EdFest has opened a box office on the Mound, beside the Assembly Hall.
Above the cabin, a 4x2m screen displays a constantly-updating feed of ticket offers from across EdFest’s seven venues, pulled live from Edfest.com/offers , where participating companies can claim their show and run their own marketing offers. The box office also serves normal sales for the Assembly Hall. Edinburgh,
With Fringe well under way after a bumper first weekend, Edfest.com the shared ticketing, marketing and discovery platform uniting Assembly, C ARTS, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Underbelly and ZOO — has taken its offers on to the street.
A new box office on the Mound, next to the Assembly Hall, is now selling tickets in person for Assembly Hall shows, while a 4x2m screen mounted above the counter runs a live rota of daily offers from companies across all seven EdFest venues.
The screen draws directly from edfest.com/offers, the same feed available to audiences online, so any deal a company sets up, a percentage off, a fixed ticket price, or a 2-for-1, appears on the Mound within minutes.
Companies playing in any of the seven EdFest venues can claim their show on edfest.com, set their own offers, and add further content such as media reviews, giving them a direct, self-managed route to passing Fringe footfall as well as to edfest.com‘s online audience.
The launch comes as ticket sales across edfest.com and Love the Fringe run 50% ahead of the same point last year. For the seven EdFest venues, which together account for around 70% of all Fringe ticket sales, shows can be added to a single basket and bought in one transaction directly on edfest.com, at 0% box office commission, with booking fees capped at £5 per transaction.
Beyond the Fringe, edfest.com also brings together listings for Edinburgh’s other festivals year- round, including the Edinburgh International Festival, the International Book Festival, the Film Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with booking handled directly through each festival’s own site.
The Mound box office sits alongside Love the Fringe, EdFest’s audience membership programme, now in its third year and grown from 500+ members in 2024 to 1,000+ in 2025.
Membership, from £30, gives access to free tickets, venue and bar discounts, and curated daily review digests across the festival.
William Burdett-Coutts, said: “This is a great step forward for the Fringe. Our drive is to try and reduce costs for performers and find ways of making the festival more efficient.
“With Edfest we have already reduced box office commission for companies to zero provided they put 4% of their tickets into Love the Fringe.
“A win win for the audience and shows alike. Which is why a physical, live-updating box office on the Mound matters during peak Fringe footfall, and how it gives companies a direct way to reach passing audiences.
!Audiences can also save up to £1.50 on booking fees probably making this the cheapest box office service in the city.”
EdFest and Love the Fringe are live now at edfest.com.
Community groups and organisations from across the city are being invited to register by Saturday 15 August to take part in the 2026 Edinburgh People’s Procession.
The People’s Procession takes place on Sunday 13 September 2026 and forms part of the spectacular Edinburgh Riding of the Marches, an annual event celebrating Edinburgh’s heritage while showcasing the city’s vibrant communities, culture and future. The procession gives local organisations the opportunity to raise awareness of their work and celebrate their contribution to life in the capital.
Organised by Edinburgh March Riding Association, with support from the City of Edinburgh Council, the procession will bring together more than 600 participants representing groups and organisations from across the city.
Participants will travel from Holyrood, near the Scottish Parliament and Palace of Holyroodhouse, along the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral ahead of the arrival of the Riding of the Marches cavalcade later that afternoon.
The Riding of the Marches will once again be joined by the Lord Provost Rt Hon Cllr Robert Aldridge, alongside the Edinburgh Captain and Lass, who will lead the cavalcade of 280 horses and riders up the Royal Mile watched by an audience of thousands.
City of Edinburgh Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “I’m delighted to see the return of the People’s Procession for 2026. The enthusiastic response to last year’s inaugural procession demonstrated the pride, diversity and community spirit that make Edinburgh such a special city.
“The procession is a fantastic opportunity for local groups and organisations to come together to celebrate the invaluable work they do and be part of one of Edinburgh’s most unique and historic events.
“I look forward to seeing even more community groups represented this year as the People’s procession continues to grow and become an established part of Edinburgh’s Riding of the Marches.”
Further information on the event including expected timings and the registration form is available via the events Eventbrite page.
Following the success of a 2025’s tour of Tweedy’s Massive Circus, Scottish clown Tweedy is back with a brand new solo show at the iconic purple cow. The show has just received a Gold Festivals Award EFFTA from the Fringe Theatre Awards.
This year, Tweedy’s Massive Solo Show finds Tweedy battling mischievous props in a series of increasingly absurd situations. The props have lives of their own, his limbs rebel against him and a sentient Siri starts playing up. No matter the mess he gets into, he can always find a creative way to get out.
Renowned for his warmth, ingenuity and impeccable comic timing, Tweedy the Clown is a household name in the southwest of England, where he regularly performs with Giffords Circus. Tweedy is also the recipient of a British Empire Medal and an Honorary Fellowship Award from the University of Gloucestershire.
Audiences from one to a hundred and one alike will delight in Tweedy’s repertoire of comedic talents, which have made him one of the most respected and popular clowns the country currently has to offer.
Tweedy’s Massive Solo Show
Dates: 6 – 30 Aug (except 17 and 24)
Times: 10:15 am
Venue: Underbelly’s George Square Gardens (Udderbelly)
For the first time ever under 18’s can explore the National Galleries of Scotland’s blockbuster summer exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy building – completely free!
Opening this weekend (Saturday 8 August), discover powerful photographic portraits by groundbreaking American artist Catherine Opie in this showstopping exhibition. Curated in collaboration with the artist, Catherine Opie: To Be Seen is Opie’s first ever solo exhibition in Scotland.
Specially adapted for the Royal Scottish Academy building in Edinburgh, To Be Seen presents a unique experience of the people, communities and stories in the art of Catherine Opie. The exhibition comes to Edinburgh from the National Portrait Gallery in London, having already received rave reviews from The Guardian and the Independent, with Time Out calling it ‘something worth celebrating’.
Explore nearly 80 vibrant portraits by Opie alongside her selection of works from Scotland’s national art collection. Displayed across seven rooms in the Royal Scottish Academy building, come face to face with Opie’s mentors and collaborators, Queer communities, children, surfers, high school footballers and political crowds as well as self-portraits of the artist.
See Opie’s work alongside a selection of 13 paintings from the national collection in arrangements prompting new narratives around ideas of identity. Join Opie as she questions ‘what is identity right now, and how do we look at it? Where and how do we belong’.
Documenting people brought together by common experiences or a shared sense of identity, Opie celebrates these communities by making them visible and offers us a platform to recognise ourselves in her exquisite and colourful images.
Thought-provoking and visually powerful, her striking work challenges who is represented in art and who remains unseen. Depicting a world made meaningful through connection, the artist says: ‘If you can walk away having a little better understanding about being human, that’s what I care about the most.’
One of the most influential artists of our time, Opie’s work is driven by the urgency to examine the ebb and flow of human culture and communities. Journey through 35 years of the artist’s work as she questions representations of home, intimacy and family, and explores politics, identity and power structures.
At the basis of her practice is her ongoing questioning of evolving ideas of community, identity and belonging. For Opie, portraiture is a radical act of representation – a desire to make the invisible visible and a gesture of belonging and resistance. Opie’s art attests to a great sense of humanity and care.
Whether as a university professor, a mother, a member of the Queer community, an American, or a world citizen, her portraits of fellow artists, friends, children and protestors draw attention to the power of visibility.
From photographs covering Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, Tea Party rallies, and LGBTQ+ rights protests, to tender family moments and vulnerable self-portraits, Opie’s photographs collapse divisions between the personal and the political.
Experience Opie’s portraits alongside works such as Benedetto Gennari’s Elizabeth Murray, Duchess of Lauderdale and Pablo Picasso’s Mère et enfant and consider how history is recorded through portraiture.
Opie says, ‘What first drew me to photography was the idea that history was being made and language was being made through images.’ The artist has long been influenced by historic portraits, taking early inspiration from Hans Holbein the Younger. Inspired by Holbein’s precise renderings of nobility, Opie sought to give stature to her friends and challenge notions of ‘normality’.
Opie’s first major work, Being and Having (1991) is her own representation of identity challenging gender norms. Comprised of 13 closely cropped portraits of Opie and her friends enacting their masculine personas, Opie considers these her ‘own royal portraits,’ and affirms that ‘without representation, there is no visibility’.
To Be Seen will span the artist’s most famous works, with Opie’s own identity also threaded through the exhibition. Works range from ennobling portraits of the artist’s LGBTQ+ friends, Baroque inspired portraits of artists, images chronicling the likes of 1990s West-Coast leather dyke scene alongside her own experiences of family life and community.
Opie says, ‘I like to think that portraiture literally creates a history of one’s community’. The exhibition’s wide-ranging portraits span intimate studio shots capturing moments of vulnerability, pride and resilience to socially engaged documentary narratives.
Born 1961 in Sandusky, Ohio – the American Midwest – Opie got her first Kodak camera at the age of 9 and remembers, ‘I photographed everything around me’. Her fascination with photography continued throughout her childhood after she moved to California at the age of 13. She fashioned her teenage years, through friendships forged by taking photographs of school plays.
Opie was later encouraged to study photography at the San Francisco Art Institute. Moving to the city she worked and lodged at the Kenmore Residence Club, coming out as a lesbian and having her first significant relationship.
Later, Opie studied for a master’s at the California Institute of the Arts, where she developed her critical approach and secured her technical knowledge. Rising to prominence in the early 1990s,
Opie has since been at the cutting edge of documentary and portrait photography. She taught at UCLA for 25 years and was the Endowed Chair, Department of Art at UCLA (2021–23), retiring in 2023. Opie currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
Catherine Opie said: ‘After my first visit to Edinburgh it is a deep privilege and honour in bringing To Be Seen to a place that immediately felt like home.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know Scotland in the exchange of ideas and humanity.’
Anne Lyden, Director General of National Galleries of Scotland, said: ‘One of the most significant artists of our time, Catherine Opie is really not to be missed this summer!
“We are so excited to be working with the National Portrait Gallery, London, to host the artist’s first ever solo exhibition in Scotland. We cannot wait to share these incredibly powerful and human portraits with the people of Edinburgh and beyond.
“Opie’s life’s work resonates with our values to offer our audiences a feeling of community, connection and fun! We hope that our visitors find these moments while they explore this wonderful exhibition by a truly groundbreaking artist.’
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen is a National Galleries Scotland exhibition taking place in the Royal Scottish Academy building, opening on 8 August 2026.
Tickets on sale now! The exhibition also forms part of the Edinburgh Art Festival, the UK’s largest annual festival of visual art, from 14 – 30 August, presenting alternative perspectives across the breadth of the city.
Catherine Opie: To Be Seen is kindly supported by the players of Postcode Lottery and Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland.
Award-winning Japanese shadow puppet company Mochinosha/Book of Shadowz return to Edinburgh to unleash their latest creation upon the Fringe with the premiere of their brand new show, Book of Shadows – a hilarious occult mystery for grown-ups.
Teenage sceptic Vi is forced to live with her grandmother, who claims to be the 200-year-old mystic and spiritual guru Madam Blavatsky. When Vi’s friends begin to disappear, she reluctantly teams up with Granny to uncover a conspiracy of séances, unhinged cultists and suspiciously interested government agents.
A visually stunning dark comedy based on a possibly true story, Book of Shadows dives into the mysterious world of the occult and mysticism where audiences can draw their own conclusions as to what to believe.
Mochinosha / Book of Shadowz was founded in 2012 by Canadian artist Daniel Wishes and Japanese artist Seri Yanai and are known for their use of colourful hand-crafted shadow puppets to create live analogue shadow animation.
The company has been recognised with awards from festivals around the world, including Critic’s Choice (Orlando Fringe, USA), Outstanding Production (Suginami Theatre Festival, Japan), and The Spookies Jury’s Choice Award (Edinburgh Fringe, UK).
Written by Daniel Wishes and performed together with Seri Yanai, Book of Shadows is a prelude to a larger tale exploring the occult and esoteric. The first chapter premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026, told through Mochinosha / Book of Shadowz’ signature shadow animation and puppetry, with a pitch-black sense of humour that will appeal to those of a weird and surrealist disposition.
Book of Shadows premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe, 18:30 at Underbelly Cowgate’s Big Belly, 05 – 30 August 2026 (no show 19-Aug).
The City of Edinburgh’s Lord Provost marked a special milestone this evening as he took on the prestigious role of Salute Taker at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo opening night, celebrating his final Tattoo in office as Lord Provost.
Taking his place on the Castle Esplanade, the Lord Provost watched this year’s spectacular show, A Call to Gather, joining thousands of audience members as performers from around the world came together in a celebration of music, military tradition and culture.
The evening offered a fitting final Tattoo in office for the Lord Provost, whose role has seen him champion Edinburgh on the global stage and celebrate the city’s rich cultural heritage.
Running from 7 to 29 August, A Call to Gather features more than 800 performers from the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Qatar, the USA and beyond, bringing cultures together on one of the world’s most iconic stages.
Edinburgh’s festivals provide a “global platform” for Scotland as well as the artists who take part in performances, the Deputy First Minister has said.
Jenny Gilruth will attend the opening concert of the Edinburgh International Festival – All Rise – tonight along with Public Finance Minister Hannah Mary Goodlad.
It comes after the First Minister last night (Friday) attended the opening evening of ‘A Trial’, a special collaboration between the Edinburgh International Festival, Festival d’Avignon and Holland Festival, the three European festivals established in 1947.
Funding for the August festivals in Edinburgh has increased to £6.3 million this year through both the Multi-Year Funding programme and Expanded Festivals Fund provided through Creative Scotland. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society received £500,000 in 2026-27 to support ongoing digital transformation work, including a new website to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Fringe next year.
Ms Gilruth said: “Edinburgh’s festivals provide a global platform for Scotland and for all the talented performers who take part. They also bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the capital throughout August with all the economic benefits that brings.
“They are invaluable for Scottish artists and performers to develop and support their ambition and creativity, providing opportunities to showcase their work nationally and internationally.
“These festivals also send out a clear message that Scotland is an open and welcoming country, reinforcing how the culture and arts sector occupy such an important place at the heart of our national identity.
“Increasing investment into Edinburgh’s Festivals forms part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase culture funding by £100 million annually by 2028-29, ensuring the benefits and chances to participate are enjoyed across the country.
“I am delighted to be attending the opening concert of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival and thank everyone involved in the tremendous range of shows on offer across all the festivals in the city this month.”
The Scottish Government has a long term commitment to providing £100 million more per year into the culture budget as a whole by 2028-29, compared to 2023-24
As part of this commitment, the 2026-27 Expanded Festivals Fund supports the ambitions of 55 arts festivals across Scotland and recognises their vital role as platforms for artists and performers.
Taken together, eight Edinburgh Festivals will receive just over £20.5m of Multi-Year Funding under Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year (2025-28) Funding Programme (MYF).
Police in Edinburgh have launched their annual policing campaign to keep members of the public safe throughout the International Festival and Fringe.
Operation Summer City 2026 will provide a high-visibility police presence within the city-centre between 7 and 31 August, with the Capital’s population expected to double to around one million people during this time.
Local officers from Edinburgh, in particular, the division’s new City Centre Policing Unit, will be supported by colleagues from neighbouring local policing divisions, as well as officers from specialist and national departments, including Road Policing, Intelligence, CID and Public Order.
Police Scotland’s Special Constables will also be deployed throughout the month to support full-time colleagues, while PSYV teams will also undertake various engagement activities and share useful crime prevention and personal safety information with members of the public.
In addition to police undertaking reassurance patrols and responding to any incidents that may arise, a number of Project Servator deployments will take place.
Project Servator is a policing tactic that aims to reassure the public. It targets criminal activity, including terrorism.
Officers utilise a range of resources and also make use of various technology including CCTV cameras and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). They will speak to people and local businesses to let them know what they are doing, remind them to be vigilant, trust their instincts and report any suspicious or unusual behaviour.
For the duration of the Festival and Fringe Edinburgh Division’s Facebook and X channels will be utilised to provide those who live, work and visit the city centre with useful information on staying safe, as well as giving an update as to the activity officers are involved in.
Superintendent Kathryn Fairfield, Gold Commander for Operation Summer City, said: “The Edinburgh International Festival is the largest festival in the world, given the length of time it runs for, and brings to the city people from all around the globe, all of whom wish to savour the sights, sounds and experiences of the Capital during the summer.
“We’ve been running Operation Summer City for several years now and are fully aware of the demands and challenges this time of year places on the city-centre and as such, we’ll have an appropriate and proportionate policing response in place throughout August to keep people safe and respond to any incidents that may arise.
“The public can assist us with our efforts to maintain safety and reduce criminality by always keeping hold of their belongings and never leaving valuables unattended. Similarly, if you see anything suspicious, please report it immediately so we can respond.
“If you’re enjoying the city’s night-time economy, look out for those in your group. Please also remember that we will utilise our Think Twice bail conditions for anyone charged with an alcohol-related violent offence and this will prevent you from entering a licensed premises during the Festival period until the outcome of court proceedings.
“Don’t let alcohol ruin your summer. Help us keep everyone safe and have a wonderful Festival period. Stay tuned to our social media channels for regular updates and crime prevention advice throughout the month.”
A celebration of Scottish identity, international friendship and the power of unity on the world’s most iconic stage
The call has gone out. And it has been answered. This August, more than 800 performers from across the globe have gather at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2026, A Call To Gather.
From Europe, New Zealand, Qatar and the United States, to Scotland’s own world-renowned military and traditional performers, A Call To Gather will see an extraordinary international cast come together for a full programme of music, dance and spectacle. As the 2026 lead service, the Royal Air Force provides the military heart of the show.
Representing the Narrator throughout the production is The Call 1914 Statue, voiced by acclaimed Scottish actor Richard Rankin. The striking bronze monument in West Princes Street Gardens honouring the Scottish soldiers who answered the call from around the world during the First World War. The statue provides a powerful visual link to this year’s central theme, the enduring call to come together.
This year, as the world gathers once again in the heart of Edinburgh, A Call To Gather celebrates not only the extraordinary talent on the Esplanade, but the enduring connections that have brought the Tattoo and its audiences together for more than 75 years. But the spirit of the show reaches far beyond the Esplanade.
The Tattoo will continue its longstanding commitment to charity, donating money raised from the show its charity partners.
Alan Lane, Creative Director at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “Performers and audiences will come from across the globe, answering the call to join us in Edinburgh, in a celebration of the music, dance and performance.
“The Tattoo is unlike any other show in the world. And every year, we challenge ourselves to delight and move our audience, whilst always honouring the traditions the Tattoo is built on.
“It will forever be the case that the scale, the setting, and the sense of occasion of the Tattoo are extraordinary, and A Call to Gather builds on those foundations with a renewed sense of global connection. There’s never been a more important time to connect with each other through culture.”
Jason Barrett, Chief Executive Officer at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo:“For more than 75 years, the Tattoo has brought people from Scotland and around the world together through the shared language of music, performance, and culture. A Call to Gather captures that spirit perfectly.
“This summer’s show is a powerful reflection of the unique role the Tattoo plays in bringing people together, and how that impact of sharing cultures reaches far beyond the Esplanade. A role never more important than today. Together we gather, connect, and share something extraordinary – so thank you.”
The full line up for 2026 includes: Central Band of the Royal Air Force, the Band of the Royal Air Force College, the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment and the Band of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the Royal Air Force Salon Orchestra, German Army Band (Heeresmusikkorps) Koblenz, New Zealand Army Band, Qatar Police Academy Band and Drill Team, United States Army Field Band, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Performers, Royal Air Force Massed Military Bands, The 10th Queen’s Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment Pipes And Drums, 154 (Scottish) Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, The Combined Universities Officer Training Corps Pipes And Drums, Vancouver Police Pipes And Drums, The Pipes And Drums Of The Queen’s Royal Hussars and The Royal Dragoon Guards and 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment.
The spectacular celebration of music, military precision, culture and connection kicks off tonight (Friday 7 August) and runs until Saturday 29 August 2026.
Tickets for 2026 are limited, but remaining tickets can still be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or on the phone, 0131 225 1188.
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