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Festival City - Scotfestival's Guide To The
Festivals Of Edinburgh
Since the launch of the Edinburgh
International Festival way back in 1947 - Scotland's
capital city has become home to an extensive
collection of events which combine to make Edinburgh
the festival capital of the world. Whilst a large
number of the city's festivals are staged throughout
the summer with a strong emphasis on the month of
August - Visitors to Edinburgh over recent years
have been delighted by festival events across the
autumn, winter and spring. Scotfestival- as host of
the Edinburgh International Internet Festival since
1999 is delighted to present the following year
round guide to our companion festivals! |
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Art Festival
Edinburgh Art Festival is now in its 6th year and
brings together the city’s galleries, museums and
visual art spaces to present the best, exciting and
most intriguing in the modern and contemporary
visual arts.
Online
www.edinburghartfestival.org
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Beltane Fire Festival
The Beltane Fire Festival is held
every year during the night of 30th April on Calton
Hill in Edinburgh. An audience of around 12 thousand
people come to share the spectacular procession.
Justifiably famous for its intensity and colour, the
event has become a much-loved feature of the
Edinburgh calendar since it was first organised in
the mid 1980s.
Online
www.beltane.org |
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Book
Festival
The Edinburgh International Book
Festival began in 1983 and is now a key event in the
August Festival season, celebrated annually in
Scotland's capital city. Biennial at first, the Book
Festival became a yearly celebration in 1997 and has
now become one of the world’s most influential
literary events.
Online
www.edbookfest.co.uk |
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Canal Festival
Now in its 3rd year, Edinburgh's
annual raft race has evolved to create the Edinburgh
Canal Festival, a full day of nautical adventure
with samba, salsa and water-walking to name a few.
32 teams will compete in this year's raft race, with
masses of other activities happening from Edinburgh
Quay to Harrison Park.Online
www.edinburghraftrace.com |
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Ceilidh Culture
Edinburgh's annual traditional arts
festival taking place in Spring (March / April).
Showcasing local talent alongside international acts
– from storytelling, music, dance and song. Ceilidh
Culture is a profile-raising marketing campaign for
the city's traditional arts community, building on
the legacy of the Edinburgh Folk Festival. It aims
to provide a wide, community-based focus. Its
emphasis is on including all the traditional arts
activities taking place in the city, not just
traditional music.Online
www.ceilidhculture.co.uk
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Comedy Festival
(On The Fringe)
2008 saw the radical creation of the
'Edinburgh Comedy Festival - On The Fringe' as a new
festival-within-a-festival, separated but
integrated, with space and resources to nurture and
display the finest comedic talents under the joint
banners of the most prestigious venues in town.
Online
www.edcomfest.com |
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Festival Fringe
The Fringe story began in 1947, when
the Edinburgh International Festival was launched.
It was seen as a post-war initiative to re-unite
Europe through culture, and was so successful that
it inspired more performers than there was room for.
Well aware that there would be a good crowd and
focused press interest, six Scottish companies and
two English decided to turn up uninvited and fend
for themselves… The rest is history!
Online
www.edfringe.com |
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Fringe By The Sea
North Berwick is a beautiful little
sea-side town just 20 minutes by train or 40 minutes
by car from Edinburgh. The first every Fringe By The
Sea offers a superb programme featuring a wide
selection of some of Scotland's finest musical
talent including Rab Noakes and Dougie MacLean
alongside stand up comedy, jazz and opera. Add to
that golden beaches and some of the best fish
suppers in Scotland and you have a perfect day out!Online
www.fringebythesea.co.uk |
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Harp
Festival
Along with a variety of harp tuition
you will find courses and workshops, which encompass
song and dance as well as “come and try” sessions in
a wide selection of musical instruments. There’s
poetry and story telling - the chance to explore
advances in electro acoustic sounds, to relish the
contemporary or to absorb traditional Scottish and
Irish tunes and airs.
Online
www.harpfestival.co.uk |
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Imaginate
Festival
– The world’s best theatre for children and young
people
The Bank of Scotland Imaginate
Festival & Tour. This annual event takes place in
Edinburgh and on tour throughout Scotland in
May/June each year. Over 10,000 children, their
teachers and families attended performances in
Edinburgh during the Imaginate Festival 2008
Online
www.imaginate.org.uk |
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International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival
was founded in 1947 in the aftermath of a
devastating war, as an optimistic expression of what
Europe could be. It owes its origins to an
imperative to rebuild a sense of community in a
continent which had torn itself apart; to restore
hope to shattered lives through music, opera, drama,
and dance.
Online
www.eif.co.uk
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Interactive Festival
The EIF 2008 moved
to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre as
part of a move to develop the scale and profile of
the event.
Online
www.edinburghinteractivefestival.com
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invAsian Festival
invAsian is a celebration of Asian
arts and culture and features a host of events,
exhibitions and workshops covering a wide range of
creative media. The festival also boasts an
excellent range of performances and shows covering
theatre, film, dance and music
Online
www.invasianfestival.com |
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Jazz & Blues Festival
One of the most popular annual music
events hosted in Scotland – The Edinburgh Jazz &
Blues Festival regularly brings to Scotland’s
capital some of the world’s finest musicians and
musical artists.
Online
www.edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk
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Ladyfest Edinburgh
- Celebrating Women in Arts, Culture & Society
Our aims: - to celebrate female
creativity across all artforms - to create a space
to rejuvinate discussions about feminism and its
relevance in society today - to create an
alternative space with events organised primarily by
women - to give the opportunity for women to come
forward and put on events/workshops and redress the
balance of male dominated arts/music festivals - to
work in partnership with already established groups
in Edinburgh and to make Ladyfest accessible to all
- to raise money for local charities including Zero
Tolerance.
Online
www.ladyfestedinburgh.com |
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Leith Festival
The Leith Festival 2009 is shaping up
to be the best ever! Programming for this year's
Leith Festival is well underway and the deadline for
submitting an event is Friday 27 March 2009!
Online
www.leithfestival.com
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Mary King’s Ghost Festival
Every year the festival offers a wide
range of exciting events which allow people the
opportunity to explore and examine under supervision
the truly ‘haunted’ nature of this extraordinary
city. Mary King's Ghost Fest is funded and organised
by one of Edinburgh’s most popular tourist
attractions, The Real Mary King’s Close, and is
supported by a growing number of organisations
across the city.
Online
www.marykingsghostfest.com
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Mela Festival
A carnival atmosphere with a vibrant
and exciting mix of theatre, dance and music, The
Edinburgh Mela Festival is a lively event for all
the family. Monday 25th to Sunday 31st August, at
its new location beside Ocean Terminal, Leith
Online
www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk |
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Military Tattoo
Against the majestic backdrop of
Scotland’s top tourist attraction, over 1,000
performers from America, Asia, Australia, New
Zealand, Europe and the United Kingdom are set to
provide a wealth of matchless entertainment at this
year's 60th Edinburgh Tattoo.
Online
www.edintattoo.co.uk |
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Spirituality and Peace Festival
The Edinburgh Festival of
Spirituality and Peace programme includes: Public
Talks, Conversations, Film, Drama & Spoken Word,
Prayer & Meditation, Exhibitions, Concerts,
Workshops, a volunteer programme and much more ...
Online
www.festivalofspirituality.org.uk
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PBH's Free Fringe
Bringing FREE comedy to the Edinburgh
Fringe since 1996. The Free Fringe returns in 2009
with over 120 shows across Edinburgh. As ever,
there will be no charge to the public, with free
entry at all venues.
Online
http://freefringe.org.uk |
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People’s Festival
The centrepiece of 2008's
programme was an award winning retrospective
exhibition telling the story of the People’s
Festival for the very first time, from its birth in
the 1950’s, to its rebirth in 2002 and including its
development to date. The exhibition took place in
the ARTSPACE in Craigmillar and ran from Saturday
9th-16th August. Full details of the festival’s
programme are available on the People’s Festival
websiteOnline
www.edinburghpeoplesfestival.org
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Scottish Parliament Festival
of Politics
The festival in 2008 followed an
underlying theme of Global Issues - National
Perspectives. Issues such as climate change,
economic stability and national security are
globally important.Online
www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk
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Science
Festival
Edinburgh International Science
Festival is an educational charity which aims to
engage all of society in the wonder and value of
science and technology, placing a particularly
strong emphasis on giving children experiences of
science that are inspiring and confidence building.
Our desire is to create “ah-ha” moments in the minds
of our visitors that illuminate for them the magic
and mysteries of our world.
Online
www.sciencefestival.co.uk |
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West Port Book Festival
The inaugural West Port Book Festival
ran from 14th - 17th August 2008 and boasted a
diverse and exciting programme of events. The
festival featured
all manner of writers, musicians, magicians, chess
players and grumpy old gentlemen, all in celebration
of the bookshops and the fascinating history of the
West Port area.
Online
http://westportbookfestival.org
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Pipefest 2010
- the first global massed pipe band event!
Pipe bands and individual players
from all over the World will be invited to take part
in the opening parade in Edinburgh and other stages
around the World. The opening parade will march
along Scotland's most famous streets, ending in the
Grassmarket - where a giant screen will show other
massed pipe band events around the World.
Online
http://www.pipefest.com |
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