Unmissable events at the 2026 International Festival. 

Opening Concert: All Rise
8 Aug, Usher Hall

Trace a journey from classical to jazz and blues, via a New Orleans funeral and the rhythms of a train. This year’s Opening Concert sees 200 performers take to the stage for trumpeter Wynton Marsalis’s monumental 12-movement symphony, All Rise. 

Performed by the world’s premier big band ensemble, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and joined by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.

A Trial – after An Enemy of the People
7–10 Aug, The Lyceum

A sharp look at authoritarianism, fake news and public judgement.  A Trial – after An Enemy of the People is a modern-day courtroom continuation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic and is the first-time theatrical collaboration between award-winning Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy and Wagner Moura (recent Golden Globe winner and Oscar-nominated actor).

The Galloping Cure
9–12 Aug, Festival Theatre

A bold new opera for the opioid age, The Galloping Cure is a haunting allegory for a crisis that has become a worldwide epidemic. Missy Mazzoli weaves club beats into her richly textured score, with a visually stunning and emotionally gripping contemporary fable evoking a darkly funny and devastating vision of a crumbling society.

Jason Max Ferdinand Singers
10 Aug, The Queen’s Hall

Following their Festival debut in this year’s Opening Concert: All Rise, the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers perform a recital of inventive arrangements of spirituals, folk songs and well-known hymns, reflecting their ethos of championing Black excellence.

Angels in America
15–20 Aug, King’s Theatre

An epic five-hour staging of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, the epoch-defining work of the AIDS crisis. Taking place on a minimal set accompanied by a David Bowie soundtrack, both parts of the play are combined into a transformative performance by Internationaal Theater Amsterdam in the King’s Theatre. 

corto.alto
18 Aug, The Hub

Mercury Prize-nominated Scottish jazz artist corto.alto is joined by a collective of outstanding musicians at The Hub. Formally trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and now praised for making jazz popular with Gen Z audiences, his music fizzes with experiments in jazz, electronic music and club culture.   

Ihsane
18–20 Aug, Festival Theatre

A powerful dance work exploring grief, connection and the cycles of destruction and rebirth, by double Olivier Award-winning choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Ihsane honours the cultures of North Africa and the Middle East while confronting cycles of violence and persecution with striking, emotionally charged movement. 

Scottish Ensemble & Brìghde Chaimbeul
23 Aug, The Queen’s Hall

In an evening performance, trailblazing Scottish smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul takes a creative approach to the Scottish Gaelic music tradition. With Scottish Ensemble and filmmaker Jonny Ashworth, they blend new and traditional tunes, electronic sound and bewitching footage of Scottish landscapes.

Verdi's A Masked Ball
26–30 Aug, Festival Theatre

The UK premiere of Zurich Opera House’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s A Masked Ball comes to the Festival Theatre as a fully staged tragicomic opera. Desire, treachery and political peril await.

Clown Show
27-30 Aug, King's Theatre

Theatre-maker Geoff Sobelle brings the European premiere of Clown Show, a contemporary portrait of America as a falling-apart circus. Turning his attention to the American Dream, Sobelle performs alongside a small army of clowns and a live band playing an original score.

Mere Mortals
28–30 Aug, Edinburgh Playhouse

San Francisco Ballet presents a provocative myth for the AI age, in their futuristic retelling of Pandora’s Box. Mere Mortals is a fusion of classical technique, cutting-edge visuals and electronic sound.

Composer and electronic musician Floating Points performs his original score live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. With 40 of the world’s best dancers commanding the stage, this European premiere promises to be a breathtaking spectacle.

See You Soon 💛

A handpicked selection of leading international and local artists comes to the world’s Festival City 7-30 August. We can't wait to see you there. 

General booking opens on Thursday 26 March. Become a member to access priority booking from Thursday 19 March.