After three weeks of spectacular music, theatre, dance and opera, the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival has drawn to a close. We've welcomed over 111,000 of you from 91 countries to enjoy the finest and most exciting performers from across the globe.

You joined us to dance, sing, engage, listen, watch and connect. We can’t wait to do it all again with you next year.

2025 Festival in Numbers

The third Festival under the leadership of Festival Director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, this year’s bold programme that challenged and rewarded audiences. 

The 2025 International Festival saw the most international audience in recent years - 91 countries were represented in our concert halls and theatres.  Drawn by more than 2,000 artists and participants from across 41 countries, audiences experienced the world’s greatest theatre, dance, music and opera, often in unconventional settings. 

Premieres

7 world premieres. 8 UK and Scottish premieres. 2 European premieres. 

We kicked off the Festival with the world premiere of Make It Happen, which alone was attended by over 22,000 people. Other highlights included the eight-hour choral epic The Veil of The Temple; an Australian circus reimagining of opera Orpheus and Eurydice; and Nederlands Dans Theater's extraordinary Figures in Extinction. 

Affordability

We prioritised affordability, with targeted pricing initiatives for those who need it most. Half of all tickets were priced £30 or under, including over 5,000 £10 tickets which were offered across every performance in the programme.

A record-breaking 2,695 tickets were issued to young people from across Scotland to attend performances for free through our Young Musician’s Pass, as well as hundreds of Edinburgh's secondary school pupils who deepened their engagement with the arts through performances and workshops.

In partnership with Tickets for Good, over 1,000 tickets were also donated to NHS staff, charity workers and low-income benefit recipients. 

Access

Reaching the broadest possible audience, this year saw the first-ever dementia-friendly concert sell out. We also carried out 18 performances and workshops in healthcare and community settings across the city. 

Exceeding 2024 totals, 7,271 free and heavily discounted tickets were issued to D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and 763 new audience members signed up for the free Access Pass, bringing total membership to a new high of over 2,000. 

Most sold out performances

We filled theatres and concert halls to the highest percentage in over a decade. 66 sell out performances. And over 80% of the performances received 4 and 5 star reviews.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Prepare to be enthralled by this bold, courageous take on the climate crisis"
– The Telegraph on Figures in Extinction

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “[Cliff Cardinal] knew exactly what he was doing."
– The Herald on As You Like It

★ ★ ★ ★  “a marvellous, disturbing performance"
– The Scotsman on Bernstein & Stravinsky

★ ★ ★ ★ ★  “totally absorbing”
– The List on Piotr Anderszewski

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “a night the Edinburgh International Festival can be proud of’"
– The Scotsman on Breaking Bach

Dive back into the action

"It's very funny, it's very violent, it's very strange."

Before Figures in Extinction had its Scottish premiere this weekend, Festival Director Nicola Benedetti met with actor, playwright & director Simon McBurney to find out more about working with "the greatest contemporary dance company in Europe".

That’s a Wrap

Thank you for being a wonderful audience. Until next time 💛