By evening, the centre of Edinburgh fills with people moving between theatres, concert halls and pubs, while the streets of the Old Town stay busy well into the night. In August the same streets carry a far larger crowd, as venues across the city host performances from morning until late.
Edinburgh's nightlife suits a range of tastes. If you want orchestral concerts, theatre, opera and ballet, the city has a strong year-round offering. If you prefer traditional folk music, the pubs of the Old Town and Leith host regular sessions. If your interest is comedy, student theatre or the avant-garde, the festival season is when the choice is widest. Much of what is described below is a district or a kind of venue rather than a single address, so treat each entry as a starting point for an evening rather than a fixed itinerary.
Where to go out in Edinburgh
1. Old Town
The Old Town holds several of the city's main performance venues. The Usher Hall on Lothian Road has weekly orchestral concerts all year round with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the Lyceum on the same road offers theatre performances. The Festival Theatre on Nicolson Street frequently hosts opera and ballet, and the Bedlam Theatre regularly puts on student theatre and is home to The Improverts, described as Scotland's oldest improvised comedy troupe.
This suits an evening built around a booked performance, with the option of a pub session afterwards. If you are looking for traditional folk music, the pubs of the Old Town are one of the places where regular sessions are held.
2. New Town
The Edinburgh Playhouse, at the top of Leith Walk, is described as Europe's largest theatre, with 3,000 seats, and hosts major West End shows. In the West End, Charlotte Square Gardens hosts the Edinburgh International Book Festival in a temporary village of marquees during August.
This area suits a large-scale touring show or a festival literary event. Both are ticketed, so plan around the performance you want rather than arriving and hoping for a walk-in.
3. Leith
Leith is named as one of the areas where pubs host regular traditional folk music sessions. It is also the setting for the Edinburgh Mela, a multicultural festival held at the end of August.
This suits a quieter evening centred on live folk music, or a visit timed to the Mela if you are in the city in late summer.
4. South
The Queen's Hall on South Clerk Street is home to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The Cameo and the Dominion cinemas are named among the city's cinemas covering mainstream, foreign language and arthouse films, and the Meadows, in the South, hosts the free Meadows Festival on a weekend in early June with food stalls, second-hand merchandise and live music.
This suits a concert or a film, with the option of a free outdoor festival if your visit falls in early June.
5. Calton Hill
Calton Hill, in the New Town, is the site of the Beltane Fire Festival on the evening of April 30, marking the beginning of summer, with drums, dancing, pagan ritual, fire and fireworks. The source notes that crowds of around 12,000 attend.
This suits a one-off evening tied to the date rather than a general night out. Because the event is fixed to April 30, it only works if your trip coincides with it.
6. Royal Mile
The Royal Mile, in the Old Town, is the setting for the Samhuinn Fire Festival on the evening of October 31, marking the beginning of winter, with a procession and an enacted fight between the King of Summer and Prince of Winter accompanied by percussion. The source states that it is free, with donations collected.
This suits an outdoor evening in late autumn. As with Beltane, the date is fixed, so it is worth timing a trip around it if the event interests you.
7. Grassmarket
The Grassmarket area is noted as a place from which the fireworks at the end of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo shows can be seen. The Tattoo itself takes place at Edinburgh Castle in August.
This suits an evening when you want to be out in the city during the festival period without a ticket to the Tattoo itself. The source notes that Tattoo tickets sell out well in advance, though cancellations sometimes release a few.
8. Cinema and performing arts venues generally
Beyond the named venues, Edinburgh has a number of cinemas covering mainstream, foreign language and arthouse films, with the Filmhouse and Cameo in the Old Town and the Dominion in the South singled out as the most interesting. The Filmhouse on Lothian Road is also the centre of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
This suits a low-key evening, or a festival visit if your trip coincides with the film festival. Note that the source records the film festival as having moved to June from its former August slot, with a return to August in 2022 and no clarity on whether that change is permanent, so check dates before planning around it.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not set out a detailed evening timetable for Edinburgh. What they do indicate is that the year divides sharply. Outside the festival period, the city's concert and theatre life runs all year round, with weekly orchestral concerts at the Usher Hall and regular folk sessions in Old Town and Leith pubs. From early August through to mid-September, the city becomes what the source calls "festival city", with a large number of national and international arts festivals running virtually simultaneously, and performances filling the day and evening. The winter festive season begins a couple of weeks before Christmas and runs to about a week into January, with Hogmanay, the New Year celebrations, as the main focus rather than Christmas. On December 30 a torchlight procession finishes with a fireworks display, and on the night itself sections of central Edinburgh are roped off and accessible only by ticket for the Hogmanay street party.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival — 10 days in July, with about 150 concerts in 11 venues.
- Edinburgh International Festival — August. The original festival, founded in 1947, and described as more high-brow than its offspring. Tickets are often priced more reasonably than many Fringe shows, and some events have preview performances at a much lower price.
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe — August. Developed on the fringe of the International Festival, with an emphasis on comedy and avant-garde, and now the largest arts festival in the world. Many shows offer cheaper preview tickets on the first two days or a 2-for-1 special on two selected dates. Free events with donations are grouped mostly under PBH's Free Fringe or Free Festival.
- Edinburgh Military Tattoo — August, at Edinburgh Castle. Tickets sell out well in advance, though cancellations sometimes release a few. Fireworks at the end of the shows can be seen from areas such as the Grassmarket.
- Edinburgh International Book Festival — August, in a temporary village of marquees at Charlotte Square Gardens.
- Edinburgh Art Festival — August, with some permanent outdoor commissions visible all year and temporary exhibitions and events during the festival.
- Edinburgh Mela — end of August, a multicultural festival held in Leith.
- Edinburgh International Television Festival — end of August, predominantly for industry professionals only.
- Beltane Fire Festival — evening of April 30, Calton Hill.
- Hidden Door — end of May or beginning of June, in unused spaces that change from year to year.
- Imaginate Festival — May or June, an international festival of children's theatre.
- Meadows Festival — a weekend in early June, free, in the Meadows.
- Royal Highland Show — a weekend in mid- to late June, at Ingliston.
- Edinburgh International Film Festival — moved to June from its former August slot, centred on the Filmhouse Cinema on Lothian Road, though the source notes a return to August in 2022 and no clarity on whether that is permanent.
- Samhuinn Fire Festival — evening of October 31, Royal Mile. Free, with donations collected.
- Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) — evening of November 5, with ticketed fireworks at Meadowbank Sports Centre that can also be seen for free from several locations in the city.
- St Andrew's Day — November 30, Scotland's national day, with many free events on the nearest weekend.
- Hogmanay — December 30 torchlight procession and December 31 street party, with sections of central Edinburgh accessible only by ticket. On January 1, the Loony Dook takes place at South Queensferry.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit if I want to go out in the evening?
It depends on what you want. August and early September bring the widest choice, with the International Festival, the Fringe, the Tattoo, the Book Festival and the Art Festival running at roughly the same time, but the source notes that hotel rooms are noticeably more expensive then and that you will need to book at least six months in advance. Outside that period, the Usher Hall has weekly orchestral concerts all year round and Old Town and Leith pubs host regular folk sessions.
Do I need tickets in advance?
For the Tattoo, yes in practice: the source states that tickets sell out well in advance, though cancellations sometimes free up a few. For the Hogmanay street party, sections of central Edinburgh are roped off and accessible only by ticket. For the Fringe, many shows offer cheaper preview tickets on the first two days or a 2-for-1 special on two selected dates, and some events are free with donations collected.
Is there anything free to do in the evening?
The Samhuinn Fire Festival on the Royal Mile on October 31 is free, with donations collected. During the Fringe, many free events run across the city, grouped mostly under PBH's Free Fringe or Free Festival, with donations if you liked the show. Guy Fawkes Night fireworks at Meadowbank are ticketed, but the source notes they can be seen for free from several locations in the city.
What if I am visiting in winter?
The winter festive season starts a couple of weeks before Christmas and runs to about a week into January. Princes Street Gardens hosts a big wheel, an outdoor ice rink and festive markets. Hogmanay is the main focus rather than Christmas, with a torchlight procession on December 30 and a ticketed street party on December 31.
Decide first whether you want the festival crowds or a quieter evening, then build your night around a booked performance or a pub session and leave the rest of the evening open.