Music festivals in Edinburgh

A fixture on Edinburgh’s music festival calendar since 2018, Edinburgh Summer Sessions will be setting up stage at the Royal Highland Centre.

Sam Fender and Chappell Roan will be headlining this year.

22 to 26 June 2025.

Perfect for a day out from Edinburgh, and within easy travelling distance, the East Neuk Festival takes place across the River Forth in the Kingdom of Fife.

Founded in 2004, it regularly attracts thousands of visitors, keen to soak up a programme of live music. Events take place in the coastal towns of Crail, Anstruther, Kilrenny, St Monans and St Andrews in a range of atmospheric venues, from stately homes and gardens to churches, caves and even an ex-nuclear bunker!

25 to 29 June 2025.

Now over 40 years old, the joyful and flamboyant Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival is one of the largest jazz festivals in Europe.

Attracting major international names as well as those from the growing Scottish contemporary jazz scene, visitors are able to enjoy a wide range of styles, from 1920s traditional jazz to electronic blues.

The Festival also includes the gloriously colourful Edinburgh Festival Carnival. Watch the cavalcade of dancers, acrobatics, drummers and musicians weave their way from the Mound to the west end of Princes Street, before finishing with a spectacular concert of colour and sounds.

11 to 20 July 2025.

Set against the backdrop of the mighty Edinburgh Castle, concert venues don’t get more majestic than this. Normally filled with daytime visitors, the castle’s esplanade is transformed into a night-time venue for a series of concerts.

2025’s programme offers an electric mix of artists, including Kaiser Chief’s, Marti Pellow, Ludovico Einaudi, II Divo and a live orchestra performance of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

July 2025.

Around 20 minutes by train, Party at the Palace at Linlithgow is within easy commutable distance from Edinburgh.

Saturday’s line-up includes Squeeze, Tom Meighan, Bootleg Beatles, Gun, Sleeper, Carol Decker and many more. Whilst Sunday’s line-up features artists such as Boney M, Boyzlife, The Hoosiers, Stereo MCS, GBX, The Smyths and Kevin McGuire.

2 to 3 August 2025.

Each year the Edinburgh International Festival attracts a worldwide audience of around 500,00 people to the city and is a cultural celebration of all performing arts.

Its music programme is renowned for attracting huge names from all genres. Highlights from this year’s programme include Make It Happen, a new satirical play written, and Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, an opera band telling a tale of political intrigue and personal jealousy. Not to mention their dance programme featuring Mary, Queen of Scots, Dance People, The Dan Daw Show and many more.

01 to 24 August 2025.

2025 sees FLY Open Air once again soaring into Edinburgh.

Taking place at the Ross Bandstand in West Princes Street Gardens, FLY will feature electronic dance entertainment. Some highlights from this year’s line-up includes &ME, Chaos in the CBD, Peach, Josh Baker, Effy, DJ HEARTSTRING, Sally C, and many more.

13 to 14 September 2025.

Since its establishment in 1996, The Scots Fiddle Festival has brought together worldwide performers to promote, sustain and celebrate traditional Scots fiddle music.

The festival takes place at the Pleasance in the city’s Old Town.

14 to 16 November 2025.

While visiting Edinburgh for a festival, have a listen to the city’s thriving online community radio station, EHFM.

Since its set up in 2018, the station broadcasts 24/7 and local presenters offer an eclectic range of shows, from underground electronic music to punk rock, spoken word and even live debates and discussions.