Encore! NHS Festival Sessions Return for 2025 Bringing the Joy of Music to Hospitals

Following the resounding success of our ‘Festival Fridays’ programme in 2024, we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Edinburgh International Festival to bring you a series of ‘NHS Festival Sessions’ in 2025. This programme of performances will once again bring the magic of world-class musical performances directly to patients, families, staff, and volunteers across NHS Lothian hospitals.

In 2024, ‘Festival Fridays’ saw a diverse range of talented musicians deliver a series of uplifting concerts at five NHS Lothian hospitals. Over eight Fridays, from May to October 2024, a total of 24 performances provided moments of respite and distraction for those within the hospitals. The programme also included a special ‘Festive Festival Friday’ in December 2024, spreading seasonal cheer with Christmas classics for all to enjoy.

The impact of the ‘Festival Fridays’ performances in 2024 was significant, demonstrating the positive influence of participatory arts activity on both mental and physical health and wellbeing. Jenni Minto, Scottish Government Public Health Minister, attended one of the performances, stating: “This project showed the positive impact culture can have on mental and physical health and wellbeing, while also bringing a taste of the festival to the children and young people who were unable to attend events.”

The performances reached over 1,500 patients, staff, families, and volunteers who enjoyed a total of 14 hours of live music both in wards and communal spaces. Audience feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with performances receiving an average rating of 5 out of 5. One family member at The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People exclaimed that it was the “best hospital visit ever!”

Edinburgh International Festival Presenter, Lucy Drever, expertly introduced the musicians and encouraged audience engagement throughout each session. One audience member shared: “I liked the questions and facts that Lucy gave out during the performance, it was a great way to understand the music more – so it’s accessible to all.”

Len McCaffer, Tonic Arts Manager at NHS Lothian Charity, said: “We are incredibly proud to be continuing NHS Festival Sessions this year. These live performances provide precious moments of joy and respite, as well as a unique connection to the arts for patients and staff in our hospitals. We are really looking forward to bringing more of these enriching experiences to our hospitals in 2025.”

Caroline Donald, Head of Discovery and Participation at Edinburgh International Festival, said: “The Edinburgh International Festival works year-round to take the performing arts beyond stages and into communities. It’s a privilege to bring the spirit of the International Festival into NHS hospitals and help create meaningful moments for patients, families and NHS staff alike. These sessions remind us that the arts have a transformative power that can be joyful, surprising and restorative, and can reach people in profound ways, wherever they are”.

“Festival Fridays” 2024 showcased an impressive array of artists from renowned orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, and Bamberger Symphoniker, as well as the energetic Rising Stars of Brass and innovative groups like VRi, Twelfth Day, and the Resol Quartet.

The success of ‘Festival Fridays’ highlights the important role that arts play in enhancing the healthcare environment and promoting wellbeing. We are thrilled to bring this enriching experience back in 2025, continuing to spread joy and provide moments of connection through the power of music.

About Edinburgh International Festival:

Edinburgh International Festival is the original festival. It’s the one that started it all, the igniting spark that established Edinburgh as the world’s Festival City.   

The next International Festival takes place 1–24 August 2025, under the direction of Festival Director and Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti. Benedetti’s vision for the International Festival is to create the deepest level of experience, through the highest quality art, for the broadest possible audience.   

The Edinburgh International Festival was founded in 1947, the inspired idea of Rudolf Bing, a cultural pioneer and Jewish refugee, working with a group of civic and artistic leaders. Together, they created a festival that transcends political boundaries through a global celebration of the performing arts.  

Over the following 77 years the International Festival’s hand-picked programme of world-leading dance, opera, music and theatre has continued to bring people of different cultures and viewpoints together every August. Meanwhile, the International Festival’s sister festivals have grown up around it – each of them contributing to the atmosphere of unparalleled excitement that transforms the city each summer.  

Shining far beyond what you see on stage, the International Festival also offers year-round pathways for people of all ages and backgrounds to discover and participate in live performance. Learn more at eif.co.uk/about .