What's on in Edinburgh?

by ISOBEL FOX, femail.co.uk

Edinburgh is famous for its festivals. From Hogmanay to the Jazz and Blues Festival to the Fringe, the city offers a stream of entertainment on-tap all year round.

But August sets the stage for one of the city's biggest celebrations. At this time of year, thousands of performers head for the world famous International Festival, with thousands more theatre and film fans setting their sights on all there is to offer at the Film and Fringe fiestas.

With such a variety on display, we've picked out a few highlights from the month-long shindig.

Edinburgh International Festival

Billed as 'one of the greatest celebrations of the arts', thousands are expected to converge on Edinburgh to taste the excitement of live performances by internationally recognised artists, as well as to discover new and unfamiliar works. The action unfolds between August 11 to 31. Watch out for:

Swan Lake

Tuesday August 20 to Saturday August 24

Edinburgh Playhouse, 7.30pm

The tale of a prince, a princess and a doomed love affair set to Tchaikovsky's enchanting score makes Swan Lake one of the world's best loved classical ballets. In this production, theatre impressario Jan Fabre offers a reinvention which he calls 'a great magic lantern dream'.

Oedipus Rex with Symphony of Psalms

Saturday August 31

Edinburgh Playhouse, 7.30pm

This is the Canadian Opera's production of Oedipus Rex with Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky. The production is directed by Canadian film and theatre director Francois Girard who brought the acclaimed Novocento to the Festival last year and is sung in Latin with English supertitles

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Now officially the largest arts festival in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, this year there's more than 16,000 performances in 1,350 shows. This time the event runs from August 4 to 26. Highlights include:

Royal Bank Fringe Sunday

Sunday 11 August

The Meadows, 11am-5pm

One of the biggest events in the Festival calendar, Fringe Sunday showcases some of the Fringe's finest talent - and all for free. With more than 150 acts from all sections of the Festival Fringe programme, Fringe Sunday has something for everyone. Programme details published a week before the event.

Best of the Fest

Thursday August 22 to Monday August 26

Gilded Balloon Teviot, Bristo Square

Your last chance to catch up on all the hottest acts in the festival. Includes six slots for the most popular acts so far. Lasting for an hour and fifteen minutes, performance times vary between 9.45 and 11pm.

For more detailed information, log on to www.go-edinburgh.co.uk

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