Festivals

Edinburgh is the world festival destination. The Scottish capital supports a calendar of year-round festivals and events which annually re-affirm its reputation as the world's leading festival city

Edinburgh’s festivals generate £184m for the Scottish economy and attract performers and visitors from across the world. Around £134m of this directly benefits Edinburgh City Region. Prestigious events including the Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe have an annual global impact, offering highly attractive sponsorship opportunities for businesses.

The summer festivals have an enduring influence which sustains the economy and cultural life of the city region throughout the year. 

During August, there are around 1,000 performances a day.  Collectively, the summer festivals sell over two million tickets, enough to sell out London’s Albert Hall or Sydney Opera House every night for a year. 

Thousands of visitors from around the world flock to the city’s winter festivals, where they can bring in the New Year at the world’s biggest street party. In the spring, Edinburgh celebrates Easter with Europe’s largest science festival, and the summer also sees Scotland’s largest intercultural festival – the Edinburgh Mela.

Edinburgh itself offers one the world’s most theatrical landscapes with volcanic summits, Regency crescents and medieval tenements providing the startling backdrop to the city’s festival year.