Various locations across Edinburgh
Created in 1947 to celebrate the human spirit, Edinburgh International Festival is the world’s leading performing arts festival, featuring the finest performers from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre. For three weeks each August the city becomes an unparalleled celebration of the performing arts and an annual meeting point for people of all nations.
Running from 07 to 30 August 2026, this year’s Festival presents 147 performances from artists across 44 countries, with the theme, All Rise, a rallying cry encompassing collaboration, resilience and ascendance.
With a handpicked programme of some of the greatest artists in their fields, the Festival is shaped as a space for conversation and reflection, where art meets dialogue, with seven post-show talks, two exhibitions, and a dedicated Global Ideas Stage offering deeper opportunities to unpack the themes shaping the world today.
Highlights from this year’s programme include:
- The Festival’s first-ever jazz ensemble residency with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis.
- The newly renovated King’s Theatre reopens with two productions offering incisive reflections on America: Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s epic five-hour staging of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, and Geoff Sobelle’s Clown Show.
- A first-time theatrical collaboration between award-winning Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy and Wagner Moura in A Trial – after An Enemy of the People.
- San Francisco Ballet return with European premiere Mere Mortals.
- A world premiere collaboration between Scottish smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul and Scottish Ensemble.
- Informal beanbag concerts return to the Usher Hall, featuring a Festival debut from the Sinfonia of London with the music of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and a Brass Fanfare tribute to the late inspirational trumpeter John Wallace.
- Intimate, vibrant performances from artists crossing continents and genres, including an expanded number of spontaneous Up Late sessions curated by Mark O’Connor, Gustavo Dudamel, Donald Shaw and Nicola Benedetti.
- Events for families include the Scottish premiere of Hostile, a one-man Spaghetti Western from French theatre company Bakélite, and a Family Concert from the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) alongside their Scottish peers Big Noise.
Over 50,000 tickets will be available for £30.00 or less, including £10 ‘give it a go’ tickets for all events in the programme. Thousands of free tickets through the Young Musicians Pass for 8 to18 year olds and Tickets for Good for NHS staff, charity workers and low-income benefit recipients, will also be available across the programme.
Following the success of the Festival’s first Dementia-Friendly concert in 2025, this year two concerts will offer performances designed for people with dementia, alongside their carers, family and friends. The wider programme also features 43 accessible performances. The updated free Access Pass continues to provide a tailored Festival experience for anybody needing additional support, by enabling members to share their access information in more detail.
Performances take place in a variety of venues across the city, including the Queen’s Hall, Festival Theatre, Usher Hall and Church Hill Theatre.
For more information and to view the full programme, see Edinburgh International Festival.
