- World-leading artists set to take the stage at Edinburgh International Festival in August 2026 include the Berliner Philharmoniker, Zurich Opera House, San Francisco Ballet with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and Brazilian theatre-maker Christiane Jatahy, with Golden Globe-nominated actor Wagner Moura
- A first-time collaboration between Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival and Festival d’Avignon, on new theatre commission A Trial – after an Enemy of the People, marks the start of a historic three-year producing and commissioning initiative between the major European festivals all founded in 1947
- The 2026 edition of the Edinburgh International Festival takes place 7-30 August 2026. Tickets for these four highly anticipated events are publicly available on 27th November, with advance access for members, at www.eif.co.uk.
18 November, Edinburgh: The first highlights of the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival feature some of the world’s leading performers of music, opera, dance and theatre, reflecting the International Festival’s central role in shaping in Edinburgh as a world capital of culture every August. Leading the unmissable line-up are the Berliner Philharmoniker, Zurich Opera House, San Francisco Ballet with Floating Points and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and theatre-maker Christiane Jatahy with actor Wagner Moura (Narcos, Elite Squad).
Following a record number of sold-out performances in 2025, audiences can book early for what promise to be must-see performances in 2026, with tickets on public sale from 27 November and priority booking available for members.
The world’s pre-eminent orchestra, the Berliner Philharmoniker, makes its long-awaited return to Edinburgh, with Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko leading two exceptional concerts. Performing beloved works by Beethoven, joined by Grammy Award-winning soloist Augustin Hadelich, as well as Tchaikovsky, Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Scriabin’s revelatory Third Symphony, the Berliner Philharmoniker bring their unmatched artistry to the International Festival’s closing weekend.
Also returning to the Festival for the first time in over 20 years, San Francisco Ballet bring the European premiere of Mere Mortals to the International Festival, a bold new full-company work by Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton. Composer and electronic musician Floating Points aka Sam Shepherd performs his original score live with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Reimagining the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box through our 21st-century relationship with artificial intelligence, Mere Mortals is a thrilling fusion of classical technique, cutting-edge visuals and electronic soundscape.
Zurich Opera House present the UK production premiere of Verdi’s A Masked Ball, a lavish, large-scale production in the Festival Theatre with the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House under the baton of internationally sought-after conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Welsh director Adele Thomas‘s fresh take on this classic opera sees two stellar casts alternate between performances, with ill-fated lovers Riccardo and Amelia played both by Stephen Costello and Elena Stikhina, and Piero Pretti and Erika Grimaldi. Presented as part of the Anderson Opera Series, made possible through the generosity of longtime Festival supporters James and Morag Anderson.
Opening the 2026 theatre programme, award-winning Brazilian director Christiane Jatahy joins forces for the first time with acclaimed actor Wagner Moura (Golden Globe-nominated actor as Pablo Escobar in Netflix’s Narcos and recent Cannes Film Festival Best Actor winner). A Trial – after An Enemy of the People is a powerful continuation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, transplanted to a modern-day courtroom to offer a sharp look at authoritarianism, fake news and public judgment. Ever inventive and deeply political, Jatahy combines audience participation, where audience members become jury, and filmed footage, creating a one-of-a-kind performance each night.
A Trial also marks the beginning of a historic three-year commissioning and producing initiative between the Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival, and Festival d’Avignon – three European giants of the arts, each founded in 1947, uniting to reaffirm a shared belief that art can change the world. Read here for further details of the creative collaboration.
Continuing a commitment to affordability, 50,000 tickets for the 2026 International Festival will be available for £30 or under, including £10 tickets for all events in the programme. Free Young Musicians Pass tickets for aspiring young people and Tickets for Good allocations for NHS staff, charity workers, and low-income benefit recipients will be expanded in 2026 with more details available in March.
Edinburgh International Festival Director Nicola Benedetti said:
“These four landmark works offer a glimpse of what’s to come for the International Festival in 2026, as we continue to welcome some of the world’s most extraordinary artists to Edinburgh. 2026 is a pivotal year for us, as we grow and push artistic excellence even further. The International Festival holds a unique position to bring world-class companies like San Francisco Ballet and the Berlin Philharmonic to Edinburgh, while also being a place where new ideas and collaborations can take place.
“Developing works like A Trial – after An Enemy of the People and reviving Zurich Opera House’s A Masked Ball shows how we can work closely with artists to transform ideas into reality on our stages. This is what sets the International Festival apart: a deep commitment to artistic collaboration and exchange between artists, our peers around the world and fundamentally here in Scotland too. At its core, the International Festival has always been about connection, discovery and excellence, and these must-see performances capture that spirit in full.”
Edinburgh International Festival Creative Director Roy Luxford said:
“The Edinburgh International Festival was founded after the devastation of World War II, to bring together artists and audiences from different nations, promoting cultural unity and international cooperation in the aftermath of the war’s devastation. That same year, Holland Festival and Festival d’Avignon were born from the same hope. Nearly eight decades later, 2026 marks the first year of the International Festival’s historic three-year collaboration with our fellow European festivals, as we look towards our shared 80th anniversary in 2027.
This creative partnership represents a powerful statement of shared purpose – a belief that when festivals collaborate, we can amplify the voices of artists and connect with audiences on a truly global scale. The International Festival is well placed as an incubator for global talent, and collaborating with our peers allows us to be bigger and bolder, reaffirming Edinburgh’s place as a world-leading hub of the performing arts.”
The 2026 edition of the Edinburgh International Festival takes place 7-30 August 2026. Full details of the 2026 programme will be revealed in March 2026. For tickets, to become a member, or sign up for more details, visit www.eif.co.uk.
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