The curtain rises on this year’s Edinburgh Festival on Friday 3 August, with an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts.

For three weeks in August each year, Scotland’s capital becomes a meeting point for people of all nations, as the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre gather in the city.

The 2018 Edinburgh International Festival begins with a free, outdoor performance on Friday 3 August celebrating Scotland’s Year of Young People and marking the centenary of the end of the Great War. The Aberdeen Standard Investments Opening Event: Five Telegrams is a unique collaboration between Scottish composer and musician Anna Meredith and Tony Award-winning artists 59 Productions.

Paris’s legendary Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord is resident company at the 2018 International Festival and brings three new works to Edinburgh. Its former Artistic Director Peter Brook, one of the most influential and important theatre makers of the past century in a career spanning seven decades, asks profound questions about justice, guilt and retribution in new work, The Prisoner.

Opening night of the 2017 International Festival © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam, all rights reserved

Some of the world's leading orchestras, conductors and soloists will take to the stage in August, such as the London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle, the Oslo Philharmonic with Vasily Petrenko and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding. 

In Scotland’s Year of Young People, the International Festival will shine a spotlight on some of the most exciting young musical talents around today. Orchestras include The Orchestra of the Americas, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of the USA.

The centenary of the birth of 20th century music titan Leonard Bernstein is celebrated across a series of concerts around his birthday on 25 August. Contemporary music artists performing at the Festival include Canadian singer-songwriter John Grant, and American artist St. Vincent, and opera highlights include comic classics from Rossini, in new and contrasting productions from two of France’s leading opera houses. Opéra de Lyon presents Cinderella story La Cenerentola, while Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Elysées brings Laurent Pelly and Jérémie Rhorer’s starkly elegant The Barber of Seville.

Fireworks over Edinburgh Castle © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam, all rights reserved

The International Festival will be brought to a spectacular conclusion on Monday 27 August with the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, when over 400,000 fireworks burst into the sky above Edinburgh Castle choreographed to live music from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, said: “For all those with an interest in the performing arts, the Edinburgh Festival is not to be missed. Bringing together thousands of performers from all over the globe, the range and diversity of events that take place is beyond compare. Over and above the many activities, it is worth heading to Edinburgh in August if only to soak up the amazing atmosphere that fills the city!”

Performer at Edinburgh Festival Fringe © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam, all rights reserved

Running alongside the International Festival are the world-famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and thousands of performers take to hundreds of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo © VisitScotland / Kenny Lam, all rights reserved

Taking place on the esplanade of Edinburgh’s iconic castle, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of concerts performed by international military bands and performance teams as part of the Edinburgh Festival. Visitors from all over the world flock to this landmark event which features music, ceremony, theatre and dance and tickets sell like hot cakes every year!

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor-made cultural tour of Scotland, or indeed the UK, which takes in some of the highlights of the Edinburgh Festival, please do contact our friendly team.