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 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).
Edinburgh International Festival 2026 L-R: Wagner Moura (theatre), Berliner Philharmoniker (music), Mere Mortals (dance), A Masked Ball (opera)
The Edinburgh International Festival was founded in 1947, the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, a cultural pioneer and Jewish refugee, working with a group of civic and artistic leaders. Together, they created a festival that transcends political boundaries through a global celebration of the performing arts.
Audiences can book early with tickets on public sale from 27 November and priority booking available for members.
7-30 AUGUST 2026
eif.co.uk / @edintfest
MUSIC and DANCE
Berliner Philharmoniker (c)Stephan Rabold
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.
Wei Wang and San Francisco Ballet in Aszure Barton and Sam Shepherd’s Mere Mortals © Reneff-Olson Productions
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. Re-imagining 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.
A Masked Ball © Herwig PRAMMER
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.
THEATRE
Opening the 2026 theatre programme, award-winning Brazilian director Christiane Jatahyjoins 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 – after An Enemy of the People @ Caio Lírio
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 peopleand 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 says “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.”
For tickets, to become a member, or sign up for more details, visit www.eif.co.uk.
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