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Edinburgh International Festival to give away 35,000 free tickets

Edinburgh International Festival MacroEdinburgh International Festival
An opening night at Murrayfield includes live music, theatre, acrobatics and dance in a show called Macro

More than 35,000 free tickets are being given out by Edinburgh International Festival to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

The tickets for Edinburgh residents are a "thank you" for hosting the festival in the capital.

The line-up includes an opening night at Murrayfield with live music, theatre, acrobatics and dance.

There will be a gala performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra on the final weekend at the Playhouse.

The orchestra, led by conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, are in residence at the International Festival across four concerts including Thank You, Edinburgh.

The free finale gala will also be beamed live into the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens.

The 2022 Edinburgh International Festival opens on Friday 5 August 21:30 with Macro, by circus and physical theatre company Gravity & Other Myths.

They are joined by First Nations dance company Djuki Mala, the National Youth Choir of Scotland and Scottish musicians including Aidan O'Rourke, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Lauren MacColl and Kathleen MacInnes.

Edinburgh International Festival MacroEdinburgh International Festival
Macro - by circus and physical theatre company Gravity & Other Myths

Dreamachine, part of Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, is a free immersive event using light and sound to explore the potential of the human mind.

It has been created by Collective Act, presented by Edinburgh Science, and brings together Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble, Grammy and Mercury nominated musician and composer Jon Hopkins, and a team of leading technologists, scientists and philosophers.

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra will also perform a free concert at the Usher Hall on Saturday 6 August.

Led by Canadian-Ukrainian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, the special concert is extending its invitation to the Ukrainian community in Scotland.

Fergus Linehan, festival director, Edinburgh International Festival said: "As the Edinburgh International Festival prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, we wanted to acknowledge the dedication and hard work of so many of the city's residents who have contributed to the festival over the years.

"We are delighted that tickets for several our most ambitious 2022 productions will be completely free of charge".