The Best Edinburgh Festivals To Attend This Summer

Forever full of surprises and spontaneous twists and turns, one of Edinburgh’s many star qualities is its status as the world’s leading festival city. From the famous Fringe to a magnetic magic extravaganza, here are the upcoming festivals worth frequenting for some serious summer fun.

Edinburgh International Magic Festival

You don’t have to be a local to appreciate the magical essence of Edinburgh. As the largest programme to date, the 2017 MagicFest is destined to entice all senses. We’re not just talking about card tricks and pulling rabbits out of a hat. In honour of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017, MagicFest is set to host a jam-packed menu of riveting events revolving around the ‘Levitations’ theme. Set across the city’s historical and architectural masterpieces, highlights include magic tours, a magic fair, solo shows galore and the UK debut of From The Dark, a show initially created for the blind featuring the only illusion ever to be performed in total darkness, aimed at both sighted and non-sighted audiences.

📅 Friday, 30th June – Saturday, 8th July

Edinburgh International Film Festival is a hotbed of endless creativity uniting the filmmakers, movie buffs and other industry professionals in what is the oldest continually running film festival in the world. Formed in 1947 and still going strong, EIFF is a platform for UK and international film screenings covering a wealth of different strands or topics. This cinematic gold mine, an invigorating celebration of the cathartic nature of film, plays hosts to over 1300 filmmakers.

📅 Wednesday, 21st June – Sunday, 2nd July

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

A melodious feast to the ears and soul, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival takes the crown as one of Europe’s top 10 Jazz Festivals. With over 170 performances gracing the city’s slew of beautiful buildings and musicians from all over the world, people are in for a treat. Established in 1978, the festival covers the age-old classic early days to hot new hits. Between the free open air events (like Mardis Gras and Festival Carnival) and concerts of blues-rock, acoustic, boogie-woogie, southern blues and way more, Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Fest instills an unprecedented surge of hypnotic sounds that simply make you want to move!

📅 Friday, 14th July – Sunday, 23rd July

Life & Style Edinburgh

One to watch out for, Life & Style Edinburgh is a brand spanking new event overflowing with fashion shows, celebrity speakers, workshops, pop-up shops and complimentary beauty treatments. This two-day extravaganza showcases Edinburgh’s status as a desirable city, while playing to all ‘style goals’ and reveling in lustworthy lifestyle goodies. Event enthusiasts can explore the myriad of themed rooms spanning the realms of technology, fashion, food, drink, fitness, beauty and interior design. With so much fun condensed into one space, the possibilities are endless.

📅 Saturday, 1st July – Sunday, 2nd July

Edinburgh Art Festival

A magnet for art lovers and thinkers alike, the Edinburgh Art Festival is the biggest annual celebration of visual art in the UK. In honour of Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, this year’s commissions programme pays homage to the reasoning behind the 1947 creation of the Edinburgh Festival and the 1917 publication of ‘The Making of the Future: A Manifesto and a Project’ by Patrick Geddes. From exhibitions and performances, to screenings, guided tours and artists talks, EAF transforms Edinburgh into a bubble of artistic masterpieces by both renowned and upcoming contemporary artists.

📅 Thursday, 27th July – Sunday, 27th August

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The festival of all festivals, Edinburgh Festival Fringe is an almost indescribable cultural affair. Every August, Edinburgh transforms into a vibrant hub of creative ingenuity with its show-stopping programme of performances. Thousands of performers take to stages — some makeshift, others famous — with debut shows. From the weird to the magnificent, the Fringe is the largest open access arts festival in the world, drawing together comedians, actors, acrobats, magicians, cabaret aficionados, musicians, artists, street performers and more. Just wait, the city takes on a universe of talent and the crowds go wild.

📅 Friday, 4th August – Monday, 28th August

Edinburgh International Festival

Year upon year, the Edinburgh International Festival wows the worldly masses until they think they can be wowed no more… then the next year’s programme is announced! Adding bunches of personality and immense talent to the city’s six major concert halls and venues, the EIF runs alongside the Fringe and offers the best in opera, music, theatre and dance. From dynamic collaborations and intuitive renditions of tried and true works, to fresh world premieres and profound productions, this festival draws the shining stars of entertainment right to Scotland’s doorstep.

📅 Friday, 4th August – Monday, 28th August

Courtesy Of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

Edinburgh International Book Festival

As the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature and seat of the Scottish Enlightenment, it only makes sense that Edinburgh’s International Book Festival is a sight to behold. Every year, the Charlotte Square Gardens plays host to hordes of writers, readers, authors and dreamers eager to present their newest selection of literary gold. Highlights include discussions a plenty, book signings and memorable conversations with some of the greatest thinkers of today. With 750 events and the whole gamut from emerging fiction writers to Nobel Prize winners, the whole ordeal is a dreamland for book worms.

📅 Saturday, 12th August – Monday, 28th August

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.