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

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. 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 The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

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. It organises a two-week Edinburgh's annual Science Festival, the world's first public celebration of science and technology, and still one of Europe's largest. Alongside the annu ...

(1988)

Easter time

* Ceilidh Culture (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), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

(1947) * Edinburgh Annuale (2004)

July

* Edinburgh International Magic Festival (2010) * Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (1978)

August

(1947) *

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

(1947) *

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

(1950) *

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

(1976) *

Edinburgh International Book Festival The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a book festival that takes place during two weeks in August every year in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. Described as ''The largest festival of its kind in the world'', the festival hosts ...

(1983) *

Edinburgh Mela The Edinburgh Mela is an annual multi-cultural festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is one of the 12 festivals that make up the Edinburgh Festival. The first ''mela'', a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet", was held in 1995 at Me ...

(1995) *

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 Festival, Edinburgh International and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fringe festivals. The Art Fes ...

(2004) *

Just Festival Just or JUST may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Just" (song), 1995, by Radiohead * ''Just!'', Australian author Andy Griffiths' children's story collections * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just", a 2005 song on ''Lost and Found ...

(formerly the

Festival of Spirituality and Peace A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival constitutes ...

) (2005) *

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 The COVID-19 pandemic (also know ...

(2018)

October

Leith Comedy Festival Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

(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 Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

(2016)

December

Edinburgh's Hogmanay Edinburgh's Hogmanay is the celebration and observance of Hogmanay—the Scottish celebration of the New Year—held in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh. The fireworks display at Edinburgh Castle are broadcast on television in Scotland, ...

(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 pric ...

(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 {{Use British English, date=June 2017 iFest - the Internet Festival and Conference was a festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 2007, at the same time as many of the other Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival ...

(2007) — the Internet Festival and Conference *

West Port Book Festival The West Port Book Festival was a book festival which was held in Edinburgh from 2008 to 2012. Initially it took place in August during the busy Edinburgh Festival season, but later it was held at different times in the year. The festival was ...

(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 Autumn in Scotland