The Road To Edinburgh Festival 2026: Friday 24 July
In our final edition of this year, Filmhouse gets the pick of the Fringe for a season of films, Femifringe launches a new website and Dan Tiernan gets enthusiastic about quartz
So here we are, another Road is done, meaning it’s time to dive into some head-spinning festival fun. Tonight, you can sample a few delicacies at the opening of the Edinburgh Folk And Food Festival, while shows are still running at the Edinburgh Jazz And Blues Festival until Sunday 26 July.
Before we venture into the leaflet-strewn streets of Edinburgh, here are a few dates for your calendar:
- Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival: Friday 24 July–Sunday 2 August
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Friday 7–31 August
- Edinburgh International Festival: Saturday 1–Monday 24 August
- Edinburgh International Film Festival: Thursday 13–Wednesday 19 August
- The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Friday 7–Saturday 29 August
- Edinburgh Art Festival: Friday 14–Sunday 30 August
- Edinburgh International Book Festival: Saturday 15-Sunday 30 August
- PBH’s Free Fringe: Saturday 8–Sunday 30 August
- Edinburgh Television Festival: Tuesday 25–Friday 28 August
As you’ll see below, there are still plenty of festival-adjacent events happening in venues across the city, so keep an eye on our site for plenty of other fun happening in Scotland’s capital throughout August.
Filmhouse announce line-up of special screenings…
…. with a plethora of Fringe talent past and present on-hand to offer their expertise and enthusiasm. In the line-up of Fringe adjacent screenings, Rose Matafeo will provide a live commentary of the teen favourite Twilight; Demi Adejuyigbe will be on hand for a post-film chat after Unfaithfully Yours; Tim Key will pop in for a Q&A alongside his film The Ballad Of Wallis Island; Lillian Crawford will introduce Dr Who And The Daleks; and Friday The 13th will be presented by The Evolution Of Horror, alongside a Q&A and book signing.
The screenings will complement the many films being shown as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival at Filmhouse (but they’ll presumably all pale in comparison to Matafeo being snarky about Twilight).
Find out more on the Filmhouse site.
Kai Reesu, Fright Years and Becky Sikasa lead St James Quarter’s summer line-up…
… which promises a host of gigs from emerging acts, and specially selected screenings at Everyman Cinema. As well as 30 free ‘busking’ sessions, the b-EAT Lounge will present evenings of music and conversation hosted by The List’s own Vic Galloway. Included in that line-up is Fright Years and Her Picture on 12 August, Waverley and Midnight Ambulance on 13 August, James Emmanuel and Becky Sikasa on 19 August, and Kai Reesu and India Blue on 20 August.
Susan Hewlett, brand and marketing director of St James Quarter, says: ‘Summer in Edinburgh is unlike anywhere else, and we’re excited to be bringing that energy into St James Quarter this August. Whether it’s discovering a new local artist, catching an intimate live performance, or enjoying great food and drinks with friends and family, we’ve created a programme that gives people even more reasons to spend time together at the Quarter.'
Femifringe launches new online platform…
… to help audiences discover work led by women, trans, non-binary and intersex artists.
‘When we launched FemiFringe in 2022, the response was immediate. Audiences were telling us they wanted to support this work, but they could not easily find it,’ says F-Bomb Theatre’s Creative Producer, playwright Rachel O’Regan.
‘Visibility affects who gets reviewed, who sells tickets, who gets industry interest and who gets remembered after August. When you are one show among thousands, being searchable matters.’
-crop.png)
Four stars or more
After a pretty remarkable run of great shows, Dan Tiernan is returning to the Fringe with Quartz And All, which apparently involves him having ‘magic rocks in his pocket’.
We doled out a rare five-star rating to Tiernan for last year’s All In, writing: 'Tiernan’s usual off-the-wall descriptions (measuring his poppers use on a scale of crayons is a highlight) make the universal topics of his show all his own. Though thankfully, male mental health, addiction and neurodivergence are now commonly talked about at the Fringe, but given the full Dan Tiernan treatment they feel fresh and unique.’ Read the full review.
Dan Tiernan’s Quartz And All will run from Monday 3–Sunday 30 August at Monkey Barrel.
And that’s that. Road might be done, but there’s plenty more where that came from. Every day, you’ll be able to find previews, features, interviews, listicles and reviews of hundreds of shows being performed throughout the Edinburgh Festival season, and you’ll find our print editions from all good outlets across the city. We’ll catch you then.