International Collegiate Theatre Festival

Arrive in Edinburgh

Meet your Blue Badge Guide

Directors meeting with ICTF staff and tech team

Experience a Technical rehearsal.

The capital of Scotland, Edinburgh has steep streets and stone buildings zigzagging up hills and down into small valleys, and the brooding Edinburgh Castle looms over the whole thing. Enjoy free time to explore New Town's Charlotte Square, with its elegant Georgian townhouses. See where inventor Alexander Graham Bell was born in 1847, pass Robert Louis Stevenson's birthplace near the Royal Botanic Garden, and stroll by the monument commemorating Scottish poet Robert Burns. Hear the castle's ramparts echo with gunfire at 1 p.m. Gaze out at the steep slopes and craggy cliffs of the northwest Highlands, visible from Edinburgh's highest points. Peer down into the blue sea stretching out beyond the city.

Edinburgh Castle, the historical and emotional heart of the city, is just one of the many sights you will see on this tour, led by a licensed professional guide. Make your way along the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the 16th and 17th centuries. (It's actually one mile and 107 yards long--from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyrood House). As you make your way along cobbled streets, you'll see a handful of the several thousand buildings officially protected in Edinburgh because of their architectural or historic importance. The 200-foot spire of the Sir Walter Scott monument soars above the East Princes Street Gardens. Grand figures from Scottish history adorn its heights, make sure you also look down -- the figure below the marble statue is Scott's favorite dog, Maida.

Festival Fringe begins

Attend a performance

Perform to wanderers of the Royal Mile in your own 20-minute preview. Garner excitement for your show by intriguing the passersby through the age-old art of busking!

The spirit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is to use any space for a production, including alleyways, conference rooms, church halls, nursery schools, and other types of non-traditional theatre space! You and your group will perform four times for a live audience in a high-quality Fringe venue with a stage, audience seating, and lighting and sound equipment.

Attend a performance

The medieval town of Stirling grew up around one of Scotland's most important fortresses and the Old Town is still surrounded by its original 16th century walls. The town served as the backdrop for one of William Wallace’s 13th century battles and continued to be of strategic importance in the Jacobite uprisings. The Trossachs, home to Rob Roy and Loch Lomond, is a region of craggy hills, sparkling lochs and rich culture. Scotland’s first national park, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park now make up a large part of the area.

College faculty present their theatre and dance programs and serve on panels for hundreds of performing arts students attending AHSTF. ICTF students may attend to provide their perspective on life at their schools.

The spirit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is to use any space for a production, including alleyways, conference rooms, church halls, nursery schools, and other types of non-traditional theatre space! You and your group will perform four times for a live audience in a high-quality Fringe venue with a stage, audience seating, and lighting and sound equipment.

Attend a performance

A tradition dating back to 1875, a Ceilidh is an evening of Scottish folk music and dancing. This evening, an authentic Scottish Ceilidh band will lead groups through dance steps while their own Ceilidh dancers entertain during much needed breaks.

Attend a performance

This spectacular event is acclaimed by many as “the greatest show on earth” and is undeniably one of the world’s most breathtaking spectacles. The Tattoo is a dazzling celebration of music, dance, and drama which takes place on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. The program includes the Massed Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, the Military Bands of the Scottish Division, the Massed Pipes and Drums representing Scotland’s Regiments, and many other bands from every corner of the earth. A sensational finale brings the show to an emotional climax.

Your group will have the rare opportunity to work with the internationally renowned award-winning Chicago, L.A. and New York ensemble. These experts will help your students learn how to improvise songs and play in a more free, fast and fun style. Baby Wants Candy workshops consistently sell out everywhere the group travels. Learn the improv gospel from actual cast members as they lead a private musical improvisation workshop onsite at Pollock Halls!

The spirit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is to use any space for a production, including alleyways, conference rooms, church halls, nursery schools, and other types of non-traditional theatre space! You and your group will perform four times for a live audience in a high-quality Fringe venue with a stage, audience seating, and lighting and sound equipment.

The spirit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is to use any space for a production, including alleyways, conference rooms, church halls, nursery schools, and other types of non-traditional theatre space! You and your group will perform four times for a live audience in a high-quality Fringe venue with a stage, audience seating, and lighting and sound equipment.

You’ve completed your show run at the largest performing arts festival in the world. Celebrate with your fellow companies with awards from the tech team, a special photo presentation, surprise performances, and more.

Depart for home