Edinburgh Festival Carnival 2022: Exciting, vibrant and colourful programme announced for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Carnival

The eye-popping extravaganza that is the Edinburgh Festival Carnival returns to the streets of the Capital on Sunday, July 17 – and it promises to be another an day out for all the family.

For eight years, Scotland’s largest multicultural celebration has taken the form of a spectacular and vibrant parade along Princes Street, and a carnival in Princes Street Gardens.

This year, there will be performers from over 13 countrie – including samba from Harlem, drumming from Lisbon, circus arts from Costa Rica, dance from Trinidad and drumming from Brazil.

From 1pm, over 800 carnival performers will parade along Princes Street with music, dance, costumes, puppets, circus and acrobatics from groups including Barefeet Theatre (Zambia), KalentuRa Drums (the Netherlands), Gwanaval (Martinique) Bombrando (Portugal) and Samba Resille (France).

The Edinburgh Festival Carnival returns to the streets of the Capital on Sunday 17 July ready to present the world in one city.

There wil also be a host of Edinburgh groups performing, including Pulse of the Place, Edinburgh Chinese Art & Culture Community and Dance Ihayami.

From 3pm, the party moves to Princes Street Gardens, where sounds will beat from the stage of the Ross Bandstand, opening with Samba Beatz featuring 150 drummers, and closing with one of the UK’s finest reggae artists, Tippa Irie.

Since May, artists from as far afield as Brazil, Cuba, South Africa, Costa Rica and Trinidad have been working with community groups across the city on performance pieces that will be showcased as part of the Carnival in differing zones in Princes Street Gardens.

Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener for City of Edinburgh Council, said: “On 19 July, the Carnival will inject the city’s streets with a colour, spectacle, sounds and an electric atmosphere.

“The event offers a platform for artists from all over the world who can be seen for free in the heart of the city and the celebration is the perfect way to enjoy summer in the city.”

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “We’re delighted to support this year’s Edinburgh Festival Carnival through the Platform for Creative Excellence (PLaCE), a partnership between Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council.

It’s fantastic to see that this has enabled 30 community groups in Edinburgh to work with artists from 13 countries, including Brazil, for the Carnival.

“The Carnival is a wonderful multicultural spectacle that brings all the colour and energy of South America to Princes Street Gardens.”