Edinburgh has an all-year-round schedule of festivals to visit. The most famous festival is the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The Edinburgh Tattoo features the skills and talents of display teams, military bands from the Commonwealth, the British Armed Forces, and many other military units throughout the world. The festival takes place every night and has two performances on Saturday evening. The second performance on Saturday features an exhilarating firework display which lights up the world-renowned Edinburgh Castle.
Other Festivals to Visit in Edinburgh
Hogmanay is widely known as the Scottish celebration of New Year’s Eve, the origins of which go way back to the Viking times. The festivities include a torchlight procession involving 8000 torchbearers and culminates in one of the biggest street parties in the world. The street party features revellers from all over the world, and the fitting climax is a fantastic fireworks display. The festival also features a candlelight concert at St. Giles Cathedral, a Ceilidh under Edinburgh Castle and a show in the Princes Street Gardens, as well as many more attractions over three days.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe is a world-renowned festival of dance, theatre, comedy cabaret, events, exhibitions, musicals, children’s shows, opera, and music. It has been the breaking ground for many British artists over the years including John Cleese (of Monty Python fame), Rowan Atkinson (also known internationally as Mr Bean) and Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (of Black Adder fame). In 1947, several theatre groups came to the Edinburgh Festival and staged impromptu shows outside that central area. From then, these performances became known as the Fringe of the festival, hence the name. The Edinburgh Fringe takes place in August each year and offers something for everyone.
There are also many other festivals which include the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival and the Edinburgh Art Festival. The city of Edinburgh is well worth a visit.
