Does your Scottish trip include a Festival?

View from Edinburgh Castle (Copyright- VisitScotland/ScottishViewpoint)

No matter where you go in Europe, you’re bound to run into festivals and Scotland is no exception.  Although festivals can happen anytime, the summer months offer a larger number and variety of these delightful events. Incorporating these into your heritage trip often gives you the opportunity get up close and personal with the locals.

So, you’re wondering, what kinds of festivals are there?  They range from historic, cultural, and musical to themes including authors, harvests, plays, sports and comedies.  Some festivals are organized around foods, harvesting of crops, wines, olive oils and specialties of regions.

Edinburgh’s Military Tattoo

More of an event than a festival, the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh showcases performers from throughout the world.  From its humble beginnings of 8 performances to today’s many offerings, the Tattoo provides a spectacle of music and marching to delight your senses.  The shows are staged in the new amphitheater, which is set against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.  No performances have ever been cancelled since its inception in 1950. Held every August, tickets must be purchased in advance.

 

Festival Fringe

To coincide with the Military Tattoo, the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh provides a wide variety of entertainment and activities for families and adults alike.  Their web site describes the festival as “The largest and best open-access festival in the world.”  When they say “open-access” they mean they allow any performer to become part of the festival.  Past festivals have featured over 2,500 shows in more than 250 venues.  Offerings include:  Cabaret, Children’s Shows, Comedy, Dance and Physical Theatre, Events, Exhibitions, Music, Musicals and Opera, Spoken Word, and Theatre.

 

Scottish Highland Games (Copyright- VisitScotland/ScottishViewpoint)

 

Scottish Highland Games

Throughout Scotland local highland games take place every summer.  No one knows the origin or dates these games began, but they include a variety of contests using skills, strength and tenacity. While there are too many to list them all, there is one that sticks out:   the Braemar Gathering. It’s rather special because of its patron, Her Majesty the Queen of England, who often attends.

While these are all great, they only highlight a few of the many, many festivals in Scotland alone. Why not plan your trip around a festival and take in the activities? They will add enjoyment to your trip and something special to write home about. Call us when you are thinking about attending a festival in your trip and we will take care of all the details.