News of first 2026 Edinburgh International Festival shows
The first highlights of the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival feature some of the world’s leading performers of music, opera, dance and theatre, reflecting the International Festival's central role in shaping in Edinburgh as a world capital of culture every August. Leading the unmissable line-up are the Berliner Philharmoniker, Zurich Opera House, San Francisco Ballet with Floating Points and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and theatre-maker Christiane Jatahy with actor Wagner Moura (Narcos, Elite Squad).
Following a record number of sold-out performances in 2025, audiences can book early for what promise to be must-see performances in 2026, with tickets on public sale from 27 November and priority booking available for members.
Berliner Philharmoniker
The Berliner Philharmoniker makes a long-awaited return to the Festival in a two-concert residency under Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko. Experience ‘the world’s greatest orchestra’ (LA Times) performing beloved works from Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Elgar.
Performing beloved works by Beethoven, joined by Grammy Award-winning soloist Augustin Hadelich, as well as Tchaikovsky, Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Scriabin’s revelatory Third Symphony, the Berliner Philharmoniker bring their unmatched artistry to the International Festival’s closing weekend.
Mere Mortals: San Francisco Ballet
Also returning to the Festival for the first time in over 20 years, San Francisco Ballet bring the European premiere of Mere Mortals to the International Festival, a bold new full-company work by Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton..
Composer and electronic musician Floating Points aka Sam Shepherd performs his original score live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Reimagining the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box through our 21st-century relationship with artificial intelligence, Mere Mortals is a thrilling fusion of classical technique, cutting-edge visuals and electronic soundscape. Composer and electronic musician Floating Points (Sam Shepherd) performs his original score live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. With cutting-edge visuals, the full power of the orchestra in the pit and 40 of the world’s best dancers commanding the stage, this European premiere promises to be a breathtaking spectacle.
Verdi’s A Masked Ball: Zurich Opera House
Love and deception swirl at the center of Giuseppe Verdi’s stunning opera A Masked Ball (Un ballo in maschera). Riccardo, the Governor of Boston, is in love with his best friend’s wife. Caught between love and loyalty, Riccardo risks everything – his political standing and even his life.
Zurich Opera House present the UK production premiere of Verdi’s A Masked Ball, a lavish, large-scale production in the Festival Theatre with the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House under the baton of internationally sought-after conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Welsh director Adele Thomas's fresh take on this classic opera sees two stellar casts alternate between performances, with ill-fated lovers Riccardo and Amelia played both by Stephen Costello and Elena Stikhina, and Piero Pretti and Erika Grimaldi. Presented as part of the Anderson Opera Series, made possible through the generosity of longtime Festival supporters James and Morag Anderson.
A Trial – after an Enemy of the People
Opening the 2026 theatre programme, award-winning Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy joins forces for the first time with acclaimed actor Wagner Moura (Golden Globe-nominated actor as Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s Narcos and recent Cannes Film Festival Best Actor winner).
A Trial – after An Enemy of the People is a powerful continuation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, transplanted to a modern-day courtroom to offer a sharp look at authoritarianism, fake news and public judgment. Ever inventive and deeply political, Jatahy combines audience participation, where audience members become jury, and filmed footage, creating a one-of-a-kind performance each night.
Creating European History
A Trial also marks the beginning of a historic three-year commissioning and producing initiative between the Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival, and Festival d’Avignon - three European giants of the arts, each founded in 1947, uniting to reaffirm a shared belief that art can change the world.
Tickets are on-sale to the public from 27 November with priority booking available for members. The 2026 Edinburgh International Festival takes place 7-30 August 2026. The full programme will be announced in March, with tickets on-sale late March.
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Photo credits [from the top]: Chris Christodoulou [Berliner Philharmoniker], Reneff-Olson Productions [San Francisco Ballet], Herwig Prammer [Zurich Opera House] and Caio Lírio [A Trial].