Over the 11 days of the festival, hundreds of international and Scottish musicians, storytellers and artists will perform, kicking off on Friday May 3 with live music from electronica supergroup VALTOS, headlining a bumper line-up of musicians including Assynt and Josie Duncan at the Queen’s Hall.
Also playing on opening weekend is multi-award winning folk singer and guitar master Martin Simpson, and Scandi-fiddlers Nordic Fiddlers Bloc.
Hands Up For Trad’s concert to celebrate #WorldPlayAStrathspeyDay takes place on Saturday May 4 - the day when people all around the world are invited to record, video and upload themselves playing a Strathspey to social media.
And, the city’s annual May Day Parade on Sunday May 5 will leave from the Castle at midday and finish at The Pleasance where there will be a rally, music and stalls.
Other international musicians headlining at this year’s Edinburgh Tradfest include raucous fiddle folk duo Lena Jonsson from Northern Sweden and Brittany Haas from Northern California; Canada’s finest fiddle quartet The Fretless joined by award-winning folk singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger and more.
Other huge Scottish talents joining the line-up are Julie Fowlis who will close this year’s festival at the Assembly Rooms with special guests Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr; Gaelic supergroup Dàimh; velvet harmonies from fresh new electro-trad band Birdvox (Inge Thomson, Charlotte Printer, Jenny Sturgeon, Sarah Hayes); Triptic formed from three members of Moishe’s Bagel (Greg Lawson, Phil Alexander and Mario Caribé); and a whole host of talented new musicians and soloists including BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist 2024 Evie Waddell.
At the Scottish Storytelling Centre the festival continues with storytelling and spoken word events including premieres of Rickle O’ Stanes - a tale about Scotland’s land and the layers of history on which we stand today.
Plus, there will be ceilidhs, tales told around the hearth, and poetry to come.
The Folk Film Gathering returns to Edinburgh Tradfest this year with a selection of films from around the world including a Scottish premiere of Songlines celebrating the songs and singers at the heart of the Irish traveller community.
Over at the Scottish Storytelling Centre there will be a screening of Journey to the Isles: Marjory Kennedy Fraser, an archive film with live accompaniment from storyteller Marion Kenny and Lismore multi-instrumentalist Mairi Campbell.
There will be plenty for younger audiences too.
Edinburgh Tradfest co-producers Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy are thrilled with the 2024 line-up, billing it as surely the best yet.
"We’re particularly happy to welcome the Folk Film Gathering back into the fold for the first time since the pandemic. Now we really are back to full power!
"We are extremely fortunate to work with partners who have the same ethos as ourselves and work very hard to deliver world class events at an affordable ticket price.
"We want as many people as possible to enjoy the best traditional arts from Scotland and around the world. Please check out the full programme online, and we look forward to welcoming you in May,” they said.