Festival of Politics, 20 - 23 August
Festival of Spirituality and Peace, 3 - 25 August

Two of Edinburgh's smaller - and more cerebral - Festivals set out their stalls this week, as the Festival of Politics and Festival of Spirituality and Peace unveiled their programmes for 2008.  It's a big year for both these fledgling Festivals, who'll each be chairing a crowded agenda of thought-provoking lectures and debates.

Politics 

Based entirely at the Scottish Parliament near Holyrood Park, the four-day Festival of Politics has expanded considerably since last year.  A half-dozen daily events are spread across the parliament chamber and committee rooms, bringing in an impressive array of names from the British political scene.  It even has a headline act this year - Annie Lennox, who'll talk about the fight against HIV/AIDS in the curtain-raising session on Wednesday 20 August.

Among the more conventional political guests are Dennis Healey and Douglas Hurd, both of whom look back on their political careers inside the stunning parliament chamber.  Other topics include the credit crunch, the upcoming US Presidential election and this year's 80th anniversary of Votes For Women.

Spirituality and Peace

Meanwhile, the Festival of Spirituality and Peace operates from a cross-religion alliance of churches and mosques for the whole of the Fringe period.  With the slogan "Be The Change" and event titles including "Is God A Pacifist?", this is one Festival which unashamedly pushes an agenda - but there's room for controversy and debate, too.

Keynote speakers in a packed programme include controversial Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, whose open homosexuality may yet split the world-wide Anglican church, and white-suited former BBC correspondent Martin Bell.  Daily meditations, religious services and a "minute of silence for peace" also feature heavily in the programme.

Finding out more

The Festival of Politics runs from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 August, and its programme is available to browse on its website.  There's also a printed booklet, which you can pick up from the Scottish Parliament or the Hub ticket office on the Royal Mile.

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace runs for a much longer period, from 3 to 24 August.  It too has an online programme to browse - we'd suggest downloading the whole thing as a PDF to get the best idea of what's on offer.  We understand a printed programme will be available in due course, but we haven't yet seen one in the wild.

Both Festivals have a mix of free and charged-for events, though it's wise to reserve tickets even for the free ones.  In both cases, you can book through the International Festival's excellent Hub Tickets website: look for the Festivals' names on the left-hand side.