Edinburgh's famed International and Fringe Festivals have announced some of their leading attractions. The former, which runs from August 14-September 4, will present six productions created especially for the fest, three of which are world premieres, and several unique collaborations between major companies and artists. Among the highlights are the British-staged premiere of John Adam's opera, The Death of Klinghoffer; three new plays by Scottish writers; a Japanese Noh classic and the Benjamin Britten opera it inspired, Curfew River; plus the complete plays of J M Synge. The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra will also be in residency for a full week.

The Fringe, to be held August 7-29, expects to sell over a million tickets for the third year in a row. Host to 650 shows in the theatre section alone, the Fringe offers something for everyone, with The War on Terror serving as an overall theme. Guardians (Mahwaff Theatre Co.), for example, investigates the truth behind the shocking images of Abu Ghraib, while Snuff (Arches Theatre Co.) brings the war on terror home to Scotland. In Our Diaries Through the Wall (Stars of Bethlehem), Palestinian girls recall life during the Second Intifada.

The Fringe also has its lighter side. Last year's big hit La Clique returns with Un Spectacle Sensuel, while productions such as Go Go Burlesco, Vaudeville Cabaret and Burlesk's Little Bo Peepshow will also seek to entertain. Stand-up comedy is heavily represented at this year's fest, plus music and song from the likes of Prodigy, The Magnets, Basement Jaxx and Yo La Tengo.

Thanks to support from the British Council, over 250 international productions will be mounted at the Fringe, with some of them traveling afterwards to other UK venues. Without question, Edinburgh is one of the world's great theatrical meeting places.

Among the provocative attractions are Almost There, a "devised" play by Fotini Georganta about "the search for happiness, even if it proves to be just another noun." The love story involves two men and a woman separated by 3580 miles as they grapple over the phone with issues of love, suicide and communication. Aug. 5-29 at C-Central, Northridge. Visit info@ex-animae.com

Marika Kalambatsea will return to the Fringe with a new one-person mini-musical, Calamity Jane, Letters to Her Daughter. Her 2004 well-received show was It Hurts. For information contact mkalambatsea@yahoo.co.uk.

To reach the Edinburgh International Festival ticket office, call 0131-473-2000 or click on eif.co.uk or write Edinburgh International Festival, Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2NE

For Fringe tickets contact 0131-226-0000 or edfringe.com. For a full list of scheduled events visit edfringe.com/2005 or stop by the Fringe Office, 180 High St, Edinburgh.