Want more from your vacation than deep tan lines? Descend on Edinburgh in August where three festivals take place at the same time. The streets are buzzing with energy and it seems like something is happening on every street corner.
First there’s the edgy Fringe Festival (Aug 3-25) which counts itself as the planet’s largest arts fest with comedy, contemporary music, theater and dance performances taking place all over the city. It’s a full-on party with thousands of performances (last year there were 31,000 performances in 250 venues). Anybody can perform at The Fringe as it’s an open festival, so quality can range from the unwatchable to the outstanding (Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Craig Ferguson all got their start here). Check the daily newspapers and
The List for a rundown of performances. There’s also a free official daily listings magazine.
For those who like their culture a little more highbrow, the Edinburgh International Festival (Aug 8-31) is a cultural extravaganza of classical music, theatre, opera and dance. This year’s program includes world premieres of Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray, Scottish Opera's new production of Smetana's
The Two Widows and recitals by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Mariinsky Opera Company, to name a few.
Rounding out the mix is the International Book Festival (Aug 9-25) with over 750 author events and activities in Charlotte Square Gardens.
