Indulge your Artistic Sensibilities at the Edinburgh Art Festival

We’re getting excited about this year’s Edinburgh Arts Festival, which takes place throughout August.  It is the perfect opportunity to visit Edinburgh and to indulge your artistic sensibilities! Established in 2004, the Art Festival was conceived in order to pay homage to the visual arts and showcase new and upcoming Scottish artists as well as established ones.

A new festival emerges

So, how did the Art Festival emerge as a distinct cultural event? Essentially it continued the established pattern of the building of relationships between Arts councils, galleries and universities that took place during the larger Edinburgh International Festival taking place at the same time.  From 2005 to 2007 a festival guide was produced, which also included collaborative projects and commissions. This gave way to promotions and a marketing platform whereby artists could showcase their own artistic work. Visitors will find that the Art Festival has grown so comprehensively that there are now over thirty venues and forty-five exhibitions available to see at the Festival.

Image Courtesy of Edinburgh Art Festival

Highlights of this year’s Festival

When you visit Edinburgh during the Festival you will have the opportunity to see the fine exhibitions that they will be holding. This year, there are an estimated 45 exhibitions ranging from the modern and contemporary back to the historical art periods. The Ming: The Golden Empire is an exhibition covering the opulence of the imperial Ming court and illustrates the unique Chinese style.  There is also an exhibition called Alt-W, which gives a voice to new work Chris Helson and Sarah Jackets, among others. Aside from those, you will also experience the American Impressionists exhibitions, the Leon Morrocco exhibition and the Katie Paterson: Ideas exhibition.

What is your favourite style of visual art?  Let us know your opinion on the exhibits from this year’s festival

Book your early bird room offer

At the Dunstane we like to offer our accommodation and our boutique rooms to visitors attending the festival, but you must book early. Have a look at our website and check for our early bird offers and find out how to book your room for the entire festival to make sure you don’t miss out! We can guarantee that you will have the time of your life when you visit us here!

The Royal Highland Show

Edinburgh; the city of history and romance, of excitement and year-round entertainment.  If you are considering coming for a weekend break, Edinburgh has a range of festivals and events to suit every taste.  Throughout the year Edinburgh is a source of romance, entertainment and joy and visiting us at any time of year is a treat that no one will ever look back on with anything other than wonderful memories.

Image Credit: Creative Commons

A touch of Royalty

With summer well and truly arrived the City is filled with anticipation and excitement about the upcoming start of the Royal Highland Show, this year taking part on the long weekend of 19^th- 22^nd June. The Royal Highland Show—as it is known now—began in 1822 and was, in those days, a nomadic show which travelled between various cities in each year. Only in 1959 did it finally become static in Edinburgh, putting down roots as the Royal Highland Show, after it was bestowed the title in 1948 by King George VI.  Some of the main attractions of the Royal Highland Show are the Livestock shows, where people exhibit their cattle, sheep, ponies, horses, goats and many other breeds, hoping to win prizes.  There is also the Rural and Agricultural part of the show where visitors can view the huge variety of machines used in the farming world. There are equine supplies, sporting goods for outdoor sports, apparel and so much more. The weekend—Thursday through Sunday—is a plethora of exhibitions, food, music, children’s events, entertainment and so much more to entice all visitors.

An Event for all Seasons

If you intend to visit for the entire Royal Highland Show you will probably want to book a weekend break in Edinburgh, starting from the Wednesday night, through to the Sunday night or Monday morning.  One of the best places to stay is the Dunstane Hotel; right at the centre of all the action! Our boutique hotel is stylish, classy and offers spring breaks from as little as £75 per night. Even if you are not staying just for the Royal Highland Show, but want to extend your stay for shopping, golfing or rugby breaks, you can arrange your stay there. How about a romantic weekend in Edinburgh to celebrate a milestone anniversary? You can spend the night in a period four-poster with room service and breakfast in bed. Give us a call today and book your room for a weekend to remember.