Here Are All The Coolest Things Happening In Edinburgh This August

    From crazy light shows to giant water fights, here are the most popular events on Facebook. H/T Carpe Diem.

    Hilary Mitchell
    by Hilary Mitchell

    BuzzFeed Staff, UK

    1. Deep Time at the castle (7 August).

    eif.co.uk

    "Deep Time" is a truly awesome upcoming sound and light display featuring a soundtrack compiled by Glasgow rock band Mogwai. It will project 350 million years of history on to Edinburgh's Castle Rock (including a section showing the cataclysmic events and volcano that brought it into being). Whoa.

    Currently interested or attending: 8,055

    2. Fringe Lates at the National Museum (12, 19, 26 August).

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    The National Museum of Scotland is hosting three exhilarating party nights during August, with music, comedy, bars, and entry to its latest exhibition, Celts, which was put together in partnership with the British Museum.

    Currently interested or attending: 5,939

    3. A turbo-charged version of Alice in Wonderland (23-26 August).

    Facebook: aliceinwastelandshow

    Alice in Wasteland is a high-octane, theatrical circus show that uses lasers, smoke, and music to explore our relationship with waste and environmental issues. It really is a wild and crazy trip down the rabbit hole.

    Currently interested or attending: 1,668

    4. Jupiter Artland after dark (4 August).

    Facebook: events

    This outdoor sculpture park near Edinburgh is holding a special after-dark experience, so you can see the collection at night, with a highlight being Nathan Coley’s "You Imagine What You Desire" illuminating the surrounding lawn.

    Currently interested or attending: 3,441

    5. Alan Cumming sings sexy songs (6 August).

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    You know Alan Cumming as an actor, but did you also know he's a great singer too, particularly when it comes to sultry, sexy songs? Oh, and he includes a load of filthy, raunchy, and raucous anecdotes in this festival show too. Sounds great.

    Currently interested or attending: 2,548

    6. Sunshine on Leith (3-29 August).

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    This fantastic jukebox musical is based on the songs of Edinburgh icons the Proclaimers. It received loads of great reviews in 2015, including "'I defy you not to be uplifted, the joy exuding from these performers is infectious." Nice.

    Currently interested or attending: 1,817

    7. Grabbing a drink at Skybar (4-30 August).

    8. Hot Dub Time Machine (12-20 August).

    9. Cramond Punk Festival (20 August).

    Facebook: events

    Cramond Island of Punk is a rough-and-ready DIY punk festival that takes place in August each year. It's free, but attendees are asked to help with set-up and transporting equipment over the causeway, and clean-up afterwards.

    Currently interested or attending: 1,021

    10. Sigur Rós at the Edinburgh International Festival (14, 15, 16 August).

    Flickr: mrseb / Creative Commons

    The legendary, etherial Icelandic rockers will be taking to the stage at the Edinburgh International Festival, with their usual incredible light show.

    Currently interested or attending: 4,346

    11. Meadows giant water fight (7 August).

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    Sadly, Edinburgh's much-loved city farm is facing closure due to lack of funding, so locals are throwing a massive charity water fight on the Meadows to raise money. Everyone needs to bring their own water pistol and make a donation. A contribution of £5 gets you five fully filled water balloons to get you started.


    Currently interested or attending    : 1,774

    12. Burnistoun live at the Fringe (4 August).

    13. Madness at the Corn Exchange (4 August).

    it.wikipedia.org / Creative Commons

    Yep, that's right. Iconic '80s band Madness will be playing at the Corn Exchange, and it's the original line-up too. If you're lucky, they might let everyone up on the stage to dance with them, like they did at Glastonbury.

    Currently attending or interested: 2,446

    14. Free the Nipple Rally (28 August).

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    This march is part of Go Topless Day, and is intended to raise awareness about freedom of expression, equality, and issues like the censoring of nipples on social media. Men, women, trans people, and genderqueer people are all welcome.

    Currently interested or attending: 1,082

    15. Portobello Bottle Rocket Competition (27 August).

    16. A mass vegan barbecue on the Meadows (13 August).

    17. Young Fathers (14 August).

    18. Edinburgh Vegan Festival (20-21 August).

    Bonus: Watching The Force Awakens outdoors (2 September).

    Disney / Lucasfilm

    OK, so this isn't ~quite~ in August, but early September still counts as festival season, so don't miss this if you're still in town. The screening will be outdoors in the gorgeous Botanic Gardens. Let's hope the force will keep us dry.

    Currently interested or attending: 4,155

    Based on Facebook event data. All event details and attendance numbers were correct at the time of writing but are naturally subject to change.