Where:
Broughton St Mary’s, 12 Bellevue Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 6NE
When:
Sat 5th September 2026
๐ฅNewbies introduction 12:30
๐ฅPresentations from 1PM
Who:
You! Group Organisers (GOs), Board, Blues, Contractors and other festival organisers, and the central figures of this festival:-
What:
If you would like to get involved with Edinburgh’s 2026 Samhuinn Fire Festival, come along!
Samhuinn is our fire festival that marks the transition from summer to winter, and we are commencing our preparations with an Open Meeting for all interested!
This is where both new members and veteran Beltaners alike can gather and learn this year’s Samhuinn story, meet the central figures and discover all about the different performance and production groups that you might want to join.
You can chat to organisers and ask questions, discover all the juicy details and sign up to take part in open rehearsals.
If you canโt make it but would still like to be involved, details of all performance and production groups (including contact information for our groups) will be posted on our website at www.beltane.org shortly before the Open Meeting.
So if youโre tempted to join us for Samhuinn this year, come along, we look forward to seeing you there!
For anyone who has never taken part in a BFS festival before, there will be a short pre-meeting chat from 12:30 to explain about the society and how our festivals work โ but the most important thing to know is that just about everyone who takes part in them is a volunteer.
About Samhuinn
Counter balancing our sister event on Calton Hill, Beltane Fire Festival, Samhuinn Fire Festival marks the transition from Summer to Winter with our characteristic mix of fire-play, drumming, and immersive performances. Our Society has often celebrated the other quarter-day festivals, and after the large success of our namesake (Beltane), Samhuinn was our next public event in Scotland, first taking place in 1995.
Samhuinn Fire Festival is a modern re-imagining of an ancient Celtic festival, marking the darkened end of summer and upcoming rise of winter. The story follows the overthrowing of Summer by Winter, with a dramatic stand-off between the Summer and Winter Kings. This is overseen by the Cailleach, a Celtic representation of the Goddess, or Divine Hag, who ultimately decides each Kingโs fate and ushers in the looming, colder months.
The transformation from Summer to Winter is supported by the energies and interactions of the Summer and Winter courts through fiery performance, music and dance. The narrative focuses on resolving seasonal conflict, but also highlights the transition that many aspects of life embark on during the changing of the seasons.
Samhuinn Fire Festival originally took place on Edinburghโs Royal Mile, but starting in 2018, the Festival was also held on Calton Hill. From 2025 we have returned to Calton Hill and invite you to join us around the Samhuinn Bonfire!
IMPORTANT NOTE
If you would like to attend 2026’s Samhuinn as an audience member, ๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ค๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐จ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช. You can only get those from our partners at Citizen Ticket, and we’ll post on our page when they’re available.
HELPFUL LINKS
Visit our BFS Facebook & Instagram pages
๐ฅ https://www.facebook.com/beltanefiresociety
๐ฅ https://www.instagram.com/beltanefiresociety/
Samhuinn Court photo Copyright ยฉ Phil Edwards for Beltane Fire Society. All Rights Reserved.
Beltane Fire Society 