Thousands watch Edinburgh Festival Carnival

THOUSANDS of spectators flocked to the city centre for one of the highlights of the cultural calendar.

Pic: Scott Taylor

More than 700 performers took part in Sunday’s Edinburgh Festival Carnival.

Following an hour-long parade which left The Mound at 2.30pm before heading along Princes Street, attention turned to the Ross Bandstand and the wider Princes Street Gardens, where a host of performances were staged.

There was also a performance stage and stalls in the Grassmarket and a special area for young people and families at the west end of the Gardens.

Pic: Scott Taylor

Performers arrived in the Capital from across the world – including Senegal, South Africa, China, the US, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, Martinique and Trinidad.

Crowds were also entertained by a host of Scottish drummers, dancers, fire-eaters, jugglers, stilt walkers and circus acts.

While the weather wasn’t quite up to scratch, organisers were justified in their pre-parade promise of the biggest and brightest Edinburgh Festival Carnival yet.