AUGUST A FESTIVE MONTH IN EDINBURGH

Even though Scotland and England have been a single nation for three centuries, Edinburgh still has the proud feel of a capital city. Situated atop several long extinct volcanoes on the south side of the sea inlet known as the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh has preserved much of its distinctive architecture.  Its magnificent castle still dominates the skyline, along with Calton Hill and Holyrood Park. North of the castle, Princes Street is a wide shopping promenade. Leading east from the castle's main gate, the Royal Mile defines the spine of Old Town. Each evening in August, Edinburgh stages a military tattoo, its famous, floodlit display of traditional bagpipe pomp and circumstance on the Esplanade in front of the castle.

August is also festival month in Edinburgh. There's a huge and acclaimed Film Festival (Aug. 15-29) and Book Festival (Aug. 14-30), but the big draw is the International Arts Festival, billed as the world's largest celebration of classical theater, dance and music. It starts Aug. 15 and will present more than 200 world-class performances during its three-week run.  As if that's not enough, there's the Festival Fringe, a celebration of unsanctioned, sometimes outrageous artistic events. What started as an antidote to the International's classical seriousness has grown into the world's largest arts festival, a cornucopia of entertainment. From Aug. 8 to 30, the Fringe Festival will present some 1,500 performances and exhibitions daily.  For information, programs and tickets for the Edinburgh International Festival, call 011-44-131-473-2000 or visit the Web site at http://www.eif.co.uk.  For Fringe Festival events, 011-44-131-226-5257 or http://www.edfringe.com.  For Film Fest, 011-44-131-228-4051 or http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk.



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