Stay warm

We all know what a Scottish Summer is like. Although our festival is celebrating the end of Winter, the celebrations officially start once the sun has gone down so it is likely to get a bit chilly up on the Hill. We recommend that you dress for all weathers. It has been said before that Edinburgh gets four seasons in one day, so it is best to be prepared for rain, wind, or shine.

Buy your ticket early

Tickets are available from Tickets Scotland on Rose Street for the rest of the day, and you can also buy them on the gate at Calton Hill. To avoid queues, we recommend you buy yours earlier rather than later. Please note that it is cash only payment on the gate.

Avoid glass

Nobody will be allowed into the festival with glass bottles, so please stick to plastics and metals only.

Get a good spot

There will be thousands of people on the Hill for Beltane, so following the procession can get pretty tricky. You might find it easier to pick a viewing point and let our performers come to you. There are lots of additional groups who will be interacting with our audience as well, so there is plenty of opportunity to explore the festival without having to deal with a crowd.

Explore the story

The striking performances at each Beltane are an amalgamation of the story that we tell each year and the many new interpretations that our volunteers bring to it. To help you immerse yourself in the performance, we have put together some blog posts describing some of the elements that you can expect to see at this year’s festival.

Feel it

Beltane is a veritable feast for the eyes, but there is also much more to it than that. The atmosphere on the night is an incredible thing, from the excitement mounting as the sun first goes down to the community’s unbridled joy once the bonfire has been lit. The festival is a celebration of togetherness and our history, but everyone’s experience of it is also unique – we encourage you to take a moment and soak up yours.

Featured image by Martin McCarthy for Beltane Fire Society. All rights reserved.