Family fun, fiddles and flavour: Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival returns
Rachel Morrell reports on the return of Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival and its strong line-up of culinary and trad music big hitters
In George Square Gardens, this year’s Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival welcomes bands and cuisines from around the world in a celebration of melody, flavour and kinship. Alongside smokehouse legends from the butchery at Bowhouse in Fife, Edinburgh’s free-to-enter food festival includes local Scottish artisans and live cooking demonstrations. Chefs set to appear include Scott Smith (formerly of Fhior and Norn) and Tom Greer from Levantine-inspired Baba, as well as Edinburgh Food Social who will be showing visitors how to make everything from oysters to crispy fried chicken.
For music lovers, An Dannsa Dub (pictured) bring their distinctive crossover of Gaelic song and digital dub to the festival. There’s also a chance to catch The Greatest Magic Show, featuring award-winning family-friendly illusions as part of a new programme for young ones. So whether you’re looking to tuck into a steak, soak up the musical vibes in the Palais Du Variété Spiegeltent, or just have a snifter of Scotland’s local spirits, this should be a week to remember.
Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival, Assembly George Square Gardens, 24 July–2 August; Picture: Paul Jennings.