Arts Festivals
August 2015Edinburgh International Festival
This 'platform for the flowering of the human spirit' brings a profusion of classical music, theatre, opera and dance talent from around the world to Scotland's capital.
The Edinburgh International Festival has given rise to around ten associated festivals that are together known as the 'Edinburgh Festival'.
It differs from the Edinburgh Fringe - the first festival to have been inspired by it - in that participation is by invitation, whereas the Fringe has no selection process. Other events include the Military Tattoo and Edinburgh International Book, Film, Jazz and Mela festivals in July and August, plus, at other times of the year, the Hogmanay Festival and the Science and Children's Festivals.
The Edinburgh International Festival was set up with the aim of enriching the cultural life of Scotland, Britain and Europe as a whole, by a committee including Rudolf Bing, then general manager of Glyndebourne Opera and the festival's first director.
This three-week-long fest focuses on the performing arts (classical music, theatre, opera and dance). Since 1999 the festival has had a year-round home at The Hub, Edinburgh's Festival Centre, a listed building with an impressive spire, featuring contemporary sculptures and stained glass.
