Fireworks!

The Edinburgh Festival goes out each year with literally many, very large bangs, in its annual Festival Fireworks Concert on Sunday 6 September at 9pm.

Beneath Edinburgh Castle, the world-renowed Scottish Chamber Orchestra will play while a fireworks team based in the castle provides synchronised visual accompaniment.

You need a ticket to hear the SCO playing at the Ross Band Stand in Princes Street Gardens, but the majority of spectators tune into local radio to hear the live broadcast and watch the pyrotechnians paint the sky in explosive colour.

Vantage points can be found around the city, from Princes Street to Calton Hill. Inverleith Park's free Family Viewing Area is also popular, not just for its great views of the castle, but also the fact that there is a live video link and top notch sound system to capture the Concert in the Gardens that accompanies the fireworks display. It's not as exciting as being up close, under the castle, but you can avoid the uptown crush of Princes Street. Get there earlyish - proceedings start at 7pm - to bag a good spot.

Festival of Politics

Not all the festivals taking place in Edinburgh in August deal with theatre, street performance, cinema, art or dance... Festival of Politics has just started, a truly original festival where you can even ask that burning question or issue you would like to raise with Members of the Scottish Parliament.

Now in its fifth year, the Festival of Politics has proven itself an invaluable tool in encouraging people to engage with the Scottish Parliament – so much so that the initiative is now being adopted by other Parliaments around the world. The Scottish Parliament has, during the last ten years, striven to be open and accessible to all.

You can find more information at http://www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk/

Edinburgh Mela Festival 2009

The Edinburgh Mela was founded in 1995 by members of the city's minority ethnic communities. The first festival was held in Meadowbank Stadium and quickly grew to attract 20,000 people each year. It was the first Mela in Scotland and has gained a strong reputation in the UK.

In 2000 the festival moved to Pilrig Park and in recent years has drawn large numbers of people over the weekend.

This year's Mela Festival takes place from the 7th - 9th August at Pilrig Park.

Welcome to the 15th Edinburgh Mela Festival. In this year of Homecoming we are celebrating Scotland's place in the world as a vibrant, culturally diverse nation. A land that has, over many years, welcomed generations of immigrant communities who have chosen to make Scotland their home. We're thinking of this as our year of Home-be-coming. We've decided to place a particular focus on artists who draw on a range of heritages to make innovative and contemporary work that reaches across artistic and cultural boundaries.

Come to our party, and share in the celebration - we think we have all the right ingredients!

You can find more information visiting http://www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk/

NIck Pynn

Nick Pynn is back!!!

And we are in for a treat, as he will presenting some of his new material, The Colours of the Night.

The Colours of the Night is a collection of new compositions by Nick Pynn, featuring orchestral musicians who have performed their parts individually, above Bom-Bane's cafe in Brighton. Many of them have never met. Several of the pieces from the album are recreated in this year's Fringe by Nick layering up, with the help of technology...

The Colours of the Night will be officially released on the Roundhill label and distributed by Cadiz Music. But you can buy a copy here after the show!

Shows will take place on Aug 7th-9th, 11th-15th, 18th-23rd and 25th-30th (£8.50)
Previews Aug 5th and 6th (£6.50)

You can buy your tickets directly at the fringe office or alternatively at the school