10 Things to Do in Edinburgh in March

If you dream of visiting Edinburgh but availability prevents you from doing so in any month other than March, it's absolutely fine. In fact, March isn't as bad as it's made out to be: the temperatures start to ease and at the end of the month the time change takes place, giving you an extra hour of daylight.

I've analysed all the things you can do in the Scottish capital during this month to bring you the most interesting ones. You'll find there's lots and lots to do. Especially when it comes to festivals strongly linked to Scottish and Celtic culture. An unbeatable opportunity to get to know the culture of the country and complement the essential guide of what to see and do in Edinburgh.

Scotland is a country proud of its history and traditions, and more specifically its Celtic heritage. The Ceilidh Culture Festival is an annual event that celebrates the country's culture through different cultural manifestations such as music, dance, theatre and storytelling.

Among all these activities, dance stands out, an element that characterises the "ceilidh" or traditional Scottish gatherings in which dancing was the protagonist. They take place on 20 March and last until the beginning of April.

During these days, Edinburgh' s streets and squares fill with dancers and many of its pubs and venues host ceilidhs or folk music and dance gatherings. If you're a lover of Celtic culture, you're sure to enjoy yourself.

To immerse yourself in the popular culture of the city, I recommend you to take one of the best tours and excursions, thanks to the local guides you will learn about the history and way of life of its people.

If you're travelling to Edinburgh with children, there's nothing better than a visit to the Puppet Animation Festival.

This event takes place at the end of March and lasts until the end of April. It usually starts on 25 March, although it can vary from year to year. I advise you to check the dates to confirm the exact day on which it will start in the year in which you intend to travel to the Scottish capital.

The activities often take place in bookshops in the city centre. They may change depending on the edition, so it's best to check before you go. Tickets are very cheap: you can buy them for as little as €4.

Take them on a tour of Harry Potter's world

By the way, if you're travelling with the family, Edinburgh has a lot to offer. For example, ghost and mystery tours. And, of course, tours that take you to the iconic places that inspired Harry Potter. Find out more about these tours here.

Edinburgh's Festival of Ireland takes place on **St Patrick'**s Day, 17 March. An event which, as its name suggests, celebrates the links between two cultures as close as Irish and Scottish.

The event, although it aims to coincide with St. Patrick's Day, usually starts a day earlier, on 16 March, and lasts until the end of the month.

Celtic music and dance are the stars of the festival. You can join the party in the various pubs and bars in the city centre. The most popular are usually the following:

• The three sisters
• Biddy Mulligans
• Cabaret Voltaire

And what better time to celebrate the twinning with Dublin than to take a tour of the whisky distilleries where you can discover the traditional process of making this Scottish liquor.

So far we've celebrated the Celtic roots of the Scots and their connection to Irish culture, but what more do we need to delve into the depths of the country's culture? Well, yes! We've taken a trip back in time to none other than the time of the Vikings.

The Vikings occupied a large part of the Shetlands until the 15th century, so the awareness of their past is still very strong among the inhabitants today.

This has ensured that it is still remembered today through the South Mainland Helly Aa festival. It usually takes place in the second week of March and consists of a fire festival where people dress up as Vikings. The festival is quite colourful with torchlight processions and re-enactments of Viking ships.

It is held in the South Mainland, south of the Mainland's capital, Lerwick. This will give you the opportunity to tour the beautiful Scottish countryside either by train or bus before catching a ferry in Aberdeen. If you want to skip the journey, you can always fly to the Shetlands - they're just 1 hour 30 minutes from Edinburgh.

The Scottish Snowdrop Festival, also known as the 'Snowdrop Festival', is an unbeatable way to enjoy the prelude to spring by taking in Scotland's beautiful gardens. The name of the festival refers to the flower that blooms in late winter and early spring.

So, between the end of January and the second week of March, you can get up close to the beauties of spring as it begins to awaken. This festival takes place in a multitude of gardens and natural spaces across Scotland. There are even private gardens which, courtesy of their owners, open their gates for the duration of the festival.

Here you can see the Edinburgh gardens taking part in the Scottish Snowdrop Festival. It is, in fact, Scotland's most popular festival-related attraction. So there's no better place in Scotland to welcome spring!

Another event that demonstrates the pride of the Scottish people in their traditions. The Original New Year, celebrated on 25 March, is simply the New Year on the date of the Julian calendar. It was only with the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in Scotland in 1599 that New Year's Day began to be celebrated on 1 January.

Edinburgh still celebrates this tradition, although, I won't kid you, it's nowhere near comparable to what you can enjoy on New Year's Day (definitely a must-do if you decide to travel to Edinburgh at Christmas).

However, any time is a good time to soak up the atmosphere in Edinburgh on New Year's Day, when small celebrations take place in the streets and pubs with the ever-present Scottish music and dancing.

The Edinburgh Yarn Festival is another homage to Scottish traditions, in this case wool craftsmanship, one of the country's historic trading activities. This event, which takes place around the third week of March, features several activities:

• Market with up to 100 stalls selling woollen goods.
• Workshops
• Talks with guest designers
• Parties and concerts

All these events take place at the Corn Exchange, recently renamed the O2 Academy. Tickets are really cheap: they 're available from €6.

Traditional Scottish music is all very well, but if you've heard enough of it and are in the mood for something a little more contemporary, you can always make the leap to the Wee Dub Festival. A reggae festival that usually takes place in the first week of March.

The event consists of several sessions, each with a different focus in terms of guest artists. A fusion of reggae with other styles, such as electronic music, is common. It's not, as you can see, a very "orthodox" festival musically, although that's where part of its interest lies.

If you like reggae but don't want to experiment too much, you can check the programme to see which session interests you most. The concerts take place in different venues, concert halls and bars, always in the Old Town. Tickets for this event can be purchased from €45.

If you're interested in cultures, but you've had enough of Scottish, Celtic and Gaelic culture, you'll want to check out the Syn Festival Edinburgh. A celebration focusing on Greek culture, it takes place in the second week of March and consists of various activities:

• Visual Arts Festival
• Photography exhibitions
• Art installations
• Theatre
• Live music
• Dance

Events often take place at venues such as the Out of Blue Drill Hall, Adam House and Teviot Row House. These monuments, by the way, are part of the city's historic heritage. If you want to know more about the city's landmark monuments, don't miss the 10 best castles in Edinburgh.

Regarding the cost of tickets, the Syn Festival has a strong charitable orientation as it seeks to raise awareness and financially help Greek refugees and people from the Greek community in Edinburgh who are in need of assistance. That's why, rather than a ticket, a donation of any amount of money is requested.

If you are passionate about technology, especially technology related to data and Artificial Intelligence, you have an unmissable date during the third week of March in Edinburgh. Datafest is an event that takes place at the University of Edinburgh and has the participation of personalities from all over the world.

The talks are not academic in focus; in fact, rather than speakers, Datafest features speakers who will give you the latest on data and Artificial Intelligence.

If you are passionate about technology and have a reasonably good command of English, this is a highly recommended event. There are also workshops, which you can sign up for. Tickets are available from €20.

Edinburgh is characterised by cold temperatures in winter, as well as cloudy and often rainy days. In March, however, temperatures slowly ease, so you won't face the harsher weather, which is more prevalent in December and January.

To give you an idea: in March the average high is around 9 degrees Celsius, while the average low is around -2 degrees Celsius. That's enough to keep you warm.

The main thing to pack is clothes to weather the cold and possible precipitation. So take a good coat, gloves, hat, mackintosh and thermal clothing. Don't forget to bring closed-toe shoes if you can.

Regarding visas to enter Scotland, despite Brexit, EU citizens can enter without them perfectly well.

It also doesn't hurt to take with you a list of exchange bureaux de change in Edinburgh. As you know, the currency of the UK is the pound. One pound is usually equivalent to just over one euro, although this is always subject to change. I advise you to use this up-to-date pound to euro converter so that you know exactly where you stand when it comes to currency exchange.

Due to Edinburgh's culturally focused tourist attractions, the city is not subject to high seasonality. However, it is true that, due to the weather, March is not one of the strongest months from a tourist point of view.

In addition, not many major international events or festivals take place during this month, so there is not usually an extraordinary influx. In short, you will be able to enjoy the city without being crowded or crowded.