburgh
EdinburghFestivalGuide.co.uk
a comprehensive listing of all (small and large) Edinburgh festivals *
A History of the Edinburgh Festivals

Edinburgh Festival Classroom resourcesNational Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE
(selection of archive films about the Edinburgh Festival) {{Portal bar, Scotland Arts festivals in Scotland Annual events in Edinburgh August events Autumn events in Scotland