We've lightly touched on this topic before, but now I need more in depth info. We will be in Edinburgh in August and have already purchased our tickets for the Military Tatoo thanks to earlier conversations. Now I'm wondering about other activities that I might want to buy tickets for ahead of time. I don't know too much about the different things offered, but it is my understanding that there are plays, ballets, musical events etc. Where would I find out what is being offered and does anyone have specific suggestions based on prior visits? Appreciate any and all imput. Thanks!
Activities during Festival Month in Edinburgh
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The Edinburgh International Festival runs from August 9 through Sept 1. Look at the festival website eif.co.uk
the festival fringe runs from August 2-26, and the website for that is edfringe.com
If there is something you very much would like to see, book in advance so you wont be disappointed. I have been to the tatoo twice, enjoyed it both times.. and dropped in on a free concert on the Royal Mile.
there the international book festival. August 10-26 website is :
edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on
You cannot tour the Castle and its grounds during the tatoo, but you can do that during the day. You may also want to visit Holyrood Palace, and other small museums along the Royal Mile, or the National Galleries of Scotland.
There are free events/shows taking place everyday up and down the Royal Mile. So, even if you do not book something you will not be bored. There are also dozens of people handing out flyers with events listed on them.
The International Festival features some of the world's most famous (and a lot of the world's least famous) orchestras, theatre groups and singers. Though some tickets can be bought locally on the day, a huge proportion gets snapped up months in advance. So if anything takes your fancy you need to book as soon as possible.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is now by many standards a much bigger event than the International Festival (or practically any other cultural event on the planet). It's almost certain you've never heard of any of the performers - though about 1% of them have some celebrity among people who watch British panel games. Go to the website, look at last year's 400 page catalogue of Fringe events, and I challenge anyone outside a British university to recognise a single one of them. Prebooking is almost certainly pointless: a substantial proportion of the shows are showcased for free in public and most people just randomly choose on the day
At the same time, there's also the Edinburgh Book Festival (www.edbookfest.co.uk ) and the Edinburgh Art Festival (www.edinburghartfestival.com) Some exhibitions in the Art Festival may need prebooking: some readings at the Book Festival might as well. You'll have no difficulty finding events at both these festivals you can get into on the day - but you can't be sure you'll be able to get into the ones you want to see. In both cases, you're likely to have heard of some of the artists featured in the Art Festival and some of the authors talking at the Book Festival - though probably even then only a small minority.