We love this festival that kicks off festival season in Edinburgh, as we love the carnival day ! Its a great parade, full of colour, vibrant costumes, great music and lots of fun…it’s well worth checking out…

Carnival is on Sunday 19th July this year and is free to attend, so check out the parade- More than 1,000 carnival performers will parade from the top of the mound to the west end of Princes Street in a breath-taking display of music, dance and carnival costumes from local, national and international artists. from the top of the mound to west princes street gardens, followed by more music and events in the gardens themselves. The parade starts at 1pm…

Alongside Carnival, another free event perfect for families is Mardi Gras : Saturday 18 July, 1-5pm in the Grassmarket -Expect non-stop entertainment and a party atmosphere as a host of bands perform on multiple stages, bringing jazz and blues to the heart of Edinburgh. This year’s line up features Shirt Tail Stompers, Burnin’ for Buhaina, Castle Rock Jazz Band, Dixie Fried, Lone Bear Blues, The Killerhorns, Dank Mango, DopeSickFly and Boom, Twang, Thwack.