Beltane Fire Festival is an annual participatory arts event and ritual drama, held on 30 April on Calton Hill (map) in Edinburgh.

While the festival draws on a variety of historical, mythological and literary influences, the organisers do not claim it to be anything other than a modern celebration of Beltane, evolving with its participants.

⇒ Also сheck оut мore info: Beltane Fire Society • FAQs

The current Beltane was started in 1988 by a small group of enthusiasts including Angus Farquhar of the musical collective Test Dept., and dancers from Laban, as well as academics from the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Originally an event with a core of a dozen performers and a few hundred audience, the event has grown to several hundred performers and over ten thousand audience.

The modern Beltane Fire Festival is inspired by the ancient Gaelic festival of Beltane which began on the evening before 1 May and marked the beginning of summer.

Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh situated beyond the east end of Princes Street and included in the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the city.

Calton Hill is the venue for a number of events throughout the year. The largest of these is the Beltane Fire Festival held on 30 April each year, attended by over 12,000 people.

The hill is also the location of several monuments and buildings: the National Monument (map), the Nelson Monument (map), the *Dugald Stewart Monument (map), the old Royal High School (map), the Robert Burns Monument (map), and the *City Observatory (map).

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. Old volcanoes ensure a dramatic natural setting, with the imposing castle atop one. Beneath its guard, the city combines medieval relics, Georgian grandeur and a powerful layer of modern life with contemporary avant-garde.

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (map) were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1995.

⇒ Read more in our article on Edinburgh.

Walking should always be your first choice within central Edinburgh. The centre is compact – most of the sights and major tourist attractions are within the Old Town (mainly around the Castle and Royal Mile) and New Town, and are at most 15 min walk apart.

TRAVELINE – Provides online travel planner services for all public transportation across Great Britain. They also have separate planners dedicated to specific regions.

⇒ Also сheck оut мore info: Getting Around Edinburgh (edinburgh.org) • GETTING AROUND SCOTLAND (visitscotland.com) • Getting around Britain (visitbritain.com).

BUS: Lothian Buses • First Group – buses around the city and suburbs. National Express | UK Stop finder

TRAIN: The essential source for rail travel information in Great Britain is the National Rail website. It includes an extremely useful journey planner, ticket prices and detailed information about every railway station in the country.

AIRPORT: Edinburgh Airport – from / to the airport > Airlink100. airportguides.co.uk. The most important airports are London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester Airport.

FERRY: There are many ferry routes into the UK from continental Europe. (*Ferry routes to Great Britain)

Come join us around the bonfire once more for another celebration in the digital realm. 30th April 2021, from 7.30pm UK time on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube and with an accompanying digital exhibition on our website.

⇒ video source: Beltane Fire Society / youtube.com /

Ways to visit the UK. Visit for tourism, business or a short stay (up to 6 months), airport transit visas. + Visa & Entry (visitbritain.com)

Our article about the city of London. Information about the city’s attractions, culture, events, and activities. Public transport.

We can help you making your journey using the most up to date information from around the UK for all transport companies.