Now the Festival has been and gone, you may be missing the hubbub of music, dance, theatre and art that August brings. To help you continue your cultural immersion year-round, we’ve put together a list of eight recommendations across Scotland and the UK this October, dotted with some familiar faces and places from the Festival.

James IV: Queen of the Fight by Raw Material and Capital Theatres in association with National Theatre of Scotland

The first three James plays by Scottish playwright Rona Munro debuted at the 2014 International Festival and received glowing reviews praising their poignant performances, cultural relevance and witty writing. Eight years later, the fourth instalment in the series is premiering at Festival Theatre, once more bringing fascinating Scottish history to life.

Picking up in 1504, the fourth play takes the perspective of Ellen and Anne, two Moorish women who have to fight to keep their places in the dazzling, dangerous world of the Scottish court of James IV. Director Laurie Sansom and designer Jon Bausor return to the creative team for this new installent, while the cast also includes stars from the original trilogy, including Daniel Cahill in the title role and Blythe Duff as Dame Dounteboir. They’re joined by new talent including Danielle Jam and Laura Lovemore as Ellen and Anne.

James IV: Queen of the Fight is at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, from 30 September – 8 October, before touring Scotland.

Samsara by the Aakash Odedra Company

Samsara, a mesmerising dance duet performed by Aakash Odedra and Hu Shenyuan, is touring the UK this October following critically acclaimed performances at the 2022 Festival. The duet explores the ancient notion of samsara – the wheel of life, following birth, existence and re-birth – through choreography drawn from Indian and Chinese dance traditions. The performance features on-stage musicians whose contributions amplify the hypnotising choreography and thoughtful lighting design to create an incredibly immersive atmosphere that makes it impossible to look away.

The Edinburgh performances were praised by publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Wee Review, with the latter naming it a ‘compelling dance piece of unparalleled beauty’.

Samsara is on tour across the UK from 1–23 October.

Opera Highlights by Scottish Opera

Scottish Opera has created an evening of opera highlights sure to suit all audiences, whether you’re a lifelong afficionado or just beginning to dip your toe in. The programme alternates between familiar favourites and lesser-known pieces, making it a great way to discover music you may not have heard before.

You’ll also get to discover new talent, with two of Scottish Opera’s Emerging Artists, Zoe Drummond and Osian Wyn Bowen, joining Shakira Tsindos and Christopher Nairne for the performance. The Emerging Artists scheme was set up to support young, exceptionally talented artists at the beginning of their career, so you can expect great things from these singers as they enter the world of professional opera.

Opera Highlights is on tour across Scotland from 22 September – 29 October.

Conversations with the Collection at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One)

This autumn, Modern One is reshaping the way visitors experience the national collection to highlight the artistic links between Scotland and the wider world. Throughout the top floor of the gallery, Scottish artworks will be juxtaposed with art from across the world to create a sense of conversation between the pieces, highlighting unexpected connections across time periods and geographical locations. Conversations with the Collection will feature rarely seen works, allowing visitors to delve into the collection in a new and open way.

The gallery is set in a sculpture park, surrounded by trees and with a dramatic lawn designed by landscape architect Charles Jencks. Combine a trip to the exhibition with a walk around the grounds to explore the sculptures and enjoy the changing colours, ending with a trip to the café for a perfect autumnal outing.

Conversations with the Collection is on at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Modern One), Edinburgh, from 24 September.

Dvořák Seven by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra

If you loved the Czech Philharmonic or Garsington Opera’s Rusalka this August, continue discovering Dvořák with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s performance of his Seventh Symphony. Dvořák believed that his music ‘must be capable of stirring the world’ and this, regarded by many as his greatest symphony, exemplifies his power to move people through music. The symphony brings together warmth and darkness, with tragic, mournful tones influenced by the composer’s personal grief contrasting with his ‘trademark sunlit passages’, drawing on his political hope for the establishment of a Czech nation.

The symphony provides the finale to an international programme, opening with Julia Perry’s raucous, energetic 'A Short Piece for Orchestra’, a neglected work of American classical music. This is followed by Korngold’s adventurous and romantic Violin Concerto, bought to life by violinist Philippe Quint.

Dvořák Seven is performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra from 13–15 October in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by The London Palladium

The first professional performance of what would become Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat took place at the 1972 International Festival and was described by critic Allen Wright at the time as ‘the happiest half hour of the Festival’. Fifty years later, a new production of the blockbuster musical by The London Palladium comes to the Edinburgh Playhouse.

With choreography drawn from jazz, tap, and street dance and a cast of familiar faces including Alexandra Burke, Jason Donovan and Jac Yarrow, this production has been updated for the 21^st century whilst maintaining all the charm of the original score. Never shying away from the quintessential extravagance of the musical theatre genre, this production pulls together a dazzling set, energetic choreography and wink-filled humour in a ‘jubilant, joy-filled revival’.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is at the Edinburgh Playhouse from 25–29 October 2022.

The Love Between Us by BBC Singers

Following their recital at The Queen’s Hall this August, the BBC Singers have joined forces with musician and composer Soumik Datta to develop a programme celebrating the rich heritage of Indian classical music. Datta is an outspoken advocate for the preservation of Indian arts, championing impactful and moving new work through collaborations with other artists.

The performance will be the world premiere of Datta’s Awaaz, a BBC commission that weaves together Indian classical music, Bengali folk, Tagore and Partition songs with his own compositions about migration and identity. Bach’s Magnificat and Reena Esmail‘s This love between us bookend the evening. Both pieces were written for the same western orchestration, but Esmail's also incorporates the sitar and the tabla. This juxtaposition is sure to create an intriguing conversation and comparison between the two works and their respective cultural traditions.

The Love Between Us is at the Barbican, London, on Friday 21 October.

Which of these are you most excited to see? If you go to any of these, or have suggestions to add to our list, we’d love to hear about them! Share with us on Twitter and Instagram at @edintfest or using the hashtag #EdIntFest.