THIS year the Edinburgh Festival celebrates its 50th birthday. Running from August 11th to 31st, it promises to be a dizzying three weeks of the best of international theatre, music, opera and dance, writes Katie Donovan. In the first week, there will be visits from the New York Philharmonic; the Martha Graham Dance Company; the Russian National Orchestra; productions by Robert Lepage and Robert Wilson; and performances by conductors Kurt Masur and Donald Runnicles, and actress Miranda Richardson. In week two, there will be visits from the Oslo Philharmonic; the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie of Brussels; the Hanover Band; the San Francisco Ballet; Quatuor Mosaiques; performances by Galina Gorchakova, Andras Schiff, Richard Goode, and conductors Kurt Sanderling and Sir Charles Mackerras.

The last week of the Festival includes a visit from the Houston Grand Opera; the Cleveland Orchestra; the Orchestra of the 18th Century; the Lindsay Quartet; productions by Peter Stein and Robert Wilson; performances by conductors Franz Bruggen, and Christoph von Dohnanyi; and the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert.