Edinburgh International Festival
14 August - 6 September 2009 

Edinburgh's most dedicated culture vultures are counting down the days to 25 March, as the high-brow Edinburgh International Festival prepares to unveil its line-up for this year.

The EIF's imposing headquarters on Edinburgh's Royal Mile

Participation in the EIF is strictly by invitation from Festival director Jonathan Mills; and as always, his plans are a closely-guarded secret until the programme is unveiled.  We know that this year's Festival will focus on the Scottish Enlightenment, and will feature a thoughtful programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance.  But with further clues thin on the ground, next Wednesday's launch is a hotly-anticipated date in this year's Festival calendar.

Getting the programme

If the EIF piques your interest, the best way to get a feel for what's on is to grab the printed programme.  The Festival sends out a free copy to everyone on its mailing list - you can sign up on its website now.

If you're in Edinburgh, you can alternatively pick up a copy from Wednesday 25 March at the Hub booking office, near the Castle on the Royal Mile.

If you prefer to browse online, the programme will also be up on the EIF website from next Wednesday.  The box office itself opens to the public on Saturday 4 April, and we'll be sending out a Ticket Alert to remind you at the time.

Jumping the box office queue

If you're keen to make the very most of the International Festival, this could be time to sign up as a Priority Friend.

Priority Friends get a couple of weeks' head start on ticket booking - and as some events sell out very fast, that's worth considering if you'll be spending a lot of time at the EIF this year.  In particular, this is the only realistic option if you want seats in front of the bandstand at the end-of-Festival fireworks... and it's the most reliable way to get yourself into the opening night concert, too.

A spectacular musical firework display closes the EIF each year

You can read more about Priority Friends and other supporter options on the EIF's own website, and you can sign up through the so-called "Hub" ticket office on 0131 473 2089.

There's more to come

While the International Festival's undoubtedly the most prestigious of Edinburgh's summer events, it's a long way from being the biggest.  In sheer size it's eclipsed by the famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which will see around 2,000 shows descend on the city in a mammoth four-week programme.  The Book Festival, too, will host around 1,000 talks and events, and there are a good half-dozen smaller Festivals celebrating activities as varied as politics and jazz.

Most of the August Festivals will be finalizing their programmes over the next couple of months, and opening their box offices in June.  But there's no need to miss a thing - for full details of all this summer's programme launches, just sign up for our low-volume mailing list, Ticket Alert.