EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL Unveils First 2026 Program Highlights

Edinburgh International Festival will unveil early-release tickets this month for four major 2026 performances, which will go on public sale November 27 with member access available in advance.

The 2026 edition of the Festival will run August 7–30, marking a year that will feature world-leading artists in music, opera, dance, and theatre, as well as the first production of a new three-year commissioning partnership between Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival, and Festival d’Avignon. These initial announcements offer the first preview of the Festival’s expanded international collaborations ahead of its full programme reveal in March.

The Berliner Philharmoniker will return to Edinburgh for the first time in several years, performing two concerts under Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko that will include Beethoven with Grammy Award-winning soloist Augustin Hadelich, as well as works by Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, and Elgar. San Francisco Ballet will present the European premiere of Mere Mortals, a full-company work by choreographer Aszure Barton featuring a live performance of Sam Shepherd’s electronic score by Floating Points with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Zurich Opera House will bring the United Kingdom production premiere of Verdi’s A Masked Ball, directed by Adele Thomas and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, featuring alternating casts led by Stephen Costello, Elena Stikhina, Piero Pretti, and Erika Grimaldi.

The 2026 theatre programme will open with A TRIAL – AFTER AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, a new work by Christiane Jatahy featuring acclaimed Brazilian actor Wagner Moura. The piece relocates Ibsen’s story to a contemporary courtroom and incorporates filmed elements and audience participation. The production is the first to emerge from a major new collaboration between Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival, and Festival d’Avignon, all founded in 1947 and now partnering on a three-year cycle of commissions and co-productions leading into their shared 80th anniversaries.

As part of the Festival’s ongoing commitment to affordability, 50,000 tickets for the 2026 season will be priced at £30 or under, including £10 tickets for all events. Free Young Musicians Pass tickets and expanded Tickets for Good allocations for NHS staff, charity workers, and low-income benefit recipients will return in 2026, with further information to be shared in March.

Nicola Benedetti, Director of Edinburgh International Festival, said the four newly announced works represent both the scale and direction of the 2026 programme and the Festival’s commitment to artistic excellence and international partnerships. Creative Director Roy Luxford noted the Festival’s origins in 1947 and emphasized that its new collaboration with fellow European festivals underscores a shared belief in the role of cultural exchange in global artistic practice.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.