Edinburgh Festival Overview

The Edinburgh Festival is actually a single event held in August.

Rudolf Bing was responsible for the idea behind the Edinburgh Festival.

The Edinburgh Festival has taken place every year since 1947 without any interruptions.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe began with a group of theatre performers who were invited to the International Festival.

Comedy shows make up more than a third of the performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Tattoo is a popular military event that occurs during the winter months.

Attending the Edinburgh Festival requires little to no planning ahead.

The grand finale of the Military Festival includes a classical music concert in Princes Street Gardens.

Edinburgh Festival

Held annually in August, except for 2020
Initiated by Rudolf Bing, who wanted to fund an international music and opera festival
Initially considered various cities, but Edinburgh was chosen due to its existing festival history
The Edinburgh Festival isn't a single event, but a collection of 8 festivals: Art Festival, Book Festival, International Festival, Fringe Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The first International Festival included a week-long film festival and eight un-invited theatre groups
The inclusion of these groups created the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which became the largest part of the festival
In 2018, Fringe featured over 55,000 performances of 3,548 different shows across 317 venues, with comedy being the most frequent type of performance.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The largest festival part
Featured 55,000+ performances of 3,548+ shows in 2018 across 317 venues
Known for diverse performances across categories like circus, music, dance, theatre
Comedy is the most frequent type of show.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Held at Edinburgh Castle
Features military musicians from around the world
Includes a spectacular light and firework display.
A grand classical music concert is also a part concludes the event with fireworks.

Attending the Festival

Planning ahead is crucial for accommodation and popular show tickets, due to the large number of attendees.
Exploring and attending smaller shows is recommended as unforeseen talent and performances might be missed due to pre-conceived notions or lack of planning.

Explore the rich history and various facets of the Edinburgh Festival, a major annual cultural event. Learn about its origins, the different festivals it encompasses, and its remarkable growth, particularly the Fringe, known for its vast number of performances. Discover why this festival remains a highlight for artists and audiences alike.