Festivals

Just some of the events in Europe’s festival capital
Noteworthy for: Edinburgh's New Years’ party may just be the world's best. Where else can you dance the céilidh in the street with strangers until the wee hours?

Word to the wise: The population of Edinburgh doubles during the Fringe, so be prepared to book accommodation several months in advance.
Edinburgh is home to some of the world’s biggest and best festivals, and most of them come around at the same time. August in the capital may be synonymous with the Edinburgh Fringe - the world’s largest arts festival with over 35,000 performances of comedy, theatre, dance and music - but it’s also the time of the International Festival, the Military Tattoo, the Art Festival and the Book Festival.

Even outside of the planet’s busiest festival season, there's a lot going on - including the Science Festival (March/April), the Film Festival (June), the Jazz & Blues Festival (July), the Mela Festival (September) and the Storytelling Festival (October). And then there’s Hogmanay - an extended New Years’ party, complete with fireworks, dancing and various cultural events.

In short, whenever you visit the city there's sure to be something very interesting - and unmistakably Scottish - going on.