Edinburgh, with its historic vistas, tourist-friendly Old Town and national museums, can seem culturally traditional for most of the year. Every August, however, sees a casting of tartan sashes and fur coats to the wind as all manner of wonderful (and sometimes weird) festivals take over the streets. There is pretty much a festival to suit everyone in Edinburgh’s August line-up, from classical music to experimental theatre, free stand-up comedy, hot-ticket visual art and mouthwatering food. Honestly, the locals need an extra calendar month in the year to recover from it all.

Things kick off mid-July with the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (12–21 July). This celebration of jazz across the spectrum of genres attracts both internationally renowned musicians and home-grown talents, and takes place in venues from the cosy Chambers Street Jazz Bar to the opulent Spiegeltent. The jazz festival also hosts a carnival in Princes Street Gardens, which works with communities across the city to break down barriers to accessing the arts.

Appetites are whetted in late July with Edinburgh Food Festival (19–28 July) getting the action started in George Square Gardens, the main HQ of Assembly’s festival activity, with its array of food trucks, stalls, bars and shady picnic tables. The separately run Foodies Festival (2–4 August) takes place in Inverleith Park, with Michelin-starred chefs rubbing shoulders with barbecue pitmasters, a kids cookery school, DJ sets and a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

For locals, construction of the arena for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (2–24 August), high on the castle esplanade, is the signal that festival season is nigh. An absolute institution, even if you don’t manage to bag a ticket for the international pageant, you’ll be able to enjoy the nightly fireworks and spot the flyovers as they roar overhead.

The big August festival is, of course, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which takes over the city for most of August (this year it’s 2–26). The Fringe sees Edinburgh transformed by street food villages, Spiegeltents, pop-up bars and a certain giant purple cow. There were over 3500 shows to choose from last year, presented by artists from 72 countries. If you’re struggling to pick something to see, the annual Made In Scotland showcase is a great place to start, for multi-disciplinary works from Scottish theatre-makers. It’s also always worth checking out Taiwan Season’s cutting-edge dance programme.

2024 is Nicola Benedetti’s second year as director of Edinburgh International Festival (2–25 August). With its distinctive yellow branding across the city, EIF is the place to watch world-class artists and creatives. Yet you can also find free talks, casual workshops that demystify classical music, and pop-up performances from the likes of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra. This year the theme is ‘Rituals That Unite Us’, and already the programme has been tempting us with a new dance-theatre piece from choreographer Crystal Pite and a production of Bizet’s Carmen by Paris’s Opéra-Comique.

For bookworms, a visit to Edinburgh in August isn’t complete without checking out Edinburgh International Book Festival (10–25 August). The book festival has had two exciting shake-ups this year: a new director, Jenny Niven, and a new venue in the form of the sci-fi sounding Edinburgh Futures Institute, beside the Meadows. Niven is the former head of literature at Creative Scotland and a regular on The List’s annual Hot 100 tally of Scotland’s leading cultural creators. The programme launch is in June, but before then you can catch up on last year’s events via the festival’s stream-on-demand service.

For a breath of fresh sea air away from the city bustle, head 30 minutes along the coast to catch North Berwick’s Fringe By The Sea (2–11 August). Fresh from winning the Thistle Award for Outstanding Festival in 2023, this is the 16th year of the seaside town’s eclectic fiesta. It brings together stand-up comedy, music, community theatre, avant-garde dance, and author events, and takes place within the town’s Lodge Grounds, with views of the Bass Rock.

The Free Festival (1–25 August) bounded onto the scene in 2004, looking to widen access for performers and audiences, and hasn’t looked back. This year it’s celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special charity show on 14 August, while continuing to champion accessibility by creating a neurodiversity and disability hub.

This year also sees the welcome return of Edinburgh International Film Festival (15–21 August). With a new director (Paul Ridd) the revamped festival’s aim is to champion fresh talent. Ten premieres of features and shorts will compete for prizes, with festival-goers invited to vote for the winners. 

And if you’re looking for a moment of quiet among the melee, you could do no better than check out Edinburgh Art Festival (9–25 August). Shows and installations already confirmed for this year include an ambitious, large-scale piece by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama at Fruitmarket, and a showcase of contemporary Ukrainian photography at Stills.
Main photo: Andrew Perry.