It's all hotting up north of the border, as the Edinburgh International Film Festival gets into full swing and tickets go on sale for high profile events in August.

There's another nine notable festivals yet to take place this year, culminating in Hogmanay, the world's most famous new year party.

Already there are reports of record sales for the Festival Fringe when tickets went on sale earlier this month, while more than fifty events out of seven hundred in the International Book Festival sold out when ticket sales opened yesterday.

Edinburgh International Film Festival June 17 - 28

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The festival opened last Wednesday and runs to next Sunday, and there's plenty left to see. There's a total of 23 world premieres taking place in 11 days. Last week Sam Mendes' film Away We Go opened proceedings, while the closing gala film is Adam.

There's lots of star gracing the red carpets and special events such as the restoration screening of The Red Shoes.

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival July 31 – August 9

One of Britain's biggest jazz festivals, with international jazz stars, exciting newcomers, Scottish talent and Jazz On A Summer’s Day, the UK’s biggest one-day jazz event. There's more than 100 shows and events to choose from, from big band sounds to more intimate gigs across a variety of city venues.

Edinburgh Art Festival August 5 – September 5

In it's 5th year, the festival hosts more than 130 exhibitions and events presenting a wide-ranging selection of artworks by both international and Scottish artists in a variety of traditional and non-traditional settings. See modern and contemporary visual arts in the city’s galleries, museums and visual art spaces.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo August 7 – 29

Pomp and ceremony is complemented by a host of non-military processions and participants in this most famous of Tattoos. It's attended by approximately 217,000 people, while another 100 million watch it on television. Set against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, the highlight is the massed pipes and drums from the Scottish regiments.

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