What's On Scotland 1-8 Aug: The Edinburgh Festivals begin

Edinburgh International Festival

The Fringe has been delivering previews galore since Monday but it never feels like the Edinburgh Festivals have truly begun until the big opening from the International Festival. This year it kicks off with Where to Begin (2-4 Aug), a three-day extravaganza taking over the grounds of George Heriot’s for an event blending immersive installation, performance and video projection – it’s the perfect place to begin your August adventure.

The rest of the International Festival’s programme isn’t too shabby either. The theatre programme starts strong with Stef Smith's adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun (until 24 Aug). The first opera highlight is Carmen (4-8 Aug), Georges Bizet’s classic study of love and jealousy, performed in its original form by the Parisian opera house Opéra-Comique. And in terms of dance, there’s a visit from the legendary Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo (5-7 Aug), whose unique performances blend Brazilian styles with ballet and contemporary dance.

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ADVERTISEMENT | Who Do Ya Love?
Assembly George Square Studios, until 25 Aug

Get your boogie shoes ready for the official KC and the Sunshine Band musical!

Featuring eight West End performers and some of the most iconic dance floor fillers of the 70s, this world premiere celebrates the early life of Harry Casey, the King of Disco, in one feel-good musical hour of big laughs and infectious music.

The show includes the hits Give It Up, Please Don't Go, Get Down Tonight and That's the Way (I Like It).

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The Glasgow Weekender

SWG3, Glasgow. 2-3 Aug
 

Belle & Sebastian take over SWG3 for the first weekend of August with a double headlining spot alongside hand-selected guests from the local indie scene and further abroad. Camera Obscura, Callum Easter, CMAT and The Joy Hotel are among those taking the stage.

Olga Koch Comes From Money

Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh. until 25 Aug, 5:40pm
 

Last year, Olga Koch’s comedy hour was about risking it all to humiliate yourself for love. This year’s show is an even more embarrassing confession: Koch has wealthy parents. With her trademark wry wit and quickness, Koch dissects ideas of privilege and class in the arts. Image: Rachel Sherlock

Cyrano

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. 1-25 Aug (not 2, 5, 12, 19)
 

Virginia Gay gives us a gender-flipped version of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. In this stunning examination of language and desire, a lovelorn (and female) Cyrano falls for the luminous Roxanne and writes her letters under the guise of her himbo lover Yan. Image: Mark Senior

The soulful, politically sharp films of trailblazing American indie director John Sayles are celebrated at GFT this month with a mini-retrospective featuring four of his features. Matewan kicks off the season, with Eight Men Out, City of Hope and Lone Star (pictured) to follow. Image: Warner Bros 

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ADVERTISMENT | Ibrahim Mahama: Songs about Roses
Fruitmarket, Edinburgh. Until 6 Oct

Fruitmarket hosts the first-ever solo exhibition in Scotland of the work of Ibrahim Mahama, the great Ghanaian artist critically acclaimed for his evocative large-scale, site-specific installations that speak to the cultural and social effects of post-colonialism and global migration.

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↪ M4 Festival

BAaD, Glasgow. 3 Aug

Ayrshire rapper Bemz (pictured; image by Andy Xplore) hosts and performs at the M4 Festival, a brand-new all-dayer celebrating hip-hop, rap, grime, R&B and afrobeat. Becky Sikasa, Sean Focus and ISO YSO are among the lineup for this inaugural edition, and an array of local street food vendors will keep you fuelled throughout the day. 

→ (DIS)COMFORT: Paradoxes of the Heart

Offline, Glasgow. 1-3 Aug

Inspired by Noël Carroll’s seminal text The Philosophy of Horror, this three-day exhibition explores the unsettling relationship between fear and attraction. Two great horrors screen: Dario Argento’s Suspiria opens the exhibition and Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession brings it to a close.

→ Sh!t Theatre: Or What's Left of Us

Summerhall, Edinburgh. Until 25 Aug (not 5, 12, 19), 4:45pm

Summerhall is where you’ll find some of the most exciting and inventive theatre at the Fringe, and among their most anticipated shows this year is the return of the wonderful Sh!t Theatre – the anarchic duo Becca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole – after a five-year hiatus. Their new show is inspired by folk music, and each performance ends with a sing-a-long in The Royal Dick. Count us in!