Edinburgh is a beautiful city in any month, but in August it explodes to life with Festivals galore! The various Festivals result in a doubling of the population (who knows where we put them all!); mean that there are more than a thousand extra things to do each day; and generate over £260m for the Scottish economy.

There’s a lot to love about Edinburgh in August, but these are the things that I love the most.

The atmosphere is electric! There’s such a buzz around Edinburgh in August, that you can’t help but get carried along with it. It infuses the very air around town, and you can’t help but smile, even at the millionth leafleteer who’s begging you to go to their show.

You can never claim to be bored in Edinburgh in August! The sheer volume of shows mean that you are never stuck for something to do. There’s something happening to please pretty much anyone, in any particular moment, of any particular day. If you come to Edinburgh in August, we can’t promise you’ll stay dry, but we can promise you’ll be entertained.

Passing a pirate/dragon/mermaid in Princes Street is entirely normal. As is seeing Rhod Gilbert hailing a cab, or drinking in the same bar as countless other celebrities. People are just people in Edinburgh in August: however famous they are, or however crazily they’re dressed.

The Book Festival. The Book Festival is my favourite place to hang out. The organisers somehow manage to create a beautiful atmosphere in Charlotte Square Gardens, and the bookshop in particular is a special place for bookworms like me. I’ve been to see many authors over the years, and I always find it fascinating to hear how differently they approach their writing. One of my favourites was prolific author, Alexander McColl-Smith. He was talking about how he writes his novels by listening to the characters, and described one scenario where a couple took a friend on a boat ride. He suddenly laughed, and exclaimed: “I didn’t even know they had a boat!!!”.

There are many reasons I love Edinburgh in August, but I think my favourite reason is the sense of pride I feel in my home city when I get the opportunity to welcome visitors to it. There’s something wonderful about helping visitors to enjoy their stay a little bit more, even if that’s just by helping them find their way or recommending somewhere to go. Maybe it’s just that I love having the opportunity to show off how wonderful Edinburgh and her people are, but who wouldn’t love the opportunity to show off about something this fantastic?!