Edinburgh International Festival unveils 2024 programme

The Edinburgh International Festival has announced its 2024 programme, showcasing opera, music, theatre, and dance from 2 to 25 August.

The festival has this year adopted the theme “Rituals That Unite Us,” following 2023’s exploration of “Where Do We Go From Here?”. The programme, featuring over 2000 artists from 42 nations, will have 50 per cent of tickets priced at £30 or under, with free tickets for young musicians and £10 affordable tickets for all performances.

Theatre productions on offer include David Ireland’s The Fifth Step, starring Jack Lowden, and a stage adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun, directed by the Royal Court’s ex-artistic director Vicky Featherstone. Other stage shows programmed include the UK premieres of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam’s Penthesilea and Teatro La Plaza’s adaptation of Hamlet, along with 1927’s family production Please right back and Christiane Jatahy’s After the Silence. Indigenous artists Émilie Monnet and Waira Nina will present Nigamon/Tunai, an immersive contemporary ritual addressing environmental issues.

Opera enthusiasts can enjoy productions by Malin Byström and Opéra-Comique, among others. Additionally, the festival features a diverse contemporary music lineup and showcases Celtic music from artists like Breabach and Mànran. A new version of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex by Scottish Opera will be presented at the National Museum of Scotland, performed in promenade with a 100-strong community chorus from across Scotland. The music programme includes performances by renowned artists such as Yuja Wang, Elim Chan, and Marin Alsop. 

More details about the show’s huge opening event, presented to 10,000 people, will be revealed soon.

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