Did you know that the Edinburgh Festival is the third-largest event in the world? Edinburgh's population literary doubles in size to over one million people every August.
This year has seen even more creatives joining the Edinburgh Book Festival, Fringe Festival, Arts Festival, Mela and much more.
It can be an overwhelming time of year trying to figure out what you are going to see from the ever-expanding programmes but also getting from one venue to the next can have its difficulties too!
As the festivals come to a close, time to take a look back over this year's highlights.
The Festival parade took place on the 19th of July this year with a great array of dancers, puppeteers, circus performers and musicians. It is a spectacular event to watch! The many acts gather at the top of The Mound and make their way down and along Princes Street. The crowds gather early to get a good spot. Definitely, an event to put in the diary for next year!
This year I was pleased to be able to attend the Assembly Gala Launch again. As it's a great way to see some of the up-and-coming acts performing during the festival. Held in the Assembly Hall at the top of The Mound in the heart of Edinburgh. Hosted this year by the Irish Comedian Jason Byrne. What a great night's performance by acts including Pan, PJ Men, Rozy, Seven Fingers, Miss Behave and more!
For me this year, it was all about Edinburgh's Book Festival. I was almost part of the crew being there everyday! Not planned that way at all, just there were so many great events! My favourites include seeing Alexander McCall Smith, Debi Gliori, Fiona Bird, Meera Syal, and the unforgettable Irvine Welsh.
There were also a few newcomers that I hadn't heard of or seen before such as the Tibetan Festival and The Arabic Festival.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the musical performance by the Tashi Lhunpo Monks and the colourful Sand Mandela which took four days to construct! Alas, the Sand Mandela was not to stay, as it was a reminder that nothing stays the same. It was a very moving time when the vibrant grains of sand were merged together in a momentary sweep with a hand brush.
The festivals go out with a bang and in spectacular style at the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert. This year is no different. Princes Street and its Gardens were filled with spectators awaiting the grand finale and they did not disappoint! The sky above Edinburgh Castle was a flurry of cascading colours and shimmering stars that could be seen and heard for miles.
August and the festivals came around really quickly this year and as quickly as they arrived, they have now finished for yet another year. Looking forward to seeing what next year's festivals bring!
Hope you had a brilliant summer too! Would love to hear some of your summer highlights. Please comment and share via Facebook. x