Lady’s Edinburgh August Festivals Guide

August is festival month in Edinburgh. With around ten festivals going on at the same time, Edinburgh comes alive with music, street performances, art, literature, food, and the occasional day of sunshine. If you want to know more, today I bring you my guide to the Edinburgh August festivals.

Edinburgh August Festivals

Last weekend I headed up to Edinburgh with friends from Milan. After a late arrival on the train from London on Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday to explore the city and experience the Edinburgh August festivals.

Our first stop was the Royal Mile, where we discovered the world of illusions in the Camera Obscura museum. The views over the city were amazing, too.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

From there we headed down the street to get to the Scottish Parliament building. On our way we stopped to watch street performers, actors, and singers taking part in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival.

All around them there were people handing out leaflets for every kind of show imaginable; a cappella, drama, sketch comedy, and music to name just a few.

As we made our way through the crowds watching a juggler on stilts and an actor dressed as a dog, we took in the rare sunshine and the beautiful architecture of the Royal Mile. The atmosphere was one of my favorite things about the Edinburgh August festivals.

Scottish Parliament Building

Once at the Scottish Parliament building, we spent some time exploring the frenzied exterior. Completed in 2004, the building is a gorgeous work of contemporary architecture.

We stopped inside to see a photography exhibition called the World Press Photo Exhibition. It showcased photos from journalists the world over who profiled world events from the past year.

Foodies Festival

After the Parliament visit, we headed to the Foodies Festival in Inverleith Park. It was another of the great Edinburgh August festivals.

This one was a Taste of London-like outdoor food paradise. We spent a while there tasting everything from Scottish drinks to venison burgers until our appetites for food were sated and our appetites for culture took over again.

Holyrood Palace

We wound our way back towards Parliament and took a tour of its neighbor, Holyrood Palace.

The home of Mary, Queen of Scots was full of history and gorgeous furnishings, and the ruins of the adjacent abbey were right out of a Victorian Gothic novel.

From the palace we stopped for cream tea at Clarinda’s on the Royal Mile, then headed to the Princes Street Gardens on the way back to our hotel, the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa.

Dinner in Edinburgh

Dinner that night was at Fishers in the City, a seafood restaurant on Thistle Street in New Town. The oysters and mussels were amazing, and we drifted off to a pub on Rose Street afterwards with happy bellies.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Our evening culminated with pomp and circumstance at another of the most famous Edinburgh August festivals.

This one was the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a show of military bands from around the world that takes place right in Edinburgh castle. It was spectacular to see the bands in historic surroundings.

Edinburgh Art Festival

The next morning we explored the Old Town. We started with Greyfriars Bobby, the statue of a dog so loyal that he went to his master’s grave every day for twelve years following his master’s death.

We continued along from there and stumbled upon a stone carving exhibition as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival at the Edinburgh College of Art.

After watching some carving and losing some hearing, we headed up to the funky shops and restaurants of Victoria Street, then to lunch.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

My friends had to leave at that point, so I headed to Edinburgh Castle to take a quick look around, then walked over to Charlotte Square in the New Town to check out the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

After checking out the books on display, I headed back to the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa to check out.

The Balmoral

I then went to The Balmoral, Edinburgh’s most famous hotel, for a pre-train drink and snack.

Unfortunately, after waiting ages for a server, the staff told me they don’t serve food to non-guests. I wished they had made that clear up front.

Edinburgh August Festivals Guide

I didn’t let that darken my impression of the gorgeous Scottish capital, though. As my train left Waverly Station, I started making a list of all the other Edinburgh August festivals I want to attend on my next trip to Edinburgh.

It’s a long one, and I can’t wait to come back and start crossing things off. This is truly one of the best places to visit in the UK in summer.

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