Edinburgh August Festivals

The most popular time of the year to visit Edinburgh is during the month of August.  Edinburgh is simply famous for its International and Fringe festivals in August.  The Edinburgh  International festival is considered one of the greatest international Arts Festivals.  Acts from all around the world descend into Edinburgh during the month of August, and transform the city.  Over time, the acts not deemed to be of quality for the International festival turned into the 'Fringe' festival. The fringe is now bigger that the international festival, and also occurs at the same time.  Today, when referring to the Edinburgh Festival, people are referring to both the International festival and the Fringe. 

During the month of August, the city is filled with cultural events and acts of all types.  It is always best to book, because the favourite acts get sold-out quite quickly.  But there is always room to see something special to create a memorable visit to this old city.

The International Book Festival is usually hosted in the last 2 weeks in August.  Famous authors from around the world descend onto the city's Charlotte Square to enlighten us with old and new novels.  It is an extremely popular festival, and it is wise to book your tickets early.  They also hold many events during the day where tickets can be bought on the day.  Meet your favourite authors, learn about some new authors, and just soak up the atmosphere.  Not to be missed- and fun for the whole family.

The festival ends on the first Sunday in September with a spectacular fireworks display using the Castle as the backdrop.  The fireworks can be seen throughout the city.  A 'family area' is set-up in Inverleith Park to watch this event.

Look at the events on the home page for a list of some of the events happening at this years festival