Please be advised that Edinburgh city centre is becoming a low emissions zone (LEZ). All vehicles entering the city centre zone area must now meet the less-polluting emission standards or face a penalty charge. To check if your car meets LEZ emissions standards, please visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/lez
Edinburgh Art Festival
Edinburgh Art Festival is held every August across the city. Dedicated to the visual arts, it’s the largest annual festival of its kind in the UK. Founded in 2004, the festival celebrates Edinburgh’s many art galleries, museums, venues and spaces. Every summer, it presents a wide programme of exhibitions and events, from emerging and established artists in Edinburgh and worldwide. The art festival takes place at the same time as several other festivals in Edinburgh, including the International Festival, Festival Fringe, Book Festival and more. Together, they create the vibrant atmosphere that makes Edinburgh such a special place to be over the summer months.
History of Edinburgh Art Festival
The first Edinburgh Art Festival took place in 2004, brought about through a partnership of the city’s galleries. Its programme aimed to promote Edinburgh’s art venues over the busy festival period in summer. Over the years, it has grown into the largest annual visual arts festival in the UK. It continues to work with the city’s galleries and other spaces to promote special exhibitions. Accompanying events include artist talks, special tours and activities. The festival also commissions major art works, supporting artists to create ambitious and exciting new projects. Some of which remain on display permanently.
‘I visited the Scottish National Gallery during a short visit to the Edinburgh festival and left feeling totally inspired.’
– National Gallery of Scotland Tripadvisor Review
Visiting the festival
The programme features over 40 exhibitions every August, hosted by a wide range of venues. These include the City Art Centre, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art, Collective Gallery, Jupiter Artland, Fruitmarket Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland.
To find this year’s dates and view the programme, please visit the official website. Here, you can search through what’s on and plan your visit. The majority of the events on the programme are free, but some are ticketed.
