Summer Holiday events in Edinburgh

Giants

Discover life-sized 3D sculptures, skeletons, and fossils of giant prehistoric animals when the immersive, family friendly exhibition Giants comes to the National Museum of Scotland!

Musselburgh Toy, Train & Sci-Fi Fair

Northern Toy Fair returns to Musselburgh Sports Centre in 2026 with their huge Toy, Train & Sci-Fi Fair featuring a fantastic selection of vintage, retro & new toys, models & collectables!

High Speed Seafari Adventure

Ideal for thrill-seekers and nature lovers alike, Maid of the Forth's High Speed Seafari Adventure is an unforgettable way to explore the Forth and its landmarks!

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid - The Musical will bring the legendary 1984 film to life on stage at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh in Summer 2026!

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Open Garden: Pentland Crescent Gardens

Pentland Crescent Gardens include neighbouring gardens all laid out very differently, offering a wide range of ideas for visitors.

Edinburgh Zoo Summer CAT

Edinburgh Zoo's Summer CAT offers a week of mucky outdoor fun, animal surveying, and campfires with flexible wrap-around care to keep your little conservationists beaming!

RZSS Summer School

Discover amazing animals and cultures from around the world and connect with nature at the RZSS Summer School at Edinburgh Zoo!

The Buttons Show

Join Scottish superstar of children's entertainment, Buttons, for a brand-new fun-filled pantomime adventure featuring magic, puppets, slapstick and all your favourite Scottish sing-along songs!

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Open Garden: South Queensferry Open Gardens

South Queensferry is a popular spot for foreign tourists and day trippers but away from the busy High Street lie a number of surprising and quite different gardens.

Shelf: The Kids’ Show 2

Join best friends Rachel and Ruby for a kids' comedy show that's fun for all the family when they return to Monkey Barrel Comedy on Saturday 11th July!

K-Pop All Stars Tribute

From stadium-shaking anthems to breathtaking choreography, K-Pop All Stars celebrates the global phenomenon redefining pop culture, don't miss this tribute show at the Festival Theatre in July!

Explore Engineering Cruise

Perfect for inquisitive minds of all ages, Maid of the Forth's Explore Engineering Cruise is the ultimate experience for bridge enthusiasts, engineering fans and families alike!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban In Concert with the RSNO

Experience Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban like never before as the Scottish National Orchestra brings John Williams’ spellbinding score to life live in concert at Edinburgh Castle!

Vocal Summer School - St Mary’s Music School

The Vocal Summer School offers a comprehensive programme aimed at talented young classical singers, aged 14 to 18, who wish to hone their vocal technique and take their singing to the next level.

Little Shop of Horrors

Join us at the Festival Theatre for a spectacular performance as The Beyond Broadway Experience – featuring 200 talented young performers – brings you Little Shop of Horrors!

Foxfest

Foxfest is back at Conifox Adventure Park on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July, bringing kids and adults together for a weekend packed with live music, exciting performances and non-stop family fun!

Reconnect Family Fun Day

Get ready for a fantastic family fun day at Howden Park Centre, featuring local crafters, live performers, and sunny smiles... join the Reconnect team for an unforgettable day of community joy!

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Open Garden: Briestonhill House

The large country garden at Briestonhill House has won many awards over the years in the West Lothian Gardening Competition. Explore it on Sunday 26th July as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme!

Edinburgh Zoo Science Summer School

Applications are now open for the 2026 Science Summer School at Edinburgh Zoo, offering 16–18-year-olds an amazing week focusing on practical activities with help from a variety of specialists!

Lenny’s Baby Rave World Tour

Get ready, Edinburgh! The pioneer of Toddler Techno, Lenny Pearce, brings his high-energy Baby Rave World Tour to Edinburgh Corn Exchange on Tuesday 28th July!

Fringe By The Sea

Fringe by the Sea is a vibrant ten-day fringe festival with a big heart, harnessing the joy of connection and creativity in the small Scottish seaside town of North Berwick!

International Piano Summer School - St Mary’s Music School

St Mary's Music School's International Piano Summer School offers a comprehensive and broad-ranging programme designed for talented pianists aged 13 to 17 who wish to expand their musical abilities.

1 Hour Of Insane Magic

Cameron Gibson, Elliot Bibby and Luke Osey return to Edinburgh Fringe for their fourth year as Insane Magic, bigger and more spectacular than ever before!

1 Hour Of Insanity

Back for its second year, 1 Hour of Insanity returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with brand-new performers alongside a couple of favourites from last year!

Circus The Show

Roll up! Roll up! Prepare to enter a world of whimsy, wonder and amazement where your imagination will soar like never before, in this completely reimagined family circus spectacular!

Elliot Bibby: Abracadada

Get ready for a hilarious, high-energy mix of mind-blowing magic and parenting mayhem as Elliot Bibby brings his brilliant, all-ages show Abracadada to the Edinburgh Fringe!

Hypnotist Matt Hale: Funbelievable! 90s Rewind

The unmissable smash-hit comedy hypnotist Matt Hale returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with his 90s party hypnoshow!

The Listies

Back by poop-ular demand! Fringe family favourites since 2008, The Listies return with 110% Ready – a comedy disaster movie about the morning routine!

360 ALLSTARS

Boasting a stellar cast of World Champion and World Record-holding artists and athletes, international smash hit 360 ALLSTARS returns to Edinburgh Fringe as part of its 2026 World Tour!

By A Thread

Australian circus at its best, By a Thread is an exploration of trust and risk six meters above the ground, don't miss it when it returns to the Edinburgh Fringe for 2026!

Explosive Science Show!

Whether you're a science fanatic or just looking for a wildly fun family day out... the Explosive Science Show delivers educational entertainment at its absolute best!

Ten Thousand Hours

Gravity & Other Myths are back again with their international smash hit show, Ten Thousand Hours, that sold out in 2025!

The Greatest Magic Show

The multi award-winning, sell-out smash hit The Greatest Magic Show is returning to Edinburgh for its seventh magical year, with whimsical wonders that the whole family will love!

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe returns from 7th to 31st August 2026 with artists and performers taking to hundreds of stages all over the city to present shows for every taste!

Foodies Festival Edinburgh

Foodies Festival, the UK's biggest celebration of food, drink and music will once again return to Edinburgh's Inverleith Park in August with headliners Scouting For Girls and Symphonic Ibiza!

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo returns for 2026 from Friday 7th to Saturday 29th August with their new show, A Call To Gather!

Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall

Expect high-energy smiling to retro beats and thumping nursery rhymes when Monski Mouse's Baby Disco Dance Hall returns to the Edinburgh Fringe!

Party at the Palace

Party at The Palace is coming home this summer! The annual festival returns to The Peel, right next to the Palace, on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August!

Norton House Hotel & Spa Family Fun Day

Get ready for a cracking Family Fun Day at Norton House Hotel & Spa, featuring entertainment, tasty treats, and fun for everyone... even your four-legged friends are invited!

Monski Mouse’s Baby Cabaret

Join Monski Mouse, and her super talented friends, for a live musical singalong cabaret of nursery classics, songs, puppetry and bonkers fun!

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Open Garden: The Gardens at Archerfield Walled Garden

Explore the Archerfield Walled Gardens, comprising a series of themed spaces designed to provide year-round interest, as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme!

Foodies Festival, the UK's biggest celebration of food, drink and music will once again return to Rouken Glen Park in August with headliners Boyzlife and Symphonic Ibiza!

Come and join us at Rothes Halls on Saturday 4th July for the ultimate pop concert and celebrate the biggest hits from the hottest artistes of the moment.

Get ready to be transported into a world of nostalgic tunes at Rothes Halls, as Artie takes you on a musical journey through the magical world of The Singing Kettle!

Take an enjoyable stroll around this quintessential East Neuk village with its stunning coastal location and explore its many beautiful gardens!

Loch Lomond Shores are hosting a two day festival of fun, food, shopping and entertainment for all the family this July with the return of Summerfest!

From stadium-shaking anthems to breathtaking choreography, K-Pop All Stars celebrates the global phenomenon redefining pop culture, don't miss this tribute show at The Pavilion Theatre!

The Luss Highland Games are a fun celebration of Scottish culture, with traditional sports, bagpipes, and Highland dancing, set in one of Scotland's most picturesque villages!

Kids of all ages & abilities are invited along to Low Parks Museum for their friendly & creative Lego Club, held on the first and third Saturdays of each month between February and October!

Adventure Cinema, the UK's largest outdoor cinema tour, returns this summer with another selection of incredible movies to watch under the sun and stars at Chatelherault!

Celebrate 10 years of Artie's solo adventures in this fun-filled, sing-along show for all ages at Rutherglen Town Hall on Saturday 8th August!

Expect enormous bottoms, f*rt machines, snot cocktails, vast whoopee cushions, pee-powered fireworks and ear-wax-oozing mannequins as Stefan Gates bring his Rude Science show to Paisley Town Hall!

Join 'The Magical Mr West' on an incredible adventure into the world of science when Crafty Fools come to Beacon Arts Centre on Sunday 2nd August!

Get ready for the skirl of the bagpipes and the beat of the drum, as Renfrew Pipe Band Competition returns on Saturday 17th July!

Back Doune the Rabbit Hole returns to Cardross Estate between the 17th and 19th July featuring massive line-up of live acts across 5 stages including headliners Ash, Alabama 3 and Huey Morgan!

Visit 60 Greenhead, a delightful hidden garden in Alva with extensive planting and clever use of pots throughout, as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme!

Who was William Wallace? Listen as a costumed actor gives you an insight into the life of Scotland’s National Hero.

The Kelburn Garden Party is a music and arts festival that explodes across numerous stages, nooks and spaces throughout the magical glen and stunning gardens that surround Kelburn Castle!

Enjoy a visit to three Beith Community Gardens on Saturday 18th July as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme!

Explore the south facing garden at 19 Waterslap in Fenwick on Saturday 25 July as part of Scotland's Gardens Scheme!

Auchincruive is steeped in horticultural history and the gardens are going through major redevelopment to bring them back to their former glory. Visit them as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme!