Edinburgh International Festival announces 2024 opening event
Where to Begin, this year's EIF opening event, will use George Heriot's as its venue, turning the private school into a vessel for a large-scale communal experience that “celebrates the creative force of the city"
It doesn’t feel like the August festivities in Edinburgh have truly begun until the International Festival’s opening event. This year’s spectacle, titled Where to Begin, will take place across three nights (2, 3 and 4 August) at a venue in the centre of Edinburgh that’s never been used by the festival before, and is usually out of bounds to all but an exclusive group of people in the city – private school George Heriot's.
Where to Begin will see the grounds and architecture of George Heriot's utilised by production company Pinwheel, and we're told the show will blend immersive installation, live performance, music, large-scale video projection and storytelling to create “a large-scale communal experience, celebrating the creative force of the city and the International Festival.”
The production takes inspiration from Edinburgh itself. The Scottish capital is an urban jumble built on higgledy-piggledy layers, and we’re told Where to Begin imagines what hidden power may be found in the many vaults and tunnels scattered below the city. Each night’s production will begin at dusk, and we’re told George Heriot's will “come alive with the flicker of flames”. Audience members have a chance to explore the grounds before gathering at the end of the night to watch a video projection against the school’s imposing facade.
Festival director Nicola Benedetti said: “This year, we've invited everyone to participate in our 2024 theme, Rituals That Unite Us. Opening Event: Where to Begin in partnership with The Macallan, marks the first of a new ritual, both for our Festival and the city. We know audiences will be blown away by this spectacle, and we're proud to show the formidable creative power and potential of Edinburgh and its people to the world. It's an event that beckons us to find new ways to experience and appreciate our city.”
Where to Begin is presented as part of a new partnership between the festival and aforementioned whisky brand The Macallan. Unlike the International Festival's large-scale curtain raisers in recent years, however, Where to Begin isn't free to attend. Tickets are £15 (concessions are from £7.50), and are available at eif.co.uk from noon today (18 June).