Edinburgh International Children's Festival, held from 25 May to 2 June in 2024, is entirely dedicated to entertaining youngsters.
What is the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival?
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival is a nine-day long festival which offers shows from all over the world and showcases a programme of dance, circus, theatre, and storytelling.
The 2024 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival will feature 14 productions from nine countries. The festival celebrates high-quality Scottish and international performances to an audience of around 10,000 children, their teachers, and families each year.
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival opens with a day of free pop-up performances at the National Museum of Scotland. Productions also take place in theatres and community centres across Edinburgh.
For many children, attending these performances may be the first time they set foot in a theatre, for others it’s a chance to be inspired and take part.
Visit the Edinburgh International Children's Festival website
What is the history of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival?
Beginning in 1990, the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival has taken various forms and now brings a carefully curated programme of performances from around the world to Edinburgh.
In 2017 the nine-day festival format was established, and began with a weekend of free events in the National Museum of Scotland, including pop-up performances and arts activities.
As well as families, schools from around Scotland were invited to attend the festival, and with fairness in mind this particularly included school children from economically and socially disadvantaged areas.
Each year this warmly inclusive festival draws not only Scottish families and schools but also children’s theatre curators and children’s festival directors from around the world, who look to the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival as an example of excellence in delivering a world-class festival for children.