Tickets for city festival on sale

Mar 23 2013

Tickets for this year's Edinburgh International Festival are going on sale.

The festival, which runs from Friday August 9 to Sunday September 1, showcases global talent in theatre, dance, music, opera and the visual arts.

This year's programme, outlined earlier this month by director Jonathan Mills, features a mixture of the old and new.

Among the highlights is a chance for opera fans to see Beethoven's Fidelio on a spaceship, in a production by media artist Gary Hill.

Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical drawings will be shown alongside the very latest medical imagery in The Mechanics Of Man.

An orchestral work features sound files contributed by members of the public, while public art created in the city with the use of special lighting technology will be on show.

Scottish theatre company Grid Iron presents a new, interactive performance and Scottish Ballet returns to Festival Theatre with a four-day dance festival.

Other events include a tribute to Frank Zappa, focusing on his orchestral music, and a celebration of the work of playwright Samuel Beckett. Meanwhile, the Virgin Money fireworks concert, performed by Scottish Chamber Orchestra, will bring the festival to a close.

Jackie Westbrook, the festival's marketing and communications director, said: "With some of the greatest artists in the world appearing at the festival this year alongside exciting new names, there is a fantastic range of shows to look forward to. So please don't wait too long to get your tickets."

Tickets are available from 10am at eif.co.uk, by phone or in person at The Hub towards the top of the Royal Mile.