'All Rise' for Edinburgh International Festival 2026

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2026 Edinburgh International Festival begins tomorrow, bringing world-class artists across music, theatre, opera and dance to Edinburgh from 7-30th August.

The Edinburgh International Festival is the original festival that started it all, the igniting spark which established Edinburgh as the world's Festival City.

Under Festival Director and celebrated Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, this year's International Festival theme All Rise is a rallying cry for collaboration, resilience and ascendance. Marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, the 2026 programme offers a multifaceted examination of the USA featuring the Festival's largest-ever representation of American artists. 

Over 2,000 artists from 46 countries will take part in 147 performances across the city, including San Francisco Ballet, the LA Phil, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who mark a historic moment as Wynton Marsalis prepares to step down after four decades as its founding artistic director. 

There are also over 700 Scottish artists, from the world premiere of Scottish Opera's The Galloping Cure to Together We Rise, an outdoor celebration uniting over 300 performers in the sounds of the United States and Scotland. This event is presented with support from VisitScotland.

Complementing several of the American stories told on stages, The Legacy Museum brings its first-ever international exhibition from Montgomery, Alabama to the University of Edinburgh's Playfair Library, in a free and open presentation of the Equal Justice Initiative's work confronting the history and legacy of slavery in America.

Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival said:
"Our 2026 Edinburgh International Festival is an invitation to All Rise. It's a rallying cry to artists and audiences to stand with us, in our belief that through artistic endeavour we will see each other more truthfully and more tolerantly. 

"As we mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, we've put America centre stage across our programme. Over 2,000 artists from across the world in opera, music, theatre and dance bring their voices to the stage, meeting complexity with curiosity rather than certainty. Over the next three weeks, this city will become a place to gather, to question, and to imagine differently."

The 2026 edition of the Edinburgh International Festival takes place from 7-30th August. Programme information and tickets are available at www.eif.co.uk. 

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SOURCE Edinburgh International Festival Limited