Edinburgh, the festival city

About Edinburgh, the festival city

By the ULTIMATE Edinburgh Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Edinburgh is a city of festivals. In August the Edinburgh International Festival brings opera, music, theatre and dance; the Fringe fills hundreds of venues; the Edinburgh International Book Festival gathers writers; and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo plays on the castle esplanade. The year ends with Hogmanay. Between festivals, the National Galleries of Scotland, the Usher Hall, the Festival and King’s theatres, the Lyceum and the Traverse keep the city busy.

The festivals

The Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo all run in August; each publishes its own dates and programme on its official site.

The galleries

The National Galleries of Scotland run the Scottish National Gallery on the Mound, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street and Modern One and Modern Two in the west. The Royal Scottish Academy, the Fruitmarket, Dovecot Studios, Talbot Rice, Stills, the City Art Centre and Collective on Calton Hill add contemporary art.

For August, book hotels and the International Festival’s best seats as soon as programmes appear.

Music and stage

The Usher Hall and the Queen’s Hall for concerts, with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; the Festival Theatre and King’s Theatre (Capital Theatres), the Royal Lyceum, the Traverse for new writing, and the Edinburgh Playhouse for musicals.

Film

Filmhouse on Lothian Road reopened in June 2025; the Cameo and the family-run Dominion are the other cinemas to know. The Edinburgh International Film Festival returns each August.

Writers

The Writers’ Museum honours Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson; the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the Royal Mile carries on the oral tradition.

Our advice: outside August, the galleries are quieter and the theatres easier to book.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Edinburgh, the festival city before you go.