Beltane Fire Festival 2023

Glowing bright fires, the pounding of drums, and a cavalcade of characters emerge onto Calton Hill to bring about the end of the long nights…

It must be time for the Beltane Fire Festival!

Beltane Fire Festival is a living, breathing re-interpretation and modernisation of an ancient Iron Age Celtic ritual and is the largest of its kind, bringing people from all over the world to join and revel in the birth of the Summer and the fertility of the land since 1988! 

Join us for an immersive Celtic experience, more spectacular and expansive than ever before! In our unique re-telling of the beautiful traditional stories of The Procession of May Queen and The Death and Re-birth of The Green Man, you’ll be surrounded by fire-play, acrobatics, drummers, dancers, clowns, musicians, actors, puppeteers, artists, poets, crafters, curious and mysterious creatures, and even…cats? 

With a blurring between the lines of audience and performer, we invite you to come together to create a truly glorious and memorable evening. 

This year, on 30th April, Beltane Fire Festival celebrates the turning of the wheel and the beginning of Summer with our long-standing community and new observers alike in this cultural staple of Edinburgh. All are welcome!

Event Program and Map

In the week prior to the event please check back here to download and view the Beltane Fire Festival 2023 Program and Map.

Tickets go on sale 21/02/2023 at 7pm

Tickets are only available from our Box Office supplier, Citizen Ticket, and are not available for resale or transfer on any secondary market. Do not attempt to buy tickets for sale on other platforms, they will not be genuine.

Buy Tickets

practical information for those Coming to the event

Food & Drinks

You are welcome to bring your own food and drink to the event, and we only ask that you do not bring any glass bottles/containers. Also Security may refuse entry if you are bringing an excessive quantity of alcohol (e.g. a giant slab of lager).

We have a small range of food concessions run by local businesses and serving a selection of delectables to keep you going. There will be vegan options available.

Seating/Standing/Ground Conditions

We do not have any seating, but there are a few park benches dotted around the hill.

Attendees are welcome to bring camping chairs and picnic blankets, but please follow the instructions of the Stewards and Security, there are some areas which chairs/picnic blankets may not be appropriate at particular times in the evening. (full picnic and dining sets are not appropriate at this event. Please take your picnic equipment away with you.

The ground on Calton Hill is uneven and slopey (it is a hill). When its raining the grass becomes slippery

  • wear sensible shoes (good walking boots)
  • take your time moving around the site
  • bring a torch/flashlight
  • help others

For details of special access arrangements (including carer tickets and booking prearranged vehicle/taxi drop off to the top of the hill) please contact access [at] beltane [dot] org

Toilets

We have a large number of portaloo toilets located on the hill (half way up) and we also have outdoor urinals (just next to the portaloos).

There is also a stewarded wheelchair accessible portaloo located in the welfare/first aid area on the flat paved area at the top of the hill.

Please use them considerately and leave them for the next person as you would wish to find them.

Do not urinate on trees/walls/bushes/doorways on the hill or in the city.

Waste/Litter/Recycling

There will be additional waste bins on the hill for you to put in your waste. We have Dry Mixed recycling and general waste, and all waste is sorted, separated and and processed for recycling off site. Please help us minimize damage to the park by either binning your waste or taking it home with you.

Conditions of Entry:

Children/U16s

  • Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket
  • Parents and guardians please note – this event contains semi-nudity and uninhibited behaviour, your discretion is advised.
  • We will ask for the adults name and number at the box office, and children will be given a wristband to wear with your details on them.

Safer Spaces

  • Beltane Fire Society events operate within a culture of creating safer spaces built on mutual respect and consent. We expect all attendees to embrace this culture and to call out breaches – seek a steward if you see something which endangers our safer space.
  • BFS aims to provide a welcoming and celebratory atmosphere. Harassment of performers or other audience members will not be tolerated.

Being Around Fire at a Fire Festival

  • Help yourself by staying out of performance and production areas, which will be marked out with either ropes, barriers or fences with signs
  • The event does include a lot of fire, although there wont be any big fire works.
  • Follow the directions given by BFS Stewards and technical crew
  • Please avoid wearing synthetic clothes (but do wrap up for being on a hill in Scotland)
  • Please try to observe a 2 meter minimum distance from performers moving or performing with fire.
  • Familiarise yourself with where the medical assistance is (at the top car park).
  • Do not play with the fires, our volunteers have trained for months to be here this evening..

Use of Camera’s and Smart Phones

  • Flash photography can be very distracting for performers, we ask that you switch off the flash on your phone or camera.
  • Please do not hold your phone or camera in the faces of our participants, they are volunteers and do not enjoy close proximity interactions with phone and camera lenses.
  • Drone use is not permitted on site and the police will be called should a drone come into the airspace above the festival.
  • We would much prefer it if you kept your devices in your pockets and celebrated the festival with us with your hands free to clap and your eyes free to watch
  • Do not walk backwards holding a camera/camera phone, the ground is uneven and you wont be paying attention.

Prohibited items

We do not permit members of the public to bring or use the following items on our event site;

  • Large Bags/airport luggage please no bigger than an A3 piece of paper: we do not have a cloakroom/left luggage.
  • Glass
  • Drums
  • Loud instruments
  • Fire Props
  • BBQs, Fire Pits or Fire Wood
  • Flammable Liquids
  • Dogs (Except Guide Dogs)
  • Drones

Random Search Policy will be in effect; the event safety team reserve the right to refuse admission .

Poster Artwork by Daniel Tysen