Some words from the August Festivals
2024 is the 77th anniversary of Edinburgh's birth as a world leading festival city - and the 900th anniversary of the founding of the city of Edinburgh. With the six August festivals coming to a close, we caught up with the Directors of each of those festivals to ask them for their thoughts on the questions that we get asked most at this tiem of year.
What makes Edinburgh such a great festival city?
When you walk around the city during the Edinburgh Festivals in August, you’re immediately struck by one thing: a spirit of pure joy. It’s seems that around every corner, and in all the venues, people are in the midst of feasting on the huge range of cultural delicacies on offer - with a joyful look on their faces.
Not all the events are light and humorous, indeed Edinburgh is famed for its hard hitting festival shows, but even in the midst of heated debate and deep reflection there appears to be a feeling of sheer enjoyment. Edinburgh at festival time feels like one big joyful party where everyone, locals and visitors alike, are part of the city's unfolding drama.
So we asked the Directors of the city's six August Festivals for their thoughts on what makes Edinburgh such a great festival city.
How important is internationalism to your festival?
Every year during their festivals the capital of Scotland becomes the world’s cultural melting pot, with citizens of the city and the country joined by artists and audiences from every corner of the globe in celebration of culture and creativity. So we again asked the Directors of Edinburgh's six August Festivals to tell us how important internationalism is to their festival?
Describe your festival in three words?
Everyone seems to use the same word to describe Edinburgh: dramatic. From the majestic Castle towering over the city centre, through the ancient backstreets of the medieval Old Town, to the historic heart of the New Town, the city takes the breath away at every corner - and this rich history has been the inspiration for all of its festivals. But what words would the Director's of Edinburgh's six August Festivals use to describe their festival in only three words.