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Edinburgh is the world's leading festival city, with a range of major annual festivals bringing talents from more than a third of the world's countries to our streets and stages.
Dating back to 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival was established after World War II to create "a flowering of the human spirit" in the Scottish capital. In that same year, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Film Festival also started.
Other festivals followed, from military grandeur to intimate jazz and blues, captivating science to underground theatre and children's entertainment. As these festivals grew into world-leading celebrations, international excellence in art, culture and science became a permanent and inescapable part of Edinburgh's identity.
3,000+ events
20,000+ performers
Over 3 million attendances
From 70 countries worldwide
A welcoming and unique city
Historic
From the medieval Old Town to the Georgian New Town, Edinburgh even has an extinct volcano - home to Edinburgh Castle.
Literary Greats
Our UNESCO World Heritage City has literary connections at every turn including Sir Walter Scott, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and JK Rowling.
Award-winning
Edinburgh regularly tops the polls as a short break or holiday destination often by readers of The Guardian and TripAdvisor!
The importance of the Edinburgh Festivals cannot be overstated.
Mail Today, New Delhi, India
It’s an astonishing showcase of arts and culture from around the world that transforms the Scottish capital into something otherworldly.
