Edinburgh Festivals: What's On in 2026
Formed in the shadow of a worldwide cataclysm, our first festivals in 1947 sought to use culture as a healing balm to bring peoples and nations together in celebration of our common humanity and help ‘the flowering of the human spirit’. Over the years these festivals have been joined by others to create the 11 that today represent the worldwide phenomenon that is the Edinburgh Festivals. So what have we got in store for you in 2026?
Spring/Early Summer
Edinburgh Science Festival [04 to 19 April]
The Edinburgh Science Festival was the world's first such festival when it launched in 1989. Today it remains the UK’s largest Science Festival and for 2 weeks each year - centred around the Easter break - offers a range of amazing and fun experiences for all ages, with a programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, performances, screenings and discussions between some of the world's foremost scientific minds in venues across the city. The festival theme is Going Global, showcasing the research and innovation created through international partnerships that address shared challenges, directly aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A few shows are already on sale, including An Evening with Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, with the full 2026 programme due to be launched on 12 February.
Edinburgh International Children's Festival [30 May to 07 June]
The Edinburgh International Children's Festival is an 8-day festival offering innovative family-friendly theatre and dance for young audiences. Every year the programme delivers performances with big ideas, epic stories and flamboyant physicality which will help young audiences make sense of our sometimes-conflicted world. The often visually striking productions take place in theatres and community centres across the city, and the Festival opens with a day of free-pop-up performances in the National Museum of Scotland. This year's festival showcases an impressive line-up of 14 productions from 9 different countries, with a special focus on Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, and 5 productions from Scotland. It will also feature works by disabled artists including a new commission Boys Don't Dance by acclaimed choreographer Marc Brew and a new play Cringe by writer and theatre-maker Ross MacKay. As well as offering moments of joy and wonderment, the programme covers themes ranging from our relationship with the natural environment to our capacity for resilience in the face of adversity - with the full 2026 programme due to be launched on 25 March.
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival [17 July to 26 July]
For nearly 50 years, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival has provided a platform to showcase the very best jazz and blues artists that the world has to offer. Held over 10 days and with over 130 performances a year the festival is one of the largest in Europe, creating moving and memorable experiences for both residents of the city and visitors from around the globe. The Festival attracts major international jazz names from all over the world, as well as from the burgeoning Scottish contemporary jazz scene - and the free Mardi Gras and Carnival events during the opening weekend of the festival provide the real feel-good factor that every jazz festival hopes for. A few headline shows are already on sale, including the ever-popular Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra who will perform on 22 July at the Usher Hall - with the full 2026 programme due to be launched on 28 April.
August
Edinburgh International Festival [07 August to 30 August]
Founded in 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival is an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for peoples of all nations. Committed to virtuosity and originality, the International Festival presents some of the finest performers and ensembles from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre for three weeks in August - making Scotland’s capital an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for people of all nations. Early programme announcements feature some of the world’s leading performers of music, opera, dance and theatre, reflecting the Festival's central role in shaping 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 acclaimed actor Wagner Moura (Golden Globe-nominated actor as Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s Narcos and recent Cannes Film Festival Best Actor winner), pictured above [image credit, Caio Lírio]. The full 2026 programme is due to be launched on 11 March.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe [07 August to 31 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 to present shows for every taste. Venues can be anywhere, from existing theatres and concert halls to repurposed spaces like bars, parks, buses and shipping containers - while 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 caters for everyone and includes all genres. A number of early shows will be announced on 11 February, 01 April and 06 May - with the full 2026 programme due to be launched on 04 June.
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo [07 August to 29 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! The sounds of the bands can be heard throughout the city, followed by the cheers of the audience, and the glorious projections that light up the Castle. This year's theme is 'A Call To Gather' - a show that will will continue to innovate while honouring tradition, bringing together allies and friends from home and abroad in a production that embodies the Tattoo’s unique ability to convene cultures - and the 2026 show is already on sale.
Edinburgh International Film Festival [13 August to 19 August]
Established in 1947 as the International Festival of Documentary Films, the Edinburgh International Film Festival 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. Intimate in its scale, ambitious in its scope, and fuelled by pure passion for cinema in all its manifestations, focusing on artistic quality and excellence, the festival explores new ideas in cinema, inviting local and international audiences to engage with a dynamic programme of features, documentaries, shorts and experimental cinema. The festival poised to announce details of their two major competitions - The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence and The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence - with the full 2026 programme to be launched in July [date TBC].
Edinburgh Art Festival [14 August to 30 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 committed to ensuring that high quality presentations of visual art remained at the core of Edinburgh’s summer festival experience. The festival works with local and international partners to present an ambitious and meaningful programme of exhibitions, events and projects. 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. Various exhibitions and events will be announced in the coming months, with one highlight sure to be the National Galleries of Scotland’s presentation of work by American artist Catherine Opie - and the full 2026 programme is due to be launched on 28 May.
Edinburgh International Book Festival [15 August to 30 August]
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. Performance and interactive events have become prominent features of the Festival, complementing the more traditional interview-style conversations and readings, and contributing to the Book Festival’s reputation as a powerful forum for the public to exchange views with writers and experts on a wide range of issues. The entire festival will have a line-up of 600+ events with voices from across globe will take to the stage, all taking place primarily at the Edinburgh Futures Institute - with The Front List series of major writers announced on 29 April and the full 2026 programme due to be launched on 16 June.
Autumn/Winter
Scottish International Storytelling Festival [21 to 31 October]
Great stories well told can evoke indelible images in the mind of the listener, offering visitors and locals a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the extraordinary tales, music and characters that bring both our contemporary and traditional culture to life. The Scottish International Storytelling Festival present world-class storytellers who celebrate the tradition, but also push the modern boundaries of storytelling as well, rooted in the past, resonating in the present. The Festival takes place in October each year, as the seasons change with long nights drawing families and friends around the hearth, inspired by the Scottish ceilidh tradition and its sense of togetherness – a community gathering full of tales, anecdotes, music, songs and ballads. The full 2026 programme is due to be launched in mid-September.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay [29 December 2024 to 1 January 2025]
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year or New Year’s Eve and is generally regarded as the most important Scottish holiday. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Festival dates back to 1993 and has evolved to become one of the greatest outdoor celebrations of New Year’s Eve in the world. What makes it so special is the fact that unlike other places that simply focus on the midnight moment, Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a four-day celebration that takes over the enture city. In any normal year the big events include a torchlight procession and other entertainment on 29 December, a massive outdoor street party, concerts, and fireworks on 31 December, and then a free live music trail across the city on 01 January. Full programme launch date TBC.