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To guide you through our expansive programme, we’ve curated an itinerary of ten unmissable events at the 2025 International Festival.
Make it Happen
Festival Theatre: 1–9 Aug
Make It Happen is an epic new satirical play. An eye-opening take on the 2008 financial crisis set in Edinburgh, starring Brian Cox and Sandy Grierson, written by one of Britain’s most in-demand playwrights, James Graham.
Brian Cox
© David Vintiner / The Guardian / eyevineOpening Concert: Veil of The Temple
Usher Hall: 2 Aug
Eight hours. 250 singers. One monumental choral work.
If you’re seeking deep immersion, eight-hour choral epic The Veil of the Temple invites you to sit on beanbags and lose yourself in waves of harmonies. Experience John Tavener's magnum opus, the second time it has ever been performed in the UK.
María Dueñas & Alexander Malofeev
The Queen’s Hall: 4 Aug
Two outstanding young musicians, violinist Maria Dueñas and pianist Alexander Malofeev, join forces for a passionate programme of music by Karol Szymanowski, Claude Debussy and César Franck.
Their ability to communicate the very soul of the music they play, and their joy in collaboration makes them one of the most inspired pairings in the recital world.
Dance People
Old College Quad: 7–10 Aug
A stellar dance work where the line between audience and performer dissolves.
Set outdoors against the striking backdrop of Edinburgh’s Old College Quad, this promenade dance work transforms the Quad into a stage. Dance People pirouettes between joy and critique, examining the power structures that influence the artistic process.
Benedetti & Sitkovetsky’s Tribute to Menuhin
Usher Hall: 11 Aug
Yehudi Menuhin, one of the foremost violinists of the 20th century, is honoured in this tribute by two of his former pupils: Festival Director Nicola Benedetti and fellow violin virtuoso Alexander Sitkovetsky in Benedetti & Sitkovetsky’s Tribute to Menuhin.
They are joined by NFM Leopoldinum, one of our Resident orchestras, and the original strings cohort of the Rising Stars mentorship scheme.
Orpheus and Eurydice
Edinburgh Playhouse: 13–16 Aug
The 2025 programme is defined by world-class artists bringing audiences and artists closer together in creative and unexpected ways.
In Orpheus and Eurydice you can experience an opera incorporating circus performers for a breathtaking fusion of music and acrobatics.
Book of Mountains and Seas
The Lyceum: 14–16 Aug
A spectacular cross-genre stage work, Book of Mountains and Seas fuses opera with puppetry. This 21st-century adaptation explores our complex relationship with the natural world, reflecting on humanity’s role as caretakers of the Earth.
Directed and designed by Basil Twist, designer of the Olivier Award-winning My Neighbour Totoro, and composed by Huang Ruo, one of the most exciting figures of contemporary opera.
LSO: Puccini’s Suor Angelica
Usher Hall: 16 Aug
As part of their International Festival residency, the London Symphony Orchestra perform Puccini's Suor Angelica conducted by their Chief Conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano. Pappano "an unparalleled interpreter of Puccini’s music" (The Observer), brings to the fore the drama and sorrow at the heart of this opera.
Mary, Queen of Scots
Festival Theatre: 15–17 Aug
Mary, Queen of Scots, an iconic story of one of Scotland’s most famous women, told in an unconventional way.
This production by Scottish Ballet blends classicism with modernity, whilst the costuming nods to haute couture and punk.
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony by memory
Usher Hall: 18 Aug
Aurora Orchestra makes its International Festival debut with Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, in the 50th anniversary of the composer's death.
A work that grapples with the pursuit of truth under oppression. Playing from memory, they breathe fresh life into Shostakovich’s sensational work.
Breaking Bach
Usher Hall: 20 Aug
Enjoy Bach through a new lens in Breaking Bach, where hip-hop meets baroque.
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, performing on 18th-century period instruments, is joined by a troupe of dancers whose new choreography brings Bach’s music to life.
Figures in Extinction
Festival Theatre: 22–24 Aug
Dance and theatre legends Crystal Pite and Simon McBurney unite to confront the climate crisis through spellbinding movement and sound.
The Scottish premiere of Figures in Extinction from the internationally acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater, confronts powerful truths about humanity's impact on the world and art’s meaning in the face of mass destruction.
See you soon
A hand-picked selection of leading international and local artists comes to the world’s Festival City 1–24 August. World-class music, theatre, opera and dance awaits. We can't wait to see you there.
