Undiscovered Scotland

 

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe started life in 1947 as an accessible alternative to the more highbrow Edinburgh International Festival. Over the years the Fringe has grown to become larger and better known than its more formal cousin: and it has also served as the launch-pad of most of the great names in British comedy. 2023 marked the 76th year of the Fringe.

Following on from the changed 2022 format, the scale of the Fringe remained somewhat more limited in 2023 than pre-Covid. The main visual difference was that the extensive "dressing" of the High Street with celebratory square arches, broad columns on which participants could advertise their shows and small stages for organised live performances were absent, giving an odd feel of "festival-lite". But other areas were much as before, so perhaps we should simply be thankful that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has recovered well since its enforced break and seems well placed to continue its recovery in future years.

What is the Fringe? Anything and everything you could possibly imagine. You get a snapshot of what's on offer simply by strolling along the High Street, part of the Royal Mile, while the Fringe is on. Here you find a wide variety of street entertainers including contortionists; acrobats; sword swallowers; fire jugglers; statue-impersonators; musicians; and others. You are also likely to find what must be the largest concentration of unicycles anywhere: you are just left wondering how performers from around the world manage to persuade their airlines to carry them...

Here, too, you start to get an impression of the off-street activity across a huge number of venues from the throng of performers promoting their shows, whether by handing out leaflets, in normal years posting them on the advertising columns (which end the festival much wider than they begin it) or through extemporised street theatre designed to attract attention and customers.

In addition to the images on this page, there is a separate page of Fringe images on view here. Some of the images on these pages are from 2023, while others are from 2022, 2019 and earlier. (Continues below images...)

 

Fringe 2024 will take place from 2 August to 26 August. More information is available from the official Fringe website. A few statistics from Fringe 2023 give an impression of what it has become:

... Fringe 2023 marked the 76th year of the single greatest celebration of arts and culture on the planet.

... Fringe 2023 saw performances of 3,553 shows in venues across the city.

... 500 of the world's finest street performers, buskers and street artists brought vibrancy and joy to the Mound and Royal Mile as part of the Fringe street events.

... In 2023 an estimated 2.4 million tickets were sold.

... Fringe 2023 welcomed performers from 170 different countries.

... 35 local schools, charities and community groups took part in the Fringe Days Out scheme in 2023.

... Fringe 2023 involved a number of key initiatives, including loaning out 320 sensory resources for autistic children and adults and BSL screenings.

... Fringe 2023 attracted nearly 1,400 accredited producers, programmers, bookers, talent agencies, festivals and others from 49 countries. Each was looking to find talent and shows to provide touring and onward opportunities for artists well beyond August.

... Fringe 2023 welcomed and accredited 840 professional media from around the world. The number of reviewers was up 10% on 2022 and they generated 25% more reviews for artists at the Fringe.

Possibly the most sobering of the statistics is that at Fringe 2024 you will have just 25 days to enjoy shows that would take over five years to view in their entirety. You cannot possibly hope to see more than a tiny fraction of what is on offer in the time available, even if you avoid sleeping, eating, drinking or taking in any of the attractions of the other festivals on in the city at the same time.

There are two ways to tackle this. The first is to plan everything rigorously, working your way through programmes and booking tickets well in advance. The second is simply to play it by ear, seeing whatever takes your fancy as you wander the streets of Edinburgh.

The approach you choose is a matter of personality and taste: though you are strongly advised to make sure you book your accommodation as early as possible. Beds in and around Edinburgh can be hard to come by over the Festival period...