Edinburgh, Scotland's magical capital

A view of the back alley in the old town

By Yoon Jie-min

Article and photos by Yoon Jie-min

Even before visiting Edinburgh, I was excited at the thought of being in the city where J.K. Rowling reportedly wrote the first book that the Harry Potter films were adapted from in a café called “The Elephant House” located in the old town.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and retains a strong sense of its historic past.

I had imagined the city to be bleak and gloomy. But the Edinburgh I experienced was totally the opposite. The city was buzzing with lively entertainment and activity because the most popular festivals of the year were being held while I was there.

Without doubt, the festivals make the city more vibrant and attractive.

Edinburgh is well-known for its world-class art and culture festivals. The Edinburgh International Festival, which was first held in 1947, attracts world’s class performances while the Fringe, formed by groups of uninvited performers who were not part of the official program, is now reputedly the largest arts festival in the world.

People relax at Princes Street Gardens looking at the Castle

Edinburgh is a great place for festivals as the old buildings and streets provide a unique atmosphere to enjoy arts and cultural performances.

The Royal Mile, a major street in the old town which connects Edinburgh Castle with Holyrood Palace, is usually packed with performers, buskers, and tourists during the festival season. Countless performances are held on the streets or on outdoor stages and performers hand out fliers advertising where they will perform.

Members of a marching band parade down the old town wearing traditional costumes

Since the Fringe Festival was started by performing groups who were not invited to the international festival, its atmosphere is very active and dynamic with participation from many young and passionate performers. As more performers freely participate now, it is even more popular with audiences who are guaranteed to be surprised, amused or even shocked by the diverse range of performances.

The festivals occur simultaneously within the city, allowing visitors to be immersed in arts and culture during this period. Performances range from comedy, dance and music to acrobatics. Every street corner is filled with people either performing or enjoying the spectacle around them.

The Fringe is also provides great opportunities for performers to be picked up by global theater companies. Many performers dream about beginning their journey toward fame and fortune during the festival. For performers eager to be discovered, it might be a dream-come-true opportunity.

Street performances at the Royal Mile during Festival Fringe

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is held in tandem with other festivals, allowing visitors to enjoy parades on the Royal Mile every night. Military tattoo performances from various countries are held daily at the Esplanade, with Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop.

As official performances require tickets, which are sold out in minutes, people line-up on the Royal Mile to watch performers walking out in a parade until fireworks mark the end of their performance.

Men wearing kilts and playing bagpipes is a typically Scottish scene that visitors would expect to enjoy during Military Tattoo performances.

A view over the city from the Calton Hill

The best spot for a panoramic view of the city is Calton Hill from where you can see both the old town and the North Sea. The top of the hill has grassy slopes and old monuments. People who want to escape the crowds of the festival can walk up the hill to relax and enjoy breathtaking views.

Standing atop the hill feeling a cool breeze from the North Sea made me aware that I was far away from home. I had never imagined myself standing there overlooking this historic city.

The cityscape of Edinburgh was totally different from any scene I had seen in Korea. My moment on top of Calton Hill taking in the view was truly magical.

Yoon Jie-min is a former civil servant at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, where she worked in entertainment and cultural tourism. She currently travels around the world as a professional tourist visiting popular destinations and interviewing tourism professionals to figure how tourism works in the real world. She can be contacted at jieminism@gmail.com.