6 h. ago Edinburgh International Festival dance review: Scottish Ballet's Mary, Queen of Scots

The iconic title character is upstaged by an older Queen Elizabeth in Scottish Ballet’s vivid portrayal of the parallel courts of Scotland and England, writes Lucy Ribchester

Politics

45 h. ago Sturgeon says she could foster a child if her life ‘calms down sufficiently’

The former Scottish first minister spoke about the prospect at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Politics

45 h. ago Sturgeon: I was not victim of ‘coercive control’ by former mentor Salmond

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was questioned on her relationship with her predecessor at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Events

46 h. ago Sturgeon tells of fresh abuse in ‘toxic’ trans rights debate

The former Scottish first minister was speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday.

Events

52 h. ago Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 Star Guests: 10 famous faces who will walk the red carpet

A week-long celebration of film gets underway this week in Edinburgh.

Culture

68 h. ago Canvas of Sound with Tazeen Qayyum at EIF: 'There's something special about seeing an artist working live'

In her Edinburgh International Festival collaboration with musicians Basel Rajoub and Feras Charestan, conceptual artist Tazeen Qayyum hopes to ‘touch some souls’. Interview by Jim Gilchrist

Politics

3 d. ago Director Paul Andrew Williams on returning to EIFF with intense new film Dragonfly: ‘Brenda Blethyn was up for anything’

Writer/director Paul Andrew Williams is back at the Edinburgh International Film Festival with a quietly gripping film starring Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn. Interview by Alistair Harkness

Politics

5 d. ago Preview: Scottish Ballet’s Mary Queen of Scots at EIF – ‘she had to almost become like a man to survive’

How do you say something new and original about Scotland’s most famous and storied queen? The Scottish Ballet team tell Kelly Apter it’s all about emotion

Politics

5 d. ago Scottish Ballet’s Mary, Queen of Scots at EIF – ‘she had to almost become like a man to survive’

How do you say something new and original about Scotland’s most famous and storied queen? The Scottish Ballet team tell Kelly Apter it’s all about emotion

Politics

7 d. ago Can the Edinburgh International Book Festival repair itself?

After last year’s sponsorship furore nearly broke the Edinburgh International Book Festival, David Robinson looks ahead to see if new strands, new venues and appearances from internationally renowned writers can help it thrive

Society

8 d. ago Edinburgh International Film Festival: Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn, Andrea Riseborough in full star line

The Edinburgh International Film Festival starts next week.

Culture

1 week ago Edinburgh's 'Disneyland' overcrowding set to get worse as locals are hit with fresh issue

The Edinburgh International Festival has been a mainstay on the city's calendar since 1947, but not everyone is a fan of the city being overrun by tourists in the summer

Events

1 week ago Watch: First look at trailer of Highlands porridge documentary set for Edinburgh International Film Festival

The competition has been running for three decades

Culture

4 w. ago Eight hours, 250 singers and as many bananas as it takes: Tavener’s Veil of the Temple

Who’d be brave enough to programme John Tavener’s choral epic? We talk to the team behind the staging that’s opening this year’s Edinburgh international festival, and veterans of its 2003 premiere remember the challenges and rewardsWhat’s the longest concert you’ve ever been to? Ever found yourself sitting through more encores than you’d bargained for, worrying about your last train? Or mid-symphony becoming desperate to stand up and stretch?What about the longest single piece of music? Opera-goers may or may not sympathise with Rossini’s quip about Wagner’s “good moments but awful quarters of an hour”, but there is no denying the monumental scale of Die Meistersinger, for instance, which runs to about four and a half hours, not including intervals. And then there’s the same composer’s Ring cycle – about 15 hours in total, albeit split across four instalments; as close to a marathon as classical music usually gets. Continue reading...

Politics