This May sees Edinburgh�s inaugural Festival Of Rugby come to the capital with a host of prestigious rugby events including the Heineken Cup Final, IRB Emirates 7's, and the Rugby League Magic Weekend.

� HEINEKEN CUP FINAL - 23 May Europe�s biggest club rugby final and one of the must-see events in the European sporting calendar.

The 14th Heineken Cup final will be the second time European club rugby's final will be staged in the Scottish capital. The 67,400 capacity Murrayfield stadium, which previously staged the 2005 final when Toulouse clinched their third tournament triumph, will again provide the setting for the climax of the European club season. Tickets start from �25 and can be bought at www.scottishrugby.org

� EMIRATES AIRLINE WORLD SERIES 7s - 30 & 31 May Returning to Edinburgh in the final leg of the Series for a fun, fast and furious day of rugby.

The IRB Sevens World Series is made up of a core of 12 of the world's top teams who take part in tournaments around the world. The 08/09 Series will be played out in eight cities around the world, beginning with Dubai in November and culminating in Edinburgh.

Tickets start from �15 and can be bought at www.scottishrugby.org

� RUGBY LEAGUE MAGIC WEEKEND - 2 & 3 May Seven rugby league matches back-to-back over two days for a unique family entertainment experience.

The Magic Weekend sees a full round of engage Super League fixtures played in the city over one weekend. After a successful introduction of the concept in 2007 and 2008, the Magic Weekend has become firmly established in the Rugby League calendar. As well as seven thrilling games of engage Super League, there�ll also be a feast of off-field interactive entertainment featuring music, mascots and the chance to win some great prizes

Weekend passes start from �25 and can be bought at www.scottishrugby.org

The VisitScotland �Club Bus� will be travelling to rugby fixtures around the UK promoting Edinburgh�s Festival Of Rugby. The bus will be the best place to get great value offers for things to see and do in Edinburgh over a rugby weekend, and to pick up a range of information on Scottish breaks, access Scottish tourism websites on the internet information pods, and chat to VisitScotland staff about the range of special Homecoming 2009 events taking place throughout the year.

Further information on the Edinburgh Festival Of Rugby: www.visitscotland.com/rugby

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Note to editors � VisitScotland is Scotland�s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland. � For VisitScotland�s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.htm � For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org � For Scottish tourism statistics go to http://www.visitscotland.org/research_and_statistics.htm � For frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/about_us/faqs.htm � For holiday information on Scotland go www.visitscotland.com � Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a year long celebration of Scottish culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given the world www.homecomingscotland2009.com

ABOUT HOMECOMING SCOTLAND 2009

Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a year-long celebratory programme of over 300 events, festivals and activities across Scotland inspired by the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns� birth. All those who love Scotland are invited to take part in this unique year celebrating Scotland�s rich ancestry, culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world. Homecoming Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government and is managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country�s national tourism agency. For more information on Homecoming Scotland please visit www.homecomingscotland2009.com.

For further information or images please contact: Minty Woolgar Cities & Culture PR, VisitScotland Tel. 0131 472 2337 Minty.Woolgar@visitscotland.com