The world’s biggest annual international arts festival is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is held in Scotland. The event takes place over three weeks in August and features more than 3,000 shows in 300 venues across the city of Edinburgh. The Fringe is open to anyone who wants to perform, and there are no selection criteria or judges – meaning that anyone can take part. This makes it one of the most diverse and inclusive festivals in the world, with a huge range of performers from all over the globe taking part.
The Fringe began life as an offshoot of the main Edinburgh International Festival, which was founded in 1947. A group of eight theatre companies decided to stage their own performances during the festival after being refused entry to the main event. These ‘unauthorised’ shows proved popular with audiences, and so the following year they were given their own venue – The Fringe Club. From these humble beginnings, the Fringe has grown into one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions, bringing millions of visitors (and pounds) to Edinburgh every year.
So what makes the Fringe so special? Firstly, it’s completely unique – there’s nothing else quite like it anywhere else in the world. Secondly, it offers something for everyone; whether you’re into comedy or drama, music or dance, there will be a show for you at this massive festival. Thirdly (and perhaps most importantly), it’s incredibly welcoming and inclusive; as mentioned above , anyone can take part regardless of experience or background . This makes for a truly diverse range of performances , which is one ofthe things that make stheFringe so great .
If you’re thinking about visiting Edinburgh during August , then make sure you check out someof these must-see shows at this year ‘ sFringe!
