OVER 15,000 people took to Edinburgh for the opening of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) on Friday night.
Returning for its 75th year, the festival launched with a large-scale free event titled MACRO. The co-production between EIF and the Adelaide Festival saw performances from the Australian circus legends Gravity & Other Myths, First Nations dance group Djuki Mala, and a group of Australian and Scottish musicians performing original music.
The National Youth Choir of Scotland also performed, and audiences were treated with spoken word from Edinburgh makar Hannah Lavery.
The EIF runs until August 25, with three weeks of live performances for audiences to enjoy across Edinburgh this month.
READ MORE: Scottish Government gives Edinburgh festivals £2.1m to mark anniversaries
These include everything from Scottish Ballet’s radical new production of Coppélia inspired by cloning and artificial intelligence, festival-favourite Alan Cumming in his solo dance theatre debut, and New York rapper Princess Nokia taking to the stage.
Created in 1947 following WWII, the Edinburgh International Festival aimed to inspired artists and audiences to begin to heal through international cultural collaboration.
August is festival season in Edinburgh, with the Fringe, Edinburgh International Film Festival, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival all running across the month.
The 75th Edinburgh International Festival takes place from 5 to 28 August and tickets for all performances are available at eif.co.uk.
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