Edinburgh Festivals

Jim Gilchrist and Fiona Shepherd report from the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival

Next month, Scotland will be at the epicentre of the global arts and culture movement as the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe blossom into life once again.

How do you set a play on the moon? Answer: you don’t – you set it on Earth. Today, it is 50 years since Apollo 11 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre on a mission that would change humanity’s view of itself, but when theatre-makers consider the moon, they tend to leave the lunar landscape to cinema and sci-fi literature.

Scotsman music critic Jim Gilchrist reports from the opening weekend of the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival

It will be one of thousands of Edinburgh Festival shows which will unfold on the streets of the Old Town next month.

Hearing from some of the world’s best-selling authors may have been beyond reach for those festival goers operating on a shoestring budget in the past – but not any more.

Marking the start of this year’s festival season, more than 800 energetic performers donning flamboyant outfits from around the world will bring the rhythm and celebrations to the heart of the Capital during the Edinburgh Festival Carnival.

Marking the start of this year’s festival season, more than 800 energetic performers donning flamboyant outfits from around the world will bring the rhythm and celebrations to the heart of the Capital for the Edinburgh Festival Carnival.

The Scottish Government has declared a climate emergency, but we need more action from politicians and individuals if the war against dangerous global warming is to be won, writes Dr Matt Winning.

One of the oldest medieval buildings in Edinburgh is set to become one of its most futuristic attractions under plans to establish the heart of the Royal Mile as the nation’s official Literary Quarter.

Organisers of Edinburgh’s winter festivals have pleaded for a rethink over a controversial ice rink ban from one of its most historic squares - warning the city’s retailers will lose business over the festive season without it.

The opening of Sir Richard Branson’s first Virgin Hotel in Edinburgh has been delayed by a year after an extensive archaeological dig uncovered evidence spanning more than 1000 years which is expected to shed new light on the origins of the city.