The free Mardi Gras, part of the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, launches the season of Edinburgh's Festivals with the sounds of New Orleans and trad styled jazz, with some funk and soul thrown in for good measure.
In the past, the Jazz Festival's opening weekend event started with a Parade which saw performers dance from City Chambers, down Victoria Street, to the Old Town bars and cafes of the Grassmarket.
The streets are still busy for the trad jazz flavoured sounds from the various stages, but the Mardi Gras is now more of a warm-up for the following day's Edinburgh Carnival, which includes Parades, music and dance in West Princes Street Gardens.
The event is free and unticketed.
The full Mardi Gras 2026 jazz programme is still TBA at time of writing, but you can look forward to:
- Boom, Twang, Thwack
- Dank Mango
- Burnin’ for Buhaina (Art Blakey Tribute)
EJBF Mardi Gras Stages
- West End Stage (opposite The Black Bull): tba
- Centre Stage (opposite Mamma's Pizza): tba
- East End Stage (opposite The Last Drop): tba
Mardi Gras didn't happen in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic restrictions.