Edinburgh's 10 Unmissable Events and Festivals this August

Now into its 14th year, the Just Festival brings together international performers for 300 events across 19 venues and three weeks. The festival is backed by 12 groups including the Scottish Government, the Scottish Interfaith Association and various city churches, and is focused upon exploring issues such as community, prejudice, and diversity through art forms such as dance, music and film. There will be speakers, forums, film screenings, music performances, art exhibitions, and fashion shows during the duration of the festival. Poetry slams will be held most nights, along with performances from Simply Soweto Encha. Look out also for The Onion of Bigotry, a play that deals with sectarianism, and lectures from leading experts from the University of Edinburgh on Islamic history.

Just Festival, St John’s Church, Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

1 – 25 August

The Fringe is one of the most famous arts events in the world – the organisers claim the festival is the largest in the world, with 2013 having seen a total of 45,464 performances of 2,871 shows. Running since 1947, the festival focuses on theatre and comedy, but there are also many street performances of magic and dance, as well as performance poetry. Over the years the festival has been a breeding ground for young comics and performers – back in 1960 a group calling themselves Beyond the Fringe featured Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. Winners of the Perrier Award for best comedy act include the Cambridge Footlights of 1981 that included Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Emma Thompson, as well as in more recent years Al Murray, Steve Coogan, Dylan Moran, Rich Hall, and Demetri Martin.

Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 180 High Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, +44 0131 226 0026

1 – 30 August

The Scottish Gallery has been exhibiting leading Scottish artists since 1842. In 1860 the gallery moved to premises on Castle Street, before coming to the current building on Dundas Street in 1992. During August this year there will be an exhibition of the works of 10 heroines of British 20th century art who have been largely overlooked or their reputations obscured by the work of their prominent and well-known husband or relatives. You can expect to find the works of Gwen John, the sister of Augustus John, Winifred Nicholson, the wife of the better-known Ben Nicholson, as well as female artists whose works are slowly becoming recognised as forming a key part of British art in the last century, including Barbara Hepworth, Anne Redpath and Wilhelmina Burns-Graham.

The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, +44 0131 558 1200