Edinburgh Summer Festivals

Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, is famous for its summer festivals.

Edinburgh is the world’s festival city. There are twelve festivals throughout the year, half of which are celebrated during the months of July and August. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Scottish capital during the summer. Here are some of the events they can enjoy.

The Edinburgh International Festival

This is the original Edinburgh festival which began in 1947. Actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform to huge audiences. You need tickets for most events which take place in theatres around the city.

The Edinburgh Art Festival

This festival is modern and has been celebrated for around ten years. It is a fantastic opportunity to see some of the city’s best visual art in art galleries and museums. Most events are free and include events such as fashion shows and art exhibitions.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

This is the largest arts festival in the world with thousands of shows which take place across the city. Anyone can perform in the festival and over 20,000 artists take part, so there is always a huge variety of acts to choose from. Go to the Royal Mile, one of Edinburgh’s main streets, to watch performers such as magicians, acrobats and comedians for free.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

This show takes place every evening during the festival outside Edinburgh Castle. You can listen to pipers and drummers in military bands, watch traditional Scottish dancing and enjoy a firework display in the Edinburgh night sky.

Activity 1 – Vocabulary

Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–e next to the numbers 1–5.

1 ______ to take place

2 ______ a tattoo

3 ______ to perform

4 ______ a festival

5 ______ military

a. to sing, dance, act or do something else with people watching you

b. (for an event) to happen; to be organised

c. related to soldiers and the army

d. a special day or days with fun things to see and do

e. a show by soldiers with music and marching

Activity 2 - Fill it in!

take part includes listen take place

Read the article again. Complete the sentences with a word from the box.

1. Most events at the International Festival __________ in theatres.

2. The Edinburgh Art Festival __________ fashion shows and art exhibitions.

3. Thousands of performers ___________ in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

4. You can ___________ to military bands at the Military Tattoo.

Write about it!

Which of Edinburgh’s summer festivals would you most like to see?Write your ideas below.

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