Edinburgh Festivals 2025: What To Expect in August
Everyone uses the same word to describe Edinburgh: dramatic. From the majestic Castle towering over the city centre, through the ancient backstreets of the medieval Old Town, to the historic heart of the New Town, the city takes the breath away at every corner - and this rich history has been the inspiration for all of its festivals.
Every August during the Edinburgh Festivals the capital of Scotland becomes the world’s cultural melting pot, with citizens of the city and the country joined by artists and audiences from every corner of the globe in celebration of culture and creativity. Some people wonder whether these Festivals could just as easily take place in any city, not realising that the Festivals are authentically rooted in Edinburgh and have become part of the intangible heritage of Scotland.
So let’s see what we’ve got in store for you this year across our six August festivals.
Edinburgh International Festival [01 to 24 August]
Founded in 1947, the International Festival was the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, a cultural pioneer and Jewish refugee of the Nazi regime. He joined with civic and artistic leaders to create an event that would transcend political boundaries through a global celebration of performing arts in Scotland’s beloved capital city. Over the following years the International Festival has flourished, deepening their commitment to artistic excellence and cultural curiosity. They welcome the world to Edinburgh to experience their hand-picked programme of the finest performers in dance, opera, music and theatre.
This year the Edinburgh International Festival explores The Truth We Seek where the your curiosity will be rewarded with transcendental, potentially transformative, experiences. Take a look at some of the 2025 highlights.
The Edinburgh International Festival runs from 01 to 24 August – and the full programme can be browsed online HERE or via a downloadable programme brochure HERE
Edinburgh Festival Fringe [01 to 25 August]
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is one of the greatest celebrations of arts and culture on the planet. For three weeks in August, the city of Edinburgh welcomes an explosion of creative energy from around the globe. Artists and performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city, presenting shows for every taste. Venues can be anywhere, from existing theatres and concert halls to repurposed spaces like bars, parks, buses and shipping containers.
The Fringe street events bring colour, excitement and vibrancy to outdoor areas, free of charge. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival spans every genre of live performance, including theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events. Read some of our tips for Fringe first-timers.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs from 01 to 26 August 2025, and you can browse the full programme and book tickets HERE.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo [01 to 23 August]
Set against the backdrop of Edinburgh’s historic castle, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is one of the most special events in Edinburgh's calendar. Bringing together audiences from across the globe, the Tattoo celebrates the skills and talents of military bands and cultural performers from around the globe. There are few such immersive and moving festival moments, a fact to which any of the over 220,000 people who experience it live every year can attest – not to mention the further 100 million watching on television around the globe! Audiences get into the spirit and stamp and cheer to the sounds of the Massed Pipes and Drums, clap along to the Tattoo Dancers and watch in awe at precision drill from military performers.
In 2025, the Tattoo is excited to present its 75th anniversary show – The Heroes Who Made Us - which will present music, dance and precision performance that make up the last 75 years of the Tattoo story and beyond. Find out more about what makes The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo so special.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo runs from 01 to 23 August – and you find our more information and buy tickets HERE.
Edinburgh Art Festival [07 to 24 August]
Edinburgh Art Festival is the UK’s largest annual festival of visual art and was founded in 2004, through an ambitious partnership of galleries, to create a platform for visual arts at the heart of Edinburgh’s summer festival offering. Since its beginnings, the festival has featured exhibitions from artists at a pivotal point in their career, alongside the best emerging talent, major survey exhibitions of historic figures and a programme of new commissions.
In 2025, EAF (Edinburgh Art Festival) promises to create a feast of visual arts in spaces across the city - 82 exhibitions and 45 partner galleries, the biggest programme to date. From modern myths to queer history, the political body to environmental collectivity, the three-week Festival invites you to witness, reflect, and participate in narratives that have fought to be remembered. Encounter a voiceless sound shaking a cathedral; knowledge shared around a tree-shaded table; a familiar object under museum glass; a story of belonging ringing out amidst standing stones. Take a look at some of the festival highlights.
The Edinburgh Art Festival runs from 7th to 24th August and you can find full programme details online HERE or download the festival brochure HERE.
Edinburgh International Book Festival [09 to 24 August]
The world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas. Since 1983, the festival has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to engage with the world’s greatest and emerging writers, thinkers, artists, and performers. Each year, they programme innovative events that capture the hearts and minds of audiences, both in Edinburgh and online. These take the form of on-stage conversations, workshops, creative masterclasses, think tanks, and more, all informed by a culture of open dialogue.
The 2025 programme has the theme Repair as they continue in their new home at the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI), the state-of-the-art surrounds of what was Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary. With close to 700 events featuring 641 writers from 35 countries, across 6 continents, the Book Festival events inspire vital discussion of the cultural zeitgeist on a global stage. The Festival is also a space for play and creativity, with an imaginative feast in store – from stories around the world, to commissions of brand-new music and theatre, a Frankenstein themed cabaret, and a brand-new Kids Zone, as well as a dedicated Young Adults programme for the very first time. Find out more about the festival programme.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 09 to 24 August – and you can browse all the events and buy tickets online HERE and download a PDF of the programme brochure HERE.
Edinburgh International Film Festival [14 to 20 August]
Established in 1947 as the International Festival of Documentary Films, the Edinburgh International Film Festival [EIFF] is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in international cinema - and for heralding and debating changes in global filmmaking. EIFF seeks to spotlight the most exciting and innovative new film talent, in a setting steeped in history.
The EIFF25 Programme contains 43 new feature films, 18 feature film World Premieres all of which make up a seven-day celebration of world-class new cinema aiming to showcase the very best talent in filmmaking in a format rooted in a local Scottish context whilst embracing the international diversity of creative expression – all while encouraging audiences, film fans and industry professionals back to Edinburgh this Summer to continue the journey of discovery. This year’s Festival programme explores the fragile ties that bind communities new and old, thrilling and revelatory journeys inward and outward and light shone in the darkest of places. It showcases new work from filmmakers from Scotland, UK, US, Ireland, Canada, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Croatia, France, Turkey, Australia, Brazil, Japan and beyond. Dive into the films featured in this year's festival.
The Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from 14 to 20 August – and you can browse the programme online HERE or download a PDF of the festival brochure HERE.