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Article by: Lou McGregor, September 2005
If you are going to be daring enough to hit the Edinburgh Festival, rule number one is: commit to surrender. The spirit of the festival seeps into every nook and cranny of this fabulous city and you just have to give in to it. If you can't stand the beer, get out of the brewery!
Edinburgh has long been flying the flag of the Festival City, and with good reason. A whopping seven festivals run concurrently throughout August, spilling into September like punters being booted out of a club at 5am. A mind–boggling 600 performances occur daily and if you wanted to catch every show at the Fringe Festival it would take you about 5 years (and three liver transplants). Of the throngs of people that descend on Edinburgh for the festival, some are famous, some are not so famous, and some are so drunk they just think they're famous. The festival can be a bit of a blur as locals, performers and visitors alike wander the cobbled streets in an whisky-fuelled haze and the city becomes plastered with posters enticing you to see 'the best festival show yet'. Folk mill from the Tron Kirk up to the Festival Hub, spiralling down Victoria Street to jazz in the Grassmarket where they disappear under an avalanche of flyers and festival frenzy. The atmosphere is incredible and after a few weeks and some belly laughs, you can almost feel your DNA altering.
A piece of advice before you throw yourself headlong into the Edinburgh Festival - it is both overwhelming and not for the faint hearted.
A piece of advice before you throw yourself headlong into the Edinburgh Festival - it is both overwhelming and not for the faint hearted. It can be a befuddling experience to even the most seasoned campaigner, so grab yourself a copy of the festival guide (available almost anywhere in the city) and either go for a wee wander up Arthur's Seat (you can't miss it, it's the big hill in the middle of the city) to study the guide in peace, or order a pint of Deuchars IPA beer and pick the cream of the crop from the comfort of one of Edinburgh's many cosy pubs.
And in the words of renowned Edinburger Sean Connery, "What sshow sshould you shee?", well, one tried and tested technique for choosing your entertainment is akin to pinning the tail on the donkey - this way no one is to blame for 'that' show... except the donkey.
Edinburgh Festivals:
Dinnae ken whit festival is fur you? Check out the info on all seven festivals here.
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Starbucks Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
(29th July - 7th August)
http://www.edinburghjazzfestival.co.uk
The first of the festivals to kick off. Get toe tappin' at one of the many jazz venues before the sound of Pinetop Perkins or Tommy Smith is just a distant memory... You only get to hear them around these parts once a year...
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Edinburgh Military Tattoo
(5th - 27th August)
http://www.edintattoo.co.uk
You've always wanted to see Scottish Highland dancers, haven't you? Or Russian Cossack dancers? Want to hear the lone piper's lament? Then get up to the Castle Esplanade and be blown away by the military spectacular!
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Edinburgh Festival Fringe
(7th - 29th August)
http://www.edfringe.com
No other festival comes close... in fact the Guinness Book of Records are sick of the Festival Fringe - it just keeps breaking its own record of being the largest arts festival on the planet. Take your pick from comedy to interactive interpretative dance in a wardrobe.
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Edinburgh International Book Festival
(13th - 29th August)
http://www.edbookfest.co.uk
The world's biggest book festival - Unesco thought it so special that they declared Edinburgh the world's first City of Literature... So grab your reading glasses and get going!
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Edinburgh International Festival
(14th August - 4th September)
http://www.eif.co.uk
One of the greatest festivals of the arts (but not as big as the Fringe). Finishes with a bang - this year the fireworks display will go off in tune with Beethoven's Symphony No 7.
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Edinburgh International Film Festival
(7th - 29th August)
http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk
You'll never guess what this festival is all about... You might find yourself propping up the bar waxing lyrical with a certain Mr Connery, or at least someone doing a grand impersonation of him.
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Edinburgh Mela
(3rd - 4th September)
http://www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk
Not a world beater, but Scotland's biggest intercultural festival. A colourful mix of bazaars, world music, kid's entertainment, international food and heaps of folk from all over the world.
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Edinburgh • Festivals & Events
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