There are plenty of good reasons to want to visit the lively capital of Scotland, but Edinburgh also happens to host several major festivals every August, both modern and traditional. If you're an art aficionado, then you won't want to miss the Edinburgh Art Festival in August.

The festival was started in 2004, but its roots stretch all the way back to 1947 when it was known as the Edinburgh International Festival. The works of artists like Rembrandt, Samuel Peploe, and Francis Cadell were exhibited each year, with the aim of attracting foreign artists to Scotland and exposing the Scottish to international art. Eventually, the festival lost its influence around 1966, as artists in Edinburgh put up their own exhibitions and left behind the permanent galleries. However, in 2001, the newspaper Scotland on Sunday led a campaign for a new festival, which finally took form in 2004. Since then, it's become the largest visual arts festival in Scotland.

The Edinburgh Art Festival features over 45 exhibitions across 30 art galleries. Every year, over 250,000 visitors arrive to see the latest artists and styles. Many of these artists have been given public commissions through Creative Scotland, the national agency for the development of the arts. More recently, key exhibitions have included a retrospective on the portraits of Man Ray, Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco, the performance art of Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane, and an installation by German artist Gregor Schneider. The galleries that participate in the festival include the National Museum of Scotland, the Edinburgh College of Art, the Old Ambulance Depot, and the City Art Centre.

Visitors to the art festival should keep the following guidelines in mind:

• There is plenty to see if you stay near High Street, as Edinburgh hosts numerous events in August like the Festival Fringe, with performance art and music freely available.
• Some of the best recommended restaurants in the area include Cabaret Voltaire, the Spoon Cafe, the Brass Monkey pub, the Witchery, and Henderson's.
• Plan out the exhibitions you want to see ahead of time and be sure to arrive early for each one if you don't want to get stuck among the crowds.

If you're ready to organize your visit to the next Edinburgh Art Festival, take a look at visitor information on the festival's Visiting webpage. 

Image by Salicia on Flickr