The Edinburgh Festivals - our staff top picks!

If you are lucky enough to live in, or visit Edinburgh this August, there are many different festivals to choose from:

Edinburgh International Festival – 2 – 25th August
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – 2 – 24th August
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – 2 – 26th August
Edinburgh Art Festival – 9 – 25th August
Edinburgh International Book Festival – 10 -25th August

With so many different shows on offer, it can be hard to decide what to go and see! We asked our staff which shows they would recommend to help you to decide.

Christine Bovill poster advert for her Fringe Show

No Regrets

Julie, our Marketing Director recommends Christine Bovill.

“I had the absolute privilege of meeting Christine in her early days at the Edinburgh Fringe and was blown away by her performance.  We catch up every year as her show and popularity have grown, filling ever bigger venues.   If you love the nostalgia of French “chanson” and it’s influence then you can’t miss this.  Anyone who loves a performance that can morph from  heartfelt to funny, passionate to absorbing, and simply wants to enjoy one the Fringe’s classic most popular sell-outs – this is for you!”

This year, Christine is performing her show ‘No regrets’ at Plesance at EICC from 31st July – 10th August.

Find out more, and buy tickets here. Please note, the suitability of this show is for aged 12+.

Tim Murray Is Witches

Jamie, from our visitor experience team recommended ‘Tim Murray Is Witches.’ A show Jamie saw last year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

“I thoroughly enjoyed this performance, it was a stand up show, with a lot of audience interaction. I laughed the whole way through! The show revolves around iconic witches like Sabrina the Teenage witch.”

More info and tickets for this show can be found here. Please note, the suitability of this show is for aged 16+.

Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating

Georgie, our Marketing Assistant recommends Reuben Kaye.

“My favourite show at the Fringe is a comedy cabaret hosted by the utterly fabulous Reuben Kaye. I first saw them in 2023 and loved their show so much that I saw it three times throughout August. Reuben hosts two different shows a night throughout the Fringe so there is plenty of opportunity to see this phenomenal performer in action!”

More info and tickets for this show can be found here. Please note, the suitability of this show is for aged 16+.

Captivate Theatre

Fraser from our visitor experience team highly recommends shows by Captivate Theatre! Running this year, the two he is looking forward to seeing are “Les Miserables” and “Charlie and the chocolate factory”. The reason being, his wife is starring in them!

He says: “As a freelance musician, August is always a busy time. She has played in Les Miserables a few times before and this year is looking forward to performing in Charlie and the chocolate factory too.”

Other shows Captivate are performing this year include: Matilda Jr, All Shook Up, The Phantom of the Opera, Frozen Jr and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Find out more here.

Please note, the suitability of Captivate Theatre shows range from 5 years+ to 12 years+