Edinburgh is the world's leading festival city, with a vast variety of events bringing visitors from around the world to its streets and stages.
Each August the University is at the heart of the action, hosting venues on campus, working in partnership with festival organisers, with many students and staff also taking part in events.
A celebration of culture like no other, the festivals continue to inspire people to visit, work, or study in Edinburgh. The city is transformed and there are shows and events that will appeal to every taste.
The University provides a home for many venues during the Festival Fringe, including Assembly, Underbelly, Pleasance Theatre and Gilded Balloon, and more.
Students and staff will also be taking part in events across the Fringe programme, with opportunities to take part often arising through course work, student societies or academic study.
This year, University researchers take centre stage as part of ‘The Provocateurs,’ formally known as the ‘Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas,’ a staple of the Fringe programme for over ten years.
A thought-provoking series of events fusing academic research with comedy, ‘The Provocateurs’ features leading academics in cabaret style performances hosted by comedian Susan Morrison. Topics include forensic jewellery, deconstructing brains and learning languages.
Elsewhere, at InSpace, the Institute for Design Informatics creativity hub, audiences can enjoy a programme of events and exhibitions fusing art, design, technology and research.
The Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) programme and Edinburgh College of Art present two ground-breaking exhibitions delving into the role artists play in navigating the evolving landscapes of AI.
At St Cecilia’s Hall, Scotland’s oldest purpose-built concert hall and home to the University’s musical instrument collection, a varied concert series celebrates early music using period instruments from the special collection.
Sport is also celebrated among the art. Chair of Sport Professor Grant Jarvie hosts an event marking the extraordinary life and achievements of University alumni Eric Liddell, gold medal winner at the Paris Olympic Games in 1924 and inspiration behind the Oscar-winning film 'Chariots of Fire'.
Students can also be found treading the boards throughout the Fringe. Edinburgh University Footlights present their production of the iconic musical Grease at Paradise in Augustines.
The Edinburgh University Theatre Company present its 44th Fringe season at its year-round home Bedlam Theatre, with 17 different shows to choose from, while the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group (EUSOG) present their version of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Merrily we roll along’, also at Augustines.
The University continues to work in partnership with the Edinburgh International Festival. This year programme features on-campus performances and exhibitions, as well as academic experts taking part in panel events.
The world premiere of ‘Dance People’ from Lebanese French company Maqamat takes place in the beautiful surrounds of the Old College Quad.
An interactive dance performance inviting the viewer to step into the rhythm of creativity in everyday life, this special performance will see the line between audience and performer dissolve.
Part of this year’s partnership with the International Festival is focussed on the themes of its major new theatre production, ‘Make It Happen,’ starring Scottish Hollywood star Brian Cox.
Telling the story of the rise, fall and fail of the once biggest bank in the world - the Royal Bank of Scotland - it is a satirical reflection on Scottish banking ambition and the near collapse of the global economy.
Inspired by the play, Professor Liz Grant, Co-Director of the University’s Compassion in Financial Services Hub, will host ‘Making It Happen,’ a conversation with business leaders from across the UK considering truth, transparency and trust in financial institutions.
At Talbot Rice Gallery, its summer exhibition is presented not only within the Edinburgh International Festival programme in association with the festival, but as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival too.
Epic film installations, hand-crafted puppets, sculptures take centre stage in internationally acclaimed Egyptian artist Wael Shawky’s solo show, recalling long-ago events that continue to influence our world.
At the heart of the exhibition, two stunning films use visual storytelling and music to consider if a single version of history can ever exist. Lavish sets and hand-painted scenery form a backdrop for live performers and intricate glass puppets to reconsider the past and tell new stories along the way.
The exhibition is free to visit and forms the centrepiece of Talbot Rice’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival returns to the Edinburgh Futures Institute this year, following its hugely successful first outing at the venue in 2024.
The festival also hosts 13 special events as part of ‘The Front List’ series just next door in the University's historic McEwan Hall.
Within the packed programme, several events have been created in collaboration with the University, featuring authors including Naga Munchetty, Maggie Nelson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Richard Susskind, among others.
The programme also features speakers from our academic staff, bringing their expertise to the festival’s theme of repair, with events considering topics including Scottish devolution, current affairs, moral evolution, spiritual healing and AI.
Events look back as well as forwards, with series ‘Words from the Wards’ reflecting on memories of the Futures Institutes past, as Edinburgh’s former Royal Infirmary hospital building.
The University is proud to support this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, as the event returns with a programme of globally renowned cinema, talks and workshops.
University academics and alumni will be part of the programme, chairing and taking part in panel events.
