The Edinburgh International Festival
If you are not going to Athens for the Olympic Games and the Paralympics join me instead for a spot of culture and whisky sampling in Edinburgh at Europe's finest Festival of performing arts!
Edinburgh International Festival of Arts
Date: Early August - first week September.
Venue: Edinburgh, Scotland at over 30 city venues.
What It Is: The UK's foremost Festival of performing arts has grown to be Europe's foremost festival over the 57 years since its inception. It now dominates the festival calendar of Europe, if not the world, and Scotland's cultural season. Each year Scotland's ancient capital offers an international choice, ranging from the superb to the ridiculous and covering every aspect of theatre, music, cabaret, comedy, film and literature in a multitude of venues ranging from the Festival Theatre and the National Gallery of Scotland to the streets. It is an opportunity to celebrate new experiences, through new or rarely performed works, exciting new artists or innovative styles of working. It offers an opportunity to experience some of the world's best artists and reflects the increasingly diverse sources of inspiration and the blurred distinctions between art forms.
The festival is supported by the famed Festival Fringe programme and the annual Festivals of Film, Book, (the world's biggest), and Jazz which run concurrently. Programmes run concurrently and are announced each year in early June.
In addition Edinburgh Castle provides a dramatic background each evening to the world famous Edinburgh Tattoo, a dazzling and compelling celebration of music, dance and drama and the unforgettable skirl of the world famous massed Pipes and Drums, massed military bands from around the world, Highland dancers and the haunting sound of the lone piper at the close.
2004 Programme Some of the International Festival 2004 highlights are performances by the Hanover State Opera and Berlin Ensemble from Germany; the Cleveland Orchestra, Ballet West USA and the Nikolais Dance Theatre from USA; and Pierre Boulez's Ensemble Intercontemporain from France.
The Royal Scottish Academy has mounted a vivid exhibition 'The Age of Titian: Venetian Rennaissance Art' from the Academy's Scottish Collection. The Gallery of Modern Art is showing an exbibition of the works of Jaspar Johns and the Dean has an exhibition of Edwuardo Paolozzi.
Pop is becoming mainstream festival fodder at Edinburgh with an interesting line up to choose from, including Laura Viers and Morrissey.
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