The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are invited to join the festival. Visual art exhibitions, talks and workshops are also hosted. The first 'International Festival of Music and Drama' took place between 22 August and 11 September 1947. Under the first festival director, the distinguished Austrian-born impresario Rudolf Bing, it had a broadly-based programme, covering orchestral, choral and chamber music, Lieder and song, opera, ballet, drama, film, and Scottish 'piping and dancing' on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, a structure that was followed in subsequent years. The Festival has taken place every year since 1947, except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A scaled-back version of the festival was held in 2021. Festival directors 1947–1949: Sir Rudolf Bing, Austrian-born opera impresario who became General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera 1950–1955: Sir Ian Hunter, British impresario of classical music 1956–1960: Robert Ponsonby, British music administrator and BBC programmer 1961–1965: George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, British opera administrator, who worked for the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and Opera North 1966–1978: Peter Diamand, Berlin-born arts administrator 1979–1983: Sir John Drummond, British arts administrator and BBC Radio 3 Controller 1984–1991: Frank Dunlop, British theatre director 1992–2006: Sir Brian McMaster, British arts administrator who worked at the Welsh National Opera October 2006–2014: Sir Jonathan Mills, Australian composer and arts administrator October 2014–2022: Fergus Linehan, Irish theatre producer and music administrator October 2022–: Nicola Benedetti, Scottish-Italian violinist Creation of the festival The idea of a Festival with a remit to "provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit" and enrich the cultural life of Scotland, Britain and Europe took form in the wake of the Second World War. The idea of creating an international festival within the UK was first conceived by Rudolf Bing, the General Manager of Glyndebourne Opera Festival, the arts patron Lady Rosebery, theatre director Sir Tyrone Guthrie, and Audrey Mildmay (wife of John Christie) during a wartime tour of a small-scale Glyndebourne production of The Beggar's Opera. Rudolf Bing conceived of the festival to heal the wounds of war through the languages of the arts. This is its principal raison d’être. It was first financed by Lord Rosebery with the £10,000 winnings of