by Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, the largest city in Scotland and the 7th largest in the United
Kingdom. The unique architecture has been preserved here and this gave the Old and New towns
the right to receive the status of World Heritage Site. It falls under the care of UNESCO. Edinburgh is
spread over three hills along the river Leith and, in addition to historical monuments, impresses with
its picturesque nature.
There are inspiring panoramas and frequent weather changes – the city has a recalcitrant character
and you need to try very hard to please it. However, if you succeed, you will not find a more
welcoming and homely city in all of Europe.
Fringe Festival
In August of each year the squares and streets of Edinburgh become the traditional venue for the
Fringe Arts Festival.
The Fringe in Edinburgh is a vibrant arts festival, one of the largest in the world, bringing together
areas such as music, ethnicity, cinema, books and the two most important: opera and extreme
theatre.
Its full name is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was intended to be a complement to the Edinburgh
Festival, also known as the Edinburgh International Festival. Both events began in 1947: the big,
government-funded International Festival put on its first showing then and eight theatre companies
came to town to capitalize on it. The Edinburgh International Festival still exists in roughly the same
form as it did 76 years ago, but the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, commonly referred to as simply the
Fringe, has become a lot bigger and isn’t really something of an afterthought anymore with
thousands of concerts taking place.
Simultaneously along with the official program there is also an “informal” part of the Fringe Festival
(“Fringe” in this case referring to extreme or going beyond the generally accepted) – a festival of
experimental performing arts, where all interested groups can participate. Traditionally, it starts a
little earlier than the Edinburgh Festival or at the same time and ends at the end of August.
More than 1,000 performances take place at various concert venues around the city every day and
almost around the clock during the Edinburgh International Arts Festival. This is a grandiose festive
event which pours from theatres and concert halls directly onto the streets of Edinburgh.
When deciding what to see you firstly need to consider your preferences. Simply put, what do you
like? It can be tempting to look for something that can be considered serious or worthy. After all, the
talents of the whole world are gathered within a few square miles. The Fringe is an opportunity to
enjoy theatre which touches the senses and experience a city teeming with performers, audiences
and temporary residents.
