Festival of Politics, 18 - 22 August
Festival of Spirituality and Peace, 9 - 30 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 2009.  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 five-day Festival of Politics has put on a growth spurt this 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.  But the biggest name in attendance this year isn't a politician: it's singer Annie Lennox, who'll talk about the fight against HIV/AIDS in the curtain-raising session on Tuesday 18 August.

Among the more conventional political guests are David Owen and Clare Short, both of whom look back on their political careers inside the stunning parliament chamber.  Other topics include the co-operative movement, the Obama presidency and - oh dear - Facebook.

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.  Themed this year on "The call of home", 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 Lord David Steel, debating ten years of devolution, and the ever-outspoken former Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway.  Workshops range from Islamic calligraphy to a Japanese tea ceremony, and 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 Tuesday 18 to Saturday 22 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 9 to 30 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.