Edinburgh International Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary

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With a spectacularly dazzling laser light show last Friday night, Edinburgh's world-renowned annual festival kicked off this year's three-week run in Scotland's capital city.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival, which is expected to feature more than 2,000 artists from 40 nations, as well as audience members from around 84 countries and regions eager to attend a variety of performing arts events.

The Edinburgh International Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary, Location: Usher Hall, Edinburgh. /CGTN Photo

The festival's signature opening event saw St. Andrew Square transformed into a magical night garden by creating a vast canvas for projection-mapped animations with music, sound and light. Over 50 venues across Edinburgh will play host to the festival's various events, including galleries, museums and other public areas.

Standard Life Opening Event: Bloom in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland. /Photo via Edinburgh International Festival's Instagram‍

Founded in 1947 in a wake of the aftermath of the Second World War, the festival's original aims were to "provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit through a shared celebration of artistic excellence and cultural exchange".

The Edinburgh International Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary, Location: The Hub, Edinburgh. /CGTN Photo

“A number of people had an idea that if there was a festival of arts of all types by people from all over the world, it could act as a healing process, and it would be helpful for people to be able to celebrate their shared heritage and tell their own stories,” said Fergus Linehan, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Edinburgh International Festival kicks off at St Andrew Square, in Edinburgh, Scotland. /Photo via www.heraldscotland.com

Seventy years on, Edinburgh has bloomed magnificently as the world's Festival City, and has helped promote festivals throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

World premiere of Zinnie Harris' play Meet Me At Dawn directed by Orla O'Loughlin at the 2017 Edinburgh International Festival. /CGTN Photo

Scottish Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the Scottish government has this year supported local theatres and scriptwriters to examine the origins of European drama, adding that this was a timely theme considering the discourse currently taking place in many European countries.

The 2017 Edinburgh International Festival kicked off at St Andrew Square, in Edinburgh, Scotland. /Photo via www.heraldscotland.com

"Cultural expression is more important than ever in times of economic or political uncertainty," she added.

(With input from CGTN's Zhang He)

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