Hit or miss it is not. If there’s one thing summer visitors to Edinburgh can count on, it’s that their visit will coincide with a festival. Beginning in early spring, the historical capital of Scotland rolls out a roster of events celebrating everything from international film and art to science and storytelling. The season peaks in August with the Edinburgh International Festival. Known as a celebration of peace through the arts, the Edinburgh International Festival showcases some of the world’s best artistic performances in the realms of opera, music, theater and dance. Each day during its annual three-week run, more than 25,000 artists, entertainers and speakers stage upwards of 1,000 shows at venues throughout the city.

Established in 1947 as a means of refocusing the world in the wake of the destruction and heartache of World War II, the festival remains true to its original mission: using the power of the arts to nurture and transform. It’s one of 12 major annual festivals, half of which take place in August. It also presents a once-a-year opportunity to explore some of Edinburgh’s hidden spaces: underground medieval vaults, Georgian manors and private gardens not usually open to the public.

Arts patrons who lean toward the alternative may find what they’re seeking at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The annual event, also established in 1947, coincides with the Edinburgh International Festival — but with a twist. Edinburgh Festival Fringe began when eight performing groups turned up, uninvited, at the original Edinburgh International Festival. They were turned away. Undaunted, the performers simply set up their shows on the “fringe” of the main event. To this day, Festival Fringe remains independent of the International Festival, its pioneering sensibilities intact. Festival Fringe welcomes “anyone with a story to tell and a venue willing to host them.”