Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, often called the Edinburgh Fringe or simply the Fringe, is the world’s largest performing arts festival. It lasts for 25 days and sells many tickets. It features thousands of performances in many places, with artists from many countries.

It began in 1947 as an informal event alongside the Edinburgh International Festival. Every August, it makes Edinburgh a center for arts and culture. Only events like the Olympics and the World Cup attract more tickets worldwide.

Anyone can join the Fringe—it is open to all performers and types of shows. The program includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, shows for children, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, and more. Comedy is very popular.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society supports the festival. They publish the program, sell tickets, and help performers. Their shop is on the Royal Mile, and during the festival, they also run Fringe Central to assist participants.

Famous performers like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose show Fleabag started at the Fringe, have gone on to achieve great success. The festival was smaller in some years, but it returned to normal size in later years. The next festival is planned for August in 2026.

History and origins

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe began in 1947 when eight theatre companies came to the first Edinburgh International Festival without being invited. They performed in smaller places because the big venues were already full. These early groups called themselves “Festival Adjuncts.”

In 1948, a writer named Robert Kemp named it the “Fringe” to describe these extra shows. Over time, the Fringe grew bigger and more organized. By the 1950s, students helped by giving food and beds to the performers. The Fringe became famous for late-night comedy shows and keeps growing each year. Today, it is the world’s largest arts festival, happening every August in Edinburgh.

Venues

Fringe venues come in many shapes and sizes. You can find shows in regular theatres like the Bedlam Theatre, function rooms such as the Assembly Rooms, churches, lecture theatres like the George Square Theatre, bars, pubs, and temporary structures like The Famous Spiegeltent and the Udderbelly. There are also shows in schools and even unusual spots like a public toilet or the back of a taxi!

During the Fringe, the area around St Giles' Cathedral becomes a busy spot with theatre companies handing out flyers and performing scenes to sell tickets.

Further information: List of Edinburgh Festival Fringe venues

Shows

Many famous shows started at the Fringe and helped writers and performers become well-known. These include Rowan Atkinson, Steven Berkoff, Jo Brand, Billy Connolly, Ben Elton, Eddie Izzard, Stephen Fry, Stewart Lee, Tim Minchin, and Tadeusz Kantor.

In 1960, Alan Bennett, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook and Jonathan Miller performed Beyond the Fringe at the Royal Lyceum Theatre. Their show changed how people thought about politicians.

Tom Stoppard’s play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was first fully performed at the 1966 Fringe. Derek Jacobi acted in a very well-regarded school play of Hamlet.

In the 1980s, big theatre companies brought shows to the Fringe. The Joint Stock Theatre Company brought two plays.

In 1986, Craig Ferguson performed as “Bing Hitler,” making fun of famous Scottish singers.

In the 21st century, shows like Stomp (theatrical show), Black Watch by the National Theatre of Scotland, and Jerry Springer: The Opera started at the Fringe before becoming famous.

In 2003, a funny version of 12 Angry Men was performed at the Assembly Rooms.

In 2005, a play called The Odd Couple was performed at the Assembly Hall.

In 2007, Ricky Gervais did a stand-up show at the Edinburgh Castle. He gave the money to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge first performed in 2013 and later became a TV series.

In 2015, a new musical called Love Birds was performed at The Pleasance.

In 2017, Hannah Gadsby’s show Nanette won an award and was later seen all over the world on Netflix.

Also in 2017, a musical called Six debuted at the Fringe before going to big theatres.

People

Veteran performers

Arthur Smith, Paul Merton, Barry Cryer, and Richard Herring are some of the comedians who have performed the most at the Edinburgh Fringe festivals. Arthur Smith has been performing there for over 40 years. Paul Merton started in 1985. Barry Cryer has performed about 25 times since the 1990s. Richard Herring has done 25 shows since 1987. Nicholas Parsons attended the very first Fringe in 1947 and hosted his Happy Hour show until he passed away.

Officials and administrators

Jonathan Miller became chair in 1983, followed by Elizabeth Smith, Baroness Smith. The current chair is Benny Higgins, who took over from Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea in 2021.

The first full-time Fringe chief was John Milligan, who worked for the Arts Council and BBC Scotland. He left in 1976 to run the Craigmillar Festival and was succeeded by Alistair Moffat, who had helped start the first St Andrews Festival in 1971.

Promoters and artistic directors

The Fringe has helped many people succeed in the arts and organization. William Burdett-Coutt, Karen Koren, Anthony Alderson, Charlie Wood, and Ed Bartlam are known as the directors of the "Big Four" venues and are well known in the cultural world.

Ethos

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is an open access festival. The Fringe Society helps organize the event and supports performers. Performers decide what to show and how, without being chosen by a jury. This style is called an unjuried festival or open access arts festival.

Some people think the Fringe has varying quality, but it is a special place for new ideas. Some venues choose which shows to host.

The Fringe has rules, like registration and fees. Some artists perform outside the Fringe. There is also a smaller event called the “Fringe of the Fringe” to help artists with lower costs.

In 2022, the Fringe Society created values to guide the festival: celebrating performing arts, being open to everyone, and looking out for each other.

Influence

The idea of smaller, more informal theatre shows from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has spread around the world. Big festivals like the Adelaide Fringe, National Arts Festival in Machanda, and Edmonton International Fringe Festival all began because of this idea.

The Edinburgh Fringe has helped start many famous plays and musicals, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It has also given many comedy performers a chance to shine, including members of Monty Python and Rowan Atkinson. Many actors and comedians say the Fringe helped them succeed in their careers.

Controversies

Subject matter

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe lets anyone perform, so sometimes shows can upset some people. This can lead to disagreements.

Ticket prices

Tickets used to be cheap, around £5–£7. But by 2006, prices went up, with some shows costing over £20. This happened because venues became more expensive to rent, and other costs went up too.

Costs to performers

Performing at the Fringe can cost a lot for artists. They have to pay to enter, rent venues, and cover travel and accommodation. Because of these high costs, many performers now choose cheaper, independent venues instead.

Costs to venues

Venues also face high costs, especially for licenses. By 2009, these fees had grown much higher than in other cities, making it hard for smaller venues and special performances.

Pay-To-Play

Recently, some venues have started charging performers to appear before the festival even begins. This has led to performers paying more than they can earn from ticket sales. Some people believe this hurts the spirit of the Fringe.

Domination by comedy

Comedy has become the most popular type of show at the Fringe. Some feel this has shifted the focus away from other kinds of performances.

Work and pay conditions

In 2017, there were concerns about the working conditions for people involved in the Fringe. Some groups wanted to improve these conditions.

Reviews and awards

Sources of reviews

For many performers at the Fringe, a good review is very important. It helps them get noticed and can save money on their shows.

The Edinburgh-based newspaper The Scotsman has been part of the Fringe since it began. It is well known for covering the festival every August. At first, it tried to review every show, but now it picks which ones to review because there are too many shows. They still see almost every new play because of their Fringe First awards. For many years, the Scotsman's Arts Editor, Allen Wright, was a familiar face at the Fringe, and today, an award for young critics is named after him.

Other Scottish media outlets that cover the Fringe include: The Herald, Scotland on Sunday, Sunday Herald, and the Scottish edition of Metro. Scottish arts and entertainment magazines like The List, The Skinny, and Fest Magazine also provide lots of coverage.

Since the 1990s, special publications just for the Fringe have appeared. ThreeWeeks started in 1996, and Fest came a few years later. After 2000, online publications joined in. These include Chortle (2000), Broadway Baby (2004), Fringe Review (2006), Fringe Guru (2007), and The Wee Review (2008, originally called TV Bomb). The last two merged in 2019.

Awards

There are many awards for Fringe shows, especially for drama:

• The Scotsman started the Fringe First awards in 1973. These awards encourage new plays and are given to new works only.

• The Herald Angels and Archangels are given by The Herald to recognize outstanding performances or shows each week of the Fringe.

• The Stage has given out the Stage Awards for Acting Excellence since 1995. Each year, about a dozen awards are given, including a Special Award.

• Total Theatre gives out its Total Theatre Awards for physical and visual theatre since 1997. The categories change each year.

• Amnesty International started the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award in 2002.

• The Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award for best drama began in 2004. Shows must have received high ratings in The Scotsman and not been performed in New York before.

• The ThreeWeeks Editors' Awards started in 2005 and honor the top ten shows each year as chosen by the editors.

• The Bobby awards were launched by Broadway Baby in 2011 for the best shows, with a Technical Bobby for achievements in lighting or set design.

• The Edinburgh Musical Theatre Awards began in 2007 to support new musicals.

• The Perrier Awards for Comedy started in 1981. They were first won by the Cambridge Footlights. The sponsor changed over the years, and as of 2024, DLT Entertainment sponsors awards for the best comedy show and newcomer, while The Victoria Wood Foundation sponsors The Panel Prize.

• The Malcolm Hardee Awards have categories for originality, clever stunts, and potential success. They were given from 2008 to 2017 and again from 2019.

• Since 2009, the Funniest Joke of the Fringe award has been given, along with a top 10 list. It is currently sponsored by TV channel U&Dave.

• The Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence has been presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2011.

Statistics

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has grown a lot over the years. It started with just eight companies in five venues. By 2015, it had more than 3,300 shows with almost 50,000 performances. Comedy became the most popular type of show, and theatre was the second most popular.

In 2015, about 2.3 million tickets were sold for shows across 313 venues over 25 days. There are also street events happening each day along the Royal Mile.