Performers take part in the annual Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Performers take part in the annual Beltane Fire Festival on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland. The modern Beltane Fire Festival is inspired by the ancient Gaelic festival of Beltane which began on the evening before 1 May and marked the beginning of summer. The modern festival was started in 1988 by a small group of enthusiasts including the musical collective Test Dept, with academic support from the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Since then the festival has grown, and as of 2006 involved over 300 voluntary collaborators and performers with the 11, 500 available tickets selling out. While the festival draws on a variety of historical, mythological and literary influences, the organisers do not claim it to be anything other than a modern celebration of Beltane, evolving with its participants.[