Edinburgh is a fantastic city to visit year-round, but Edinburgh in August packs a punch on another level when the Edinburgh Festivals take place. For a month the city is alive with theatre, music, street performers, thespians, comedians and, of course, an overwhelming number of visitors. As a result, you need to start planning early, and January is not a moment too soon. Here are some guidelines for booking your visit during festival season.
Table of Contents
The Edinburgh Festivals
First, it’s important to mention that whilst people refer to visiting the ‘Edinburgh Festival’ it is not actually one festival – there are several festivals taking place in Edinburgh in August, namely:
- Edinburgh International Festival (7 – 30 August 2026)
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival (7 – 31 August 2026)
- The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (7 – 29 August 2026)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival (13 – 19 August 2026)
- Edinburgh Art Festival (14 – 30 August 2026)
- Edinburgh International Book Festival (15 – 30 August 2026)
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival was founded in 1947 and today hosts performers from around the world in a celebration of dance, drama, and music over a three-week period. If you want to see a top-quality ballet, opera or theatre show then this is the time and place to do it.
By way of example, last year we saw TV Series Succession actor Brian Cox, in the theatre production Make It Happen at the National Theatre of Scotland which was excellent.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival was born out of the International Festival back in 1947, when 8 unscheduled theatre groups turned up to perform outside of the official programme. This set a precedent for an alternative festival, with increasing numbers of unscheduled performers arriving each year until 1958, when a Fringe Society was formalised.
Today, the Edinburgh Fringe is the World’s largest arts festival, selling up to 2.6 million tickets each year.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival allows artists to perform without vetting to encourage creativity and innovation. As a result, the quality can be mixed, so booking Fringe shows is a bit of a lottery, but that’s half the fun of it – sometimes the misfires are the best talking points!
You never quite know what you’re going to get – from well-known artists showcasing their latest work and comedians trying out new material, to theatre students and young artists trying to get noticed in the industry. There is so much variety and something to suit everyone’s taste.
By way of example, over the years we’ve seen:
- Kids shows – including a Kids Pub Quiz, a man performing with giant bubbles and Julia Donaldson reading ‘Room on the Broom’.
- Comedy – including Peter Kay when he won the Perrier Fringe Awards in his breakout year, and Ed Byrne.
- Improvisation – Paul Merton and his wife’s improvised comedy show.
- Musicians – including Hazel O’Connor and Ray Davis from the Kinks.
- Musical Theatre – Les Miserables performed by a theatre school in the Spiegel tent which was seriously impressive.
- Illusionists – various..
- Ventriloquist – Nina Conti who uses audience members as her puppets.
- Cabaret – Drag Artists and a David Bowie impersonator (sorry Dave!).
- Drama – too many and varied shows to note.
Word of warning – nudity is not unusual at The Fringe, so take care what you book if you are visiting with the kids. We once booked an early morning show (thankfully when visiting without kids) only to be confronted by full on nudity at 10.00am!
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Set in the grounds of the castle, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is quite a spectacle and one of the key events of the annual calendar of Edinburgh in August. Around 220,000 people watch the Tattoo each year and over 100 million people watching it on TV.
It brings together military bands from around the world who perform coordinated marching under the lights, whilst playing their instruments and not crashing into each other. Audience participation is encouraged.
My experience of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was a memorable one, but for all the wrong reasons. Visiting with my son when he was younger, we were subject to rain of biblical proportions. We wore ponchos over cagoules and still ended up soaked. Whilst the Tattoo looked and sounded great, the rain did detract from the main event, so I hope that you have more luck when you visit!
Planning steps for your visit to Edinburgh in August
JANUARY
Decide the purpose of your visit:
- Do you want to do some general sightseeing whilst you are in the city, or is your goal to focus on the festival events?
- To be honest, Edinburgh in August is not perhaps the best time to enjoy general sightseeing as the city is so busy. My advice would be to separate out the two visits, but you could take a break from festival shows to climb Arthur’s Peakwhich is a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle on the streets below.
Identify when you want to visit:
- Do you have specific dates when you can travel to Edinburgh in August or are you flexible?
- Whilst not all the show dates are advertised at the start of the year, you can look at the website for the Edinburgh International Festival to see if any of their ‘Flagship Performances’ appeal to you. Similarly, if you like books, films or arts then you might want to visit during the dates of the relevant festival.
- My approach to visiting the Edinburgh Festivals is not to worry too much about when you visit as there is always something good to see. It’s a great opportunity to experience shows and entertainers that you might not othe
Decide how long to visit for:
If you just want to immerse yourself in the Edinburgh festival than 3-4 days is a good length of time to see plenty of shows and also give yourself some downtime. However, if you want to attempt more general sightseeing as well, then add on an additional 2 days.
Book your accommodation:
- Yes, I know it seems early, but as the Edinburgh Festivals collectively attract around 4 million visitors each year, then accommodation is well sought after.
- In January have a look at options on www.booking.com as you can usually reserve accommodation with an option to pay later – better to secure accommodation early and be able to cancel it, than to miss out.
- Double your budget for accommodation, as even booking early does not mean it will be cheap during the festival season. However, the later you leave it, the less choice there will be and the higher the cost.
Think about transport:
- If you’re flying to Edinburgh, then look to book your flights early to avoid disappointment or high prices.
- If you’re taking the train, then diary date to book your train tickets as soon as they are available – usually, 12 weeks before. Don’t forget, or you could lose out on your preferred train times and seats.
- Thinking of driving? Try not to drive to Edinburgh in August as moving around by car is difficult and parking limited (and expensive when you find it). Think about using public transport for your visit.
Sign up to Festival emails for updates on shows and tickets:
- For Edinburgh International Festival updates, sign up at: www.eif.co.uk
- For Edinburgh Fringe Festival updates, sign up at: www.edfringe.com
- Tickets are on sale for The Royal Military Tattoo at: www.edintattoo.co.uk
- For Edinburgh International Film Festival updates, sign up at: www.edfilmfest.org
- For Edinburgh Art Festival updates, sign up at: www.edinburghartfestival.com
- For Edinburgh International Book festival updates, sign up at: www.edbookfest.co.uk
Download any relevant Apps:
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival App – EdFringe App
FEBRUARY
- 11 February – check out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website for the first batch of show releases.
MARCH
- If you want Edinburgh International Festival show tickets then now is the time to book them when they go on sale in March. Book early to avoid disappointment for the flagship shows.
APRIL
- 1 April – check out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website for the second batch of show releases.
MAY
- Book train tickets (if relevant with the 12-week guideline)
- 6 May – check out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website for the third batch of show releases.
- Research and book restaurants as required.
JUNE
- 4 June – check out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival website for the fourth batch of show releases.
- Order the physical programme for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival if you prefer to choose your shows this way. You can get one delivered in June for the cost of the postage or alternatively pick one up from the Festival Shop when you arrive ii Edinburgh.
- It can be overwhelming to see the full Fringe programme in one place, as there’s so much to choose from.
- However, on the Fringe website, you can use search filters to narrow down your options and just see the shows you’re interested in (dates, with children, comedy etc).
JULY
- Research and book any non-festival activities you hope to do. Look for ideas on websites such as Get Your Guide or Viatour.
AUGUST
It’s time to go and put your plans into action!
- Weather – whilst in Edinburgh in August, be prepared for any weather. We have visited in the blistering heat, pounding rain and everything in between.
- Footwear – wear comfortable walking shoes as you will walk a long way during your visit. Edinburgh is a very walkable city and during festival season you will clock up the steps moving around from show to show. Now is not the time to break in a new pair of shoes!
- Accept that there will be crowds – there is no escaping it, Edinburgh in August will be packed. You will need to fight through crowds, who might have stopped to watch a street performer, to get to your next destination. Pack your inner Zen and soak up the atmosphere as you move around the city.
Tips for managing your festival schedule
- Book a variety of shows from different genres, such as, comedy, drama, musical theatre, physical performance and the unusual.
- Choose some shows by well-known performers for established content and offset this with random picks from unknown performers and youngsters, to see the range of the festival.
- Pick one show just because you like its title – I once did this with a show called ‘Life, Death and Duran Duran’.
- Avoid overscheduling as this can have an adverse effect on your enjoyment. As mentioned above, moving around the city can take longer than normal due to the volume of visitors, so you need to leave time in-between bookings.
- Our rule of thumb was to book no more than 3 shows a day – one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening (if not prioritising a restaurant booking). At one hour long, Edinburgh Fringe shows tend to be shorter than normal theatre performances.
- The advantage of leaving schedule gaps is that if you want to add a show in that you’ve just spotted, or that’s been recommended, then you can book at the last minute (tickets allowing).
- When you’re in Edinburgh and chatting to people, you can pick up good recommendations from others. The Fringe Shop also know what is selling well and can also give you good recommendations.
- If possible, try and group shows together in the same area of the city, to cut down the amount of criss-crossing the city through the crowds.
- Pacing yourself allows you to stop and watch the street performers or just sit and people watch over a coffee. It’s an incredible atmosphere in Edinburgh in August with so many sights – look out for the fully tattooed lady wandering around!
Keeping costs down
There’s no getting away from the fact that a trip to Edinburgh in August can be expensive. You might still be reeling from the cost of the accommodation, before you even start to add in show tickets and food. So, if you want to keep costs down then:
- Try and use hotel loyalty points for a free or reduced night’s stay, for example, there’s a good Holiday Inn on centrally located Cowgate which we paid for on IHG points. Other hotel loyalty schemes are available!
- Allocate time to hanging out on the Royal Mile and watching the numerous street performers.
- Make your own sandwiches for lunch to eat in centrally located Princes Street Gardens in-between shows.
- Look out for free Fringe events – ask at the Fringe Shop in Edinburgh for more information about this.
- Become a Friend of the Fringe for discounts and annual benefits. You need to pay a fee upfront but are likely to make this back if attending several shows.
- Buy tickets from the Half Price Hut for shows starting on the same day or the next morning. This works when you have left gaps in your schedule and can add shows in whilst in Edinburgh.
- 2 for 1 tickets are available on the first Monday and Tuesday of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and most of the main shows are signed up to this scheme.
Final thoughts
Advanced planning can give you the best experience of Edinburgh in August. However, if you’re not a planner, be rest assured that you can still be spontaneous at the Festivals. The downside of spontaneity is likely to higher prices and less choice (accommodation and shows which sell out early).
My advice is to plan a framework using the above guidelines but leaving spaces in your schedule to add a couple of extra things in, chosen when you’re in Edinburgh.
And if you can’t get to Edinburgh in August, then fear not, there are plenty of other events happening throughout the year such as the Edinburgh Blues and Jazz Festival in July and impressive Hogmanay celebrations at New Year.
It’s a top place!
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