Edinburgh Festivals
The Skinny guide to art, book and film festivals in Edinburgh. The latest previews, reviews and features.
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ArtJupiter Rising x EAF26: Queer, curious and challenging
Sgàire Wood's curation of Jupiter Artland’s annual one-night festival of experimental performance was thrilling and challenging, writes Edinburgh Art Festival Emerging Writer Anna Olivia Riley Read more »| 02 Sep 2026 -
InternationalWhen Prophecy Fails @ Studio Theatre
Groupwork Theatre’s Edinburgh International Festival offering finds the pulsating dissonance between the sublime and the banal Read more »| 31 Aug 2026 -
InternationalTaverna Miresia – Mario, Bella, Anastasia @ Church Hill Theatre
Mario Banushi's portrayal of his family's grief makes for an absurd and unflinching Edinburgh International Festival production Read more »| 31 Aug 2026 -
FilmScotland on Screen: Promising Scottish Shorts at EIFF 2026
Among the most exciting homegrown cinema at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival was a programme of shorts created during the second year of the NFTS Sean Connery Talent Lab. We highlight three of the best films from the lineup Read more »| 28 Aug 2026 -
ArtDavi Pontes + Sebastião Abreu @ Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, a choreographed performance subverts the codes inherited from Western dance tradition, writes Edinburgh Art Festival Emerging Writer Khadea Santi Read more »| 28 Aug 2026 -
InternationalVerdi's A Masked Ball @ Festival Theatre
Verdi’s tragedy receives a spectacular Gilded Age makeover in this lavish and superbly performed production as part of Edinburgh International Festival Read more »| 28 Aug 2026
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ArtMagnus Westwell: Caught Hold of Nothing @ Biscuit Factory, Leith
An embodied performance by artists Magnus Westwell and Océane Robin enchanted Edinburgh Art Festival Emerging Writer Mayson Taylor Read more »| 27 Aug 2026 -
ArtEmii Alrai’s Guardian and Edinburgh’s Disgrace
On Calton Hill, Edinburgh Art Festival Emerging Writer Eve Whittle brings a new sculpture into dialogue with the unfinished National Monument of Scotland Read more »| 26 Aug 2026 -
MusicScottish Ensemble & Brìghde Chaimbeul @ The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 23 Aug
While the collaboration between Scottish Ensemble and Brìghde Chaimbeul offers nothing like a clear answer to any grand question on artmaking, the work itself captivates and hypnotises Read more »| 25 Aug 2026 -
Musiccorto.alto @ The Hub, Edinburgh, 18 Aug
Liam Shortall's genre-hopping jazz ensemble bring their sprawling, forward-thinking sound to the Edinburgh International Festival Read more »| 24 Aug 2026 -
InternationalHANG TIME @ The Lyceum
Pulitzer Prize finalist Zora Howard’s cutting play on racialised violence in America is a work of gut-wrenching genius Read more »| 24 Aug 2026 -
InternationalFour Walls and a Roof @ Studio Theatre
Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué probe past versus progress when it comes to emigration, censorship and freedom of expression Read more »| 21 Aug 2026 -
FilmEIFF 2026: Northern Irish comedy-drama Skintown wins top prize
Kieron J Walsh won this year’s Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence for Skintown, a boisterous film about friendship and rave culture set in the shadow of the Troubles in 1990s Northern Ireland Read more »| 20 Aug 2026 -
Film
EIFF 2026: Skintown
The euphoria of early 90s rave culture and the genuine terror of the Troubles collide in Kieron J Walsh’s Skintown, a lively tale of friendship set in 1994's Enniskillen Read more »| 19 Aug 2026 -
FilmDaniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei on Faces of Death
The 1978 gorefest Faces of Death has been retooled, but this is no lazy IP-mining remake. Filmmakers Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei explain how their film is digging into our troubling relationship with screen violence Read more »| 17 Aug 2026