Explore Edinburgh, the Festival City

This summer marks 75 years since an event which changed Edinburgh forever. The first Edinburgh International Festival took place in August 1947, alongside a group of shows that weren’t part of the official programme but turned up in town anyway – also known as The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In the intervening years, festivals of film, visual art and literature have joined the August ranks and transformed Edinburgh into the world’s leading festival city. But art, entertainment and culture don’t leave town at the start of Autumn – Edinburgh’s cultural scene thrives year-round, and there’s always something new to see.

Live Music in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s live music venues offer an eclectic mix of genres and scale throughout the year. For intimate shows from up-and-coming bands, head to the cluster of venues around the Cowgate. Sneaky Pete’s is Edinburgh’s foremost grassroots nightclub, and the cosy 100-capacity space hosts new bands from around the world on an almost-nightly basis. The Mash House, La Belle Angele, The Caves and the Bongo Club on Cowgate are also great places to see bands on their way up, and catch gigs by some of the hottest acts on the scene.

For bigger names, head to the sprawling multi-arts space at Summerhall for their regular Nothing Ever Happens Here gig nights, or to the Usher Hall on Lothian Road. The 2,200-capacity venue is more than 100 years old, but refurbishments and revamps make the venue a great place to catch a gig in incredible surroundings. St Vincent, Fleet Foxes, Leon Bridges and Pavement all play at the Usher Hall this summer and autumn, and the Usher Hall's Sunday Classics season brings some of the world's finest orchestras to Edinburgh.

Usher Hall. Photo: Forever Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival returns this July (15-24 Jul), with a line-up of musicians from around the world in a whole host of venues across the city centre, including a vintage Spiegeltent in George Square Gardens. And speaking of unique venues, Hidden Door Festival takes over the former Royal High School next to Calton Hill (9-18 Jun) for a bumper programme of art, theatre and live music. The programme includes unique collaborations headed by Edinburgh bands Post Coal Prom Queen and Maranta, site-specific artworks and performances, and a huge roster of bands on indoor and outdoor stages.

The Edinburgh International Festival’s programme features a huge range of contemporary and classical music, while August brings a pair of contrasting music festivals to Edinburgh. If you want a boutique experience with avant-garde music and performance in the grounds of the incredible art park at Jupiter Artland, head to Jupiter Rising (26-28 Aug). For something on a larger scale, check out Connect at the Royal Highland Centre (26-28 Aug); the line-up is packed with big names including The National, Jon Hopkins, Little Simz and IDLES.

Stand-up Comedy

For decades, the Edinburgh Fringe has been the place to catch the rising stars of comedy before they go stratospheric, or to see your favourite comics in unique and unexpected places. From the Cambridge Footlights groups that brought the likes of Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry to Edinburgh, to the pioneering stand-up comedy of Tony Allen and Alexei Sayle in the 1980s, the city has a vital place in the development of comedy as an artform.

The Fringe brings literally hundreds of clowns, sketch groups and stand-ups to the city each August, and the city comes alive with gigs in bars, cafes and any space comics can get their hands on. This year, you could catch the likes of Daniel Sloss working on new material in a community centre in the Southside, or you might check out Best In Class, a showcase of working-class comedians from across the UK; at the Edinburgh Fringe, you can do both, and throw in a lot more as well.

The full Edinburgh Fringe programme is released in July, but Edinburgh’s comedy scene is active year-round. There are two main hubs: the Monkey Barrel on Blair Street, and The Stand on York Place, and each host regular nights showcasing brand-new comedians. Monkey Barrel presents regular work-in-progress shows in the run-up to the Fringe each August, offering the chance to see a true one-off. Meanwhile, The Stand’s Red Raw night regularly features big names like Frankie Boyle and Dylan Moran trying out their new material.

Theatre in Edinburgh

The Edinburgh International Festival is the jewel in the city’s theatrical crown, and the 75th anniversary programme is excellent. Alan Cumming stars in Burn, a new dance-theatre show challenging our perceptions of Robert Burns, at the Festival Theatre. At The Lyceum, a beautiful 19th-century building, Counting and Cracking tells the story of a Sri Lankan-Australian family over four generations, while Liz Lochhead’s gripping retelling of Medea takes up residence at The Hub.

On the Fringe, the Summerhall programme is packed with exciting, high-quality new theatre, with About Money (a drama following a teenage fast food worker caring for his young sister), and A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain (a modern fable tackling an impenetrable immigration system) among the highlights. Summerhall is also a great place to see brand new theatre all year round, whether as part of their multi-arts programming, or as part of grassroots festivals like Manipulate, Edinburgh’s visual theatre festival, which takes place each January.

If it’s a spectacular you’re after, head over to Edinburgh’s largest venue, and the UK’s largest all-seater theatre, the Playhouse. It’s home to touring shows direct from the West End – catch The Book of Mormon, The Commitments, and the queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in the next few months.

Exploring Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s historic architecture, endless festivals and vibrant cultural scene mean that sightseeing can very quickly turn into something else entirely. Take the Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF), for example. A stroll from South Bridge to Princes Street takes you past Dovecot Studios, the Talbot Rice Gallery, the National Museum of Scotland and the National Galleries, all of which host exhibitions as part of EAF throughout August. A trip to Leith Links at the end of August will see you bump into the Edinburgh Mela, a two-day celebration of music, fashion, food and art. The Mela (the Sanskrit word for ‘gathering’) brings together all ages, backgrounds and communities for a vibrant and engrossing weekend.

Later in the year, a walk through the Old Town could see you come across Samhuinn, the traditional Celtic fire festival that marks the passage from summer into winter. Organised by the Beltane Fire Society, the torchlit ceremony of drums, fire-play and immersive performance takes place on 31 Oct. Beltane also mark the beginning of summer with a vast celebration on 1 May. Edinburgh's literary side comes to life each August with the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Based at the Edinburgh College of Art on Lauriston Place, the Book Festival combines talks and discussions involving world-renowned authors with a massive childrens' programme and one of the best bookshops you're ever likely to come across.

Beltane Fire Festival. Photo: Forever Edinburgh

Guided tours of the city allow you to explore some of its hidden areas, and get a unique perspective on Edinburgh. A free walking tour of St Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile will fill you in on the building’s storied past, from its role in past unrest and rebellion to its place in Edinburgh’s royal history. A tour of Mary King’s Close or the Blair Street Vaults will take you under the Old Town to explore the ways in which Edinburghers lived in the 17th century, while a trip around BT Murrayfield is a chance to get a one-of-a-kind look at Scotland’s national rugby stadium.

And if you fancy some refreshments while you explore the city, why not take a tour around one of Edinburgh’s distilleries or breweries? From Bellfield in Abbeyhill to Cold Town Brewery at the foot of the Grassmarket, many of the city’s craft breweries offer behind-the-scenes tours and the chance to find out more about the brewing process. It’s a similar story at the distilleries, whether it’s Pickering’s Gin at Summerhall, the Secret Garden Distillery in the shadow of the Pentland Hills, or the Glenkinchie whisky distillery just 15 miles from Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is an ever-evolving city that never fails to entertain. It's unrivalled in its ability to offer brand new experiences in the most historic of settings. Discover Edinburgh’s rich history yourself this summer and create your own memories for tomorrow.

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Discover more entertainment in Edinburgh on Forever Edinburgh: The Official Guide To Edinburgh