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The Edinburgh Festival Fringe - History and Highlights
Have you been to the Edinburgh International Festival or Fringe? It is quite an experience and the city in transformed for the month of August, inundated with visitors and alive with performers from around the world. Our Edinburgh shop is always busy at this time of year and we love the buzz of all the new people in town. Today we delve into how this amazing event came about and what you can expect if you come to visit.
It all began in 1945 when Austrian impresario Rudolf Bing, had a dream of holding an international festival in Great Britain. Edinburgh was suggested by the British Council and Sir John Falconer, the city's Lord Provost at the time and Lady Rosebery welcomed the idea and the opportunity to turn their city into the "cultural resort of Europe". This was post-war and a time to seize chances to unite artists and people from around the world. When the International Festival first began on 24th August 1947 their aim was to "provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit". For three weeks during August, in Edinburgh's six major theatres and concert halls, along with a few smaller venues, you can take in breathtaking performances from some of the most highly acclaimed creators of music, theatre, opera and dance that the arts world has to offer.
The Festival Fringe came about when in 1947 eight theatre groups (2 Scottish and one English) turned up uninvited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival, and they became known as the "Festival Adjuncts" or "semi-official festival" until journalist and playrwright Robert Kemp wrote "Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before...". From then on the name "Fringe" stuck and every year millions flock to Edinburgh to produce, and to enjoy art of every genre.
In 1958 the Festival Fringe Society was created to formalise the existence of this eclectic collective of performances, giving a central point of information for artists, producing a printed programme of Festival Fringe events and selling tickets through a central box office. The unique nature of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe means that it is totally open access, anyone with a desire to perform who can find a venue willing to host them, can put on a show. No single individual or committee determines who can or cannot perform at the Fringe and many businesses and residents offer some unexpected spaces during the Fringe for performers who otherwise might struggle to find an outlet for their work. Part of the fun of attending shows at the Fringe is that you often have no idea what you are walking into, costs are minimal and this is where many very famous performers first appeared on stage.
Regular Fringe-goer's like to boast that "I saw them long before they became famous" and many a star first hit the headlines in Edinburgh. Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson won the very first Perrier Comedy Award in 1981, as part of the Cambridge Footlights troupe. John Cleese was part of this same troupe in 1963. Robin Williams made a visit in 1971 with his student theatre company performing a Wild West version of The Taming of the Shrew. Before his TV career took off Graham Norton presented his drag show Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Grand Farewell in 1991. Comedians Mike Myers, Neil Mullarkey and Paul Merton met at the Fringe and later formed the Comedy Store Players as a result of their improv and stand-up experience in the capital. Miranda Hart had an audience of none for her 1994 Fringe debut, returning in 2001 with the infamous You Say Potato and huge success. We could go on and on...
Regular Fringe-goer's like to boast that "I saw them long before they became famous" and many a star first hit the headlines in Edinburgh. Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson won the very first Perrier Comedy Award in 1981, as part of the Cambridge Footlights troupe. John Cleese was part of this same troupe in 1963. Robin Williams made a visit in 1971 with his student theatre company performing a Wild West version of The Taming of the Shrew. Before his TV career took off Graham Norton presented his drag show Mother Teresa of Calcutta's Grand Farewell in 1991. Comedians Mike Myers, Neil Mullarkey and Paul Merton met at the Fringe and later formed the Comedy Store Players as a result of their improv and stand-up experience in the capital. Miranda Hart had an audience of none for her 1994 Fringe debut, returning in 2001 with the infamous You Say Potato and huge success. We could go on and on...
Of course an integral part of the festival and a vital thing to see if you are a tourist in the area is the Military Tattoo, held every evening on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade. The very first Tattoo was in 1950 and 6000 spectators sat on simple bench and scaffolding to watch this impressive display, which has grown year on year in popularity. Hollywood film maker, Mike Todd, was the man who brought the Edinburgh Tattoo to a worldwide stage when he made a documentary all about it. Every year the Tattoo has a theme, last year Clans took centre stage and representatives from around the globe came to march as part of this great event. This year is Kaleidoscope, a "celebration of glorious summetries".
If you would like to join in the fun or find our more visit the Fringe website, and don't forget to tell us what you have been to see, who you think will be the next big thing and what you think of our fabulous home city. We love to hear your stories.
