The Fringe
The Fringe is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, an open-access arts festival held every August in which anyone with a venue can put on a show, without selection by a programmer. Its open-access principle is what separates it from the Edinburgh International Festival, which runs at the same time but invites every performer.
In practice
The Fringe began in 1947, when eight theatre companies that had not been invited to the first International Festival came to Edinburgh anyway and performed on its edges, or fringe. The Festival Fringe Society, formed in 1959, publishes the programme and runs central ticketing but does not choose the shows. Today thousands of productions play in theatres, pubs, churches, lecture rooms and courtyards, from comedy and theatre to music and children's shows.
Why it matters to newcomers
When people in Edinburgh say "the Festival" in August, they usually mean everything at once, but the Fringe and the International Festival are separate organisations with separate tickets. For residents, August brings crowded streets around the Royal Mile and the University, short-term lets at peak prices and a city that stays up late. Book visiting friends' accommodation months ahead, and use the free shows to explore.
Related
- Royal Mile - where Fringe performers flyer and busk
- Hogmanay - the city's winter festival
- Ceilidh - traditional music you will also find in the programme
Sources: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society: about us; Edinburgh International Festival.