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Edinburgh Events and Festivals
(Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)



Edinburgh has a number of lively festivals and events which take place throughout the year, in and around central Edinburgh. The residents here like to party and Edinburgh's extensive calendar of festivals and events includes lively street fairs, Edinburgh carnivals, parades and numerous sporting events in Edinburgh. Local newspapers and leading magazines in Edinburgh regularly publish the latest cultural festivals, and often contain current listings of seasonal events nearby Edinburgh.

Edinburgh's helpful tourist information office is always a useful source for current events and festivals in Edinburgh. Many of the events and festivals in Edinburgh draw enormous crowds of both participants and spectators, such as Hogmany in Edinburgh, and provide tourists with a wide range of things to see and do whilst staying in the exciting city of Edinburgh.




National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day / Hogmany
• Good Friday / Easter Monday - late March or early April
• Spring holiday - Monday mid-April
• First Monday in May - May Day
• Last Monday in May - Victoria Day (Edinburgh only)
• Last Monday in August
• Autumn holiday - Monday in mid-September
• 25th December - Christmas Day
• 26th December - Boxing Day

(If Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next weekday becomes a public holiday in Edinburgh).

Edinburgh Calendar of Festivals and Events - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Numerous exciting festivals and events take place in the Edinburgh area and Scotland throughout the year. Events small villages nearby Edinburgh have weekly markets and many traditional customs and events, some dating back hundreds of years.

January Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Hogmany - December 31st / January 1st - celebrations throughout Edinburgh to celebrate the arrival of the new year, including a large street party in central Edinburgh
• Tha Ba' - January 1st, two teams chase each others and a ball until one team reaches its goal, in Kirkwall, Orkney
• Up Hellu Aa - last Tuesday in January, this popular festival takes place in Shetland
• Burns Night - late January, suppers are held throughout Scotland, including Edinburgh, to celebrate Robbie Burns, Scotland's best-loved bard and poet. This historic Edinburgh event dates back more than 200 years

April Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Edinburgh International Science Festival - early April, this popular two-week Edinburgh festival is held in around 20 venues throughout Edinburgh and features many interactive events
• Rugby Sevens - a popular seven-a-side rugby tournament held close to Edinburgh area
• Beltane Fire Festival - late April, with a large fire, painted bodies, drumming and dancing, this large Edinburgh festival attracts around 15,000 spectators in the Calton Hill area of Edinburgh

May Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair - mid-May, this Edinburgh event is held over a weekend and usually takes place in the Assembly Rooms on George Street in Edinburgh
• Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival - four days of distillery tours and whisky tasting are held in Speyside
• Scottish FA Cup Final - the deciding football match in Scotland's premier football tournament is held in Hampden Park in Glasgow, close to Edinburgh
• Scottish International Children's Theatre Festival - late-May, this week-long event features some of Scotland's best children's theatre companies performing in various venues in Edinburgh
• Orkney Folk Festival - concerts, workshops and general festivities, held in Orkney, which is around 2.5 hours from Edinburgh

June Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Riding of the Marches - June to August, with horse riding, parades and brass bands, commemorating the historic conflict with England and the small towns in the Borders area of Scotland
• Edinburgh Meadows Festival - first weekend in June, this weekend-long event takes place in the Meadows area of Edinburgh
• Pride Scotland - mid-June, held over a weekend, this gay pride festival includes many celebrations and festivities throughout Edinburgh
• West End Festival - two weeks of music and arts events are held during June in and around Glasgow, close to Edinburgh
• Edinburgh Royal Highland Show - Scotland's national agricultural show in held in Edinburgh during June, attracting thousands of visitors

July Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Glasgow International Jazz and Blues Festival - jazz players from around the world celebrate 'The Blues' in Glasgow, close to Edinburgh
• T in the Park - mid-July, this is Scotland's largest music festival, featuring many world-famous bands, and takes place in Perthshire, close to Edinburgh

August Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Edinburgh Military Tattoo - with Edinburgh pageantry and military displays throughout August
• Edinburgh Fringe Festival - mid-August to early September, this Edinburgh international arts festival runs for around three weeks
• Edinburgh International Festival - mid-August to early September, this Edinburgh festival includes many theatrical performances at venues around Edinburgh
• Edinburgh International Film Festival - late-August, the Edinburgh International Film Festival attracts large crowds and is held in various locations in Edinburgh for two weeks
• Edinburgh Book Festival - late August, this two-week celebration of literature is held throughout Edinburgh
• World Pipe Band Championships - a gathering of around 100 bagpipe bands in Glasgow, close to Edinburgh

September Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Edinburgh Mela - early September, this is Scotland's biggest multicultural event, with over 40,000 people in Edinburgh's Pilrig Park
• Braemar Gathering - with kilts, cabers, bagpipes and many games, this event is held throughout Scotland and the Edinburgh area
• Doors Open Day - late September, many of Edinburgh's finest private buildings open their doors to the public

October Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Royal National Mod - a largely competitive Gaelic music festival held in various locations in and around the Edinburgh area

November Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Bonfire Night - early November, with large bonfires and impressive fireworks displays in central Edinburgh

December Events in Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

• Edinburgh Capital Christmas Festival - with live entertainment, family events and other attractions, Edinburgh celebrates the arrival of the Christmas season
• Night Afore Fiesta - late December, a warm up to Edinburgh's famed Hogmany New Year's Eve party

 
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