Where to Begin to light up the city

Only one week left before the Edinburgh International Festival’s spectacular Opening Event

• Exclusive sneak peek of the stunning projections designed by Pinwheel and a legend of Scottish music announced as part of the event’s creative team.

Audiences are invited to ignite their festival season with Edinburgh International Festival’s Opening Event: Where to Begin, set to light up the grounds of George Heriot’s in the heart of the Scottish capital on 2, 3 and 4 August in response to this year’s Festival theme: Rituals That Unite Us.

Tickets are now available on Festival’s website.

Blending immersive installations, performance, spectacular video projections and captivating storytelling, Where to Begin is the perfect opening to the city’s festival season.

Released today are stills from the projections designed by UK’s leading creative production company, Pinwheel, giving the audiences a taster of the spectacular event they can expect.

It is also announced that “One of the finest singer-songwriters in Britain” (The Guardian), Karine Polwart features on a new track commissioned for Where to Begin, composed by Roma Yagnik with lyrics by Davey Anderson and Simon Sharkey. Listen to a snippet of the song here.

An Edinburgh International Festival production, created by Pinwheel and in partnership with The Macallan, Where to Begin transforms an iconic Edinburgh location into the epicentre of creative power, exploring the myths and rituals which shaped the country, the capital and its festivals.

These include the process of whisky making and the warm welcome visitors to the city received in 1947 thanks to the private donations of coal rations by Edinburgh residents which were used to light up Edinburgh Castle during the first ever Edinburgh International Festival.