PalenQ

Great insights about the unique history of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in yeseterday's NYTimes:

<Born as a protest against the official Edinburgh Festival and their EDINBURGH — Once a year, the cobbled, medieval streets here host an extra million people, tripling the population of the Scottish capital for the nearly monthlong Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which used to be known as the biggest theater festival in the English-speaking world.

Now in its 70th year, the event has become the largest arts festival of any kind in the known world, topped in attendance, its organizers say, only by soccer’s World Cup or the Olympics.

The Fringe — which is taking place this month — began as a protest against the inaugural state-subsidized, highbrow Edinburgh International Festival after eight performers who were refused permission to perform there in 1947 started their own event. Many say it has stayed true to its anti-establishment roots. The theme this year, for example, is “Art as an act of defiance.”

And many more details of this very very unique thearical events - very refreshing to me:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/w...l.html?mcubz=0

dotheboyshall

Festival Fringe not Fringe Festival.

<i>Many say it has stayed true to its anti-establishment roots.</i>

Pull the other one, it's got bells on. Most of the Fringe is controlled by a small number of people.

MissPrism

Nothing can be very unique. It's either unique or it ain't

In the meantime, for those who are not into stand-up comedians and Mongolian nose dancers, the real Edinburgh Festival has not quite finished
https://www.eif.co.uk/2017

unclegus

as someone who lives in Edinburgh and has attended events at most festival Fringes during my 61 years on this planet the changes I have seen has left me less than delighted.
yes it is still a wonderful vibrant time in the city with so much going on BUT it has just got too crazy.this year it was really difficult to move in the city. I was at a couple of shows on Saturday went to get bus home about 10.45 pm (yes Ii know early but I had an early start the next day)a 20 minute bus journey took nearly an hour, driver on the bus said he was already running 40 minutes late.
The actually quality of shows has been greatly diluted and any man and his dog can put on a show as long as they can pay the costs of the venues,amateur and school groups from every place in the Uk will have a show on, comedians have totally taken over about 50% of the Fringe and not for the better,seen several "experimental" shows and was not impressed might be experimental but they still charge a bloody fortune for a 50 minute show.
and don't get me started on the Lady Boys of bankok who have been doing shows at the fringe for over 20 years now.
I have seen some good up and coming theatre groups like Nauhty Corner of Liverpool but sifting through the good from the dross is getting more and more difficult.
There are many pop up bars and entertainment hubs that appear and are great fun and brilliant meeting points but quality of service in many of these places is nothing short of dire,FFS don't put ice in my whisky without asking me ,this is Scotland we don't like ice.............look what it did to the Titanic. and the bloody prices £4.25 for a 330ml bottle of Staropramen and £5.25 for a pint of Carling lager in a bloody plastic glass,you got to be kidding.
Will I be back next ............... of course I will.

sofarsogood

£5.70 a pint for some “hand-crafted” gubbins in a plastic glass at Underbellly in George Square!

Still, the walk up Arthur’s Seat was worth it, though the climb up the Scott Monument had my head spinning.

And where have all the squirrels gone from Princes St. gardens?

unclegus

to much going on all the time have probably chased the squirrels away what with the Festivals on a various times of the year and the place always being disturbed.
I am back in the city centre tomorrow afternoon for a final fling at the fringe and a few drinks with friends, meeting up at the Old Dick Vet School for a few of their Barney IPA hate to think what it will cost.

dotheboyshall

<i>sifting through the good from the dross is getting more and more difficult.</i>
but
I agree, what is really noticeable is how the "hospitality" has spread in the past decade so at times its like walking down the worlds longest bar / hog roast.

Nikki

In my two visits to the fringe, I have most enjoyed plays at the Traverse Theatre. I have seen seven or eight, and all were of very high quality.

Nikki

One way I found to separate the good from the dross was to read the reviews in the many daily papers distributed for free throughout the city. Of course this means you have to stay flexible, while for some events you may want to buy tickets in advance.

michele_d

We combined the Fringe with the Tattoo..it was a great few days in Edinburgh.