August 2022: First Week in 12 Pics

It was an amazing return to a full program of live festival events in Edinburgh during August and we've picked twelve moments from across our festivals family that brought a tear to the eye or a smile to the lips, and made us realise the importance of such communal experiences.

Pester and Rossi’s Finding Buoyancy for the Edinburgh Art Festival is inspired by the Union Canal at Wester Hailes. Over the past year, the artists invited WHALE Arts groups and members to explore ways we can connect with nature on our doorstep ‘to help us stay afloat in uncertain times’ - and held launch event and special performance on board the canal boat Panacea in a collaborative artwork that reflects all who have contributed to the project in a joyful celebration of people and place.

Meanwhile at BT Murrayfiled, the home of Scottish Rugby, preparations were complete for MACRO, a co-production with the Adelaide Festival - where award-winning Australian contemporary circus powerhouse Gravity & Other Myths and critically acclaimed Australian First Nations dance-theatre sensations Djuki Mala, teamed up with revered Celtic musicians including Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle), Kathleen MacInnes (vocals) and Brìghde Chaimbeul (pipes).for a free spectacular to mark the start of the Edinburgh International Festival's 75th anniversary season.

Arriving on to the city's iconic Royal Mile were representatives of the international acts for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo show, Voices. Performers from the New Zealand Army Band, The United States Army Field Band, The United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team, The Top Secret Drum Corps, Banda Monumental De Mexico and The Highland Divas will join the Massed Pipes and Drums, UK Military Bands, Tattoo Pipes and Drums, Fiddlers and Dancers, and wow crowds on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade.

You never know who'll you'll bump into during festival time in Edinburgh and for one group of performers - Cherub Spring performing at the Fringe - this meant spending some time with Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Famous for creating and starring n Fleabag, which of course launched at the Fringe in 2013 winning a Scotsman Fringe First Award, Phoebe was in the city in her new role as President of the Fringe Society, the charity that exists to support everyone who wants to participate in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

In the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, an enormous single-cell organism floats among the Victorian iron colonnades of the cavernous Grand Gallery. BMultidisciplinary artist Luke Jerram often explores the nature of scale and perception in his pieces and the latest installation of his inflatable sculpture “E.coli” - shown as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival - spans 90 feet, representing the bacterium at 5 million times its actual size (if humans were to scale up just as enormously, they would be about 5.5 miles tall!)

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra came to Edinburgh for a historic free concert, the only Scotland performance in their tour of Europe and the USA. Edinburgh is twinned with the city of Kyiv and this special collaboration between the Edinburgh International Festival and the Scottish Government is in support of the city’s Ukrainian community and those directly affected by the war. The Ukraine Ministry of Culture granted a special exemption to military-age, male members of the orchestra, allowing them to put down weapons and take up their instruments in a demonstration of the power of art over adversity.

With over 900 performers descending upon Edinburgh Castle for the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Princess Anne - the Tattoo's Royal Patron - got a sneak peek of the opening number when she attended the final dress rehearsal, meeting with military and performers before taking in a show and telling those in attendance that she is “hugely grateful to those who had risen to the challenge” of participating. 

After a two year absence, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe street events brought a welcome explosion of breath-taking sights, sounds and experiences to the streets of Edinburgh. In addition to the long-established performance areas on the Royal Mile [pictured] and the Mound Precinct, this year’s street events also take place at new locations in East Princes Street Gardens, St Andrew Square, Multrees Walk and Cathedral Square outside St James Quarter. 

Now in its 8th year, Platform offers audiences an opportunity to experience the breadth and vitality of emerging contemporary art practice in Scotland, as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival. Platform: 2022 has been selected by writer and researcher Seán Elder, artist Lucy Skaer, and Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts, Beth Bate - nd this yea includes the work of Emelia Kerr Beale [pictured] who explores the mythology surrounding an ancient oak tree through an installation of knitted garments, print work and video.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined actor and author Alan Cumming backtage during the world premiere of his dance-theatre show Burn. A co-production between Edinburgh International Festival, the National Theatre of Scotland, and New York City’s The Joyce Theater, Burn is a new creation from the International Festival favourite Alan Cumming and the Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett (Black Watch, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and featuring the music of Anna Meredith (Mercury Prize nominated for Fibs).

Taking place on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo made its long awaited returrn to the city after being postponed over the past two years due to the pandemic. The world renowned event involves performances from drum and pipe bands, Highland dancers, regiments and of course, unique musical specialists from around the world - with this year enhnaced digital projections onto the Castle ramparts bringing an extra level of spectacle to this iconic Scottish event.

TikTok and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society launched an exclusive new partnership that will see the entertainment platform become the first Official Virtual Stage to the Fringe, showcasing the magic and creativity that artists from around the world bring to Edinburgh's stages to an even wider audience. Alongside the virtual stage, two digital screens on the Royal Mile, the heart of Scotland's historic capital, will offer a platform for emerging comedy, music and theatre talent on TikTok, while also helping festival goers discover new artists and spotlight the must-see shows from the Fringe.