Summer in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city, is the time for festivals. Between the end of August and the beginning of September there are several different festivals which take place there.
The original Edinburgh International Festival started in 1947, and offers visitors a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance. The same year that the official festival began, a handful of theatrical companies gatecrashed the festival and organised their own event, which grew into what is now called the Fringe Festival.
The term ‘fringe’ means something on the outside of the main event, but over the years, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has become the largest of all the festivals, and indeed the largest arts festival in the world!
The Fringe features performers and acts which are less traditional and more unconventional than those in the International Festival, and includes a lot of stand-up comedy shows, music and children’s entertainment. The Edinburgh Fringe is seen as an important place for up and coming stand-up comedians to perform at.
At the same time in Edinburgh there are various other festivals, such as the Jazz and Blues festival, the Book Festival, the Film Festival, and even an Internet Festival! There is also a multicultural festival called Mela, which celebrates the diversity of people living in Edinburgh, in particular people with South Asian origins.
Edinburgh Castle is the site of one of the most spectacular events – The Military Tattoo. A military tattoo has nothing to do with a tattoo on your skin! It means a performance of military music, for example, by marching bands. In Scotland the military tattoo traditionally includes bagpipes and drums. This year the display will also feature dancers, horses and motorbikes!
Though you have to pay to attend most of the events at the various festivals, there are several groups who organise large numbers of free events as well.

重点注释：
festivals 热门电影
official 正式的
traditional 传统的
stand-up comedy 即兴喜剧表演，类似中国的单口相声。
multicultural 多元文化的
spectacular 壮观的，引人注目的，
tattoo 纹身,刺青
bagpipes 苏格兰风笛
programme 节目
a handful of 一把，少数的
unconventional 与传统形式不同的
up and coming 有前途的
diversity 多样性的
military 军队的
marching bands 步操管乐队
gatecrashed 不请自来