Welcome
These pages hopefully contain useful information on
Edinburgh
and its August festivals for all fellow punters, both established and
new. It should be particularly helpful to those who are trying the
festival for the first time.
Most Popular Page is A History of the Edinburgh
Festivals
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Edinburgh
Festival 2011
If you are interested in the main news since the 2010 festival you can find it here.
Festival launches and early feedback
Digest of links to preview articles and critics' picks
Links to reviews and list of most critically acclaimed shows
Awards
Summary of punters' visit
Festival post-mortem
Edinburgh
Festival 2010
Festival
launches and early feedback
Digest
of links to picks and previews
Links to reviews
and list of most critically acclaimed shows
Awards
Summary of punters' visit
Festival post-mortem
2012 Festival Dates for Your Diary
Dates in italics are provisional at the moment. They will be modified when the actual dates are announced.
Information
on Fringe Venues
This section is relevant simply because there are
just so many Fringe
venues, some of which appear for a year or two and then promptly
disappear, and occasionally reappear.
In my opinion The Stage contains the most
comprehensive information on venues.
It includes web site urls, maps, addresses, box office phone numbers
and details of the productions. Be aware that the maps only show the
approximate location of the venues.
Festival
Mailing Lists and Friends / Supporters
Most
festivals provide a mailing list which you can freely subscribe to.
Others allow you to become a friend or supporter for a fee; this will
normally provide you with advance information and priority booking
facilities.
The August Feast
The
August Feast
is my collective term for Edinburgh's summer festivals. It consists of
various items of reading material in pdf format. Apart from A
History of the Edinburgh Festivals
it includes a brief history of Auld Reekie for those who are interested
in the city and summarises my favourite shows over the years.
Site last updated on January 21st, 2012.
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Latest
Newsall 2011-2012 news | 2010-2011 | 2009-2010
Old Vic New Voices & IdeasTap to bring shows to the Fringe
posted January 21st, 2012.
The Stage reports that Old Vic New Voices is teaming up with IdeasTap, a funding body and network for emerging talent, to bring five shows to this year's Fringe. New Voices, the education arm of the Old Vic, will showcase five new plays at the Underbelly venue.
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Fringe Survival Guide
posted January 18th, 2012.
Mark Fisher, theatre critic and freelance journalist, has written The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide: How to Make Your Show A Success which will be published in Februrary 2012. It is primarily aimed at aspiring performers and others who are involved in putting on a show at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time, although punters may also find it a useful read. Further information can be found on the book's website.
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Fringe roadshow and show registration deadlines
posted January 15th, 2012.
The Fringe Society's roadshow started earlier this month in New York. In February it will visit Edinburgh, Manchester and London and finally Adelaide in early March. The roadshow provides an opportunity for potential performers to find out more about what is involved in appearing at the Fringe. Deadline dates for registering shows have also been announced. To get into the printed programme brochure the deadline is April 11th, 2012. Full details on the roadshows and registration dates can be found here.
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Early news on visual arts exhibitions during 2012 festival
posted January 5th, 2012.
Here is some early news on major visual arts exhibitions that will be running at the time of the 2012 Edinburgh festival: Van Gogh to Kandinsky: Symbolist Landcape in Europe 1880-1910 at the National Gallery of Scotland; Picasso and British Modern Art at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; and Catherine The Great: an Enlightened Empress at the National Museum of Scotland. The Picasso exhibition is also on at Tate Britain earlier in the year, running from February 15th to July 15th, 2012.
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New chief executive for Edinburgh Festival City Theatres Trust
posted January 5th, 2012. updated January 6th, 2012.
The Stage reports that Duncan Hendry has been appointed as the new chief executive for the Edinburgh Festival City Theatres Trust. Hendry, who currently has a similar role with Aberdeen Performing Arts, will take up his position at the beginning of April. Further information, including some background on the troubles that the Trust faces (previously covered here), appeared subsequently in The Scotsman.
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Festival marketing for 2012 to start early
posted January 2nd, 2012.
The Scotsman reports that Festivals Edinburgh, the umbrella body for the city's festivals, will head the biggest marketing campaign ever for the Edinburgh festival. It is estimated that around £550,000 will be spent in various promotional and advertising campaigns, as part of Edinburgh's attempts to compete with the London Olympics in 2012. The campaigns, which aim to woo both the media and punters, will get under way in the next few weeks, some two months earlier than usual. The City Council, VisitScotland and Creative Scotland have all contributed towards this campaign.
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Happy New Year
posted January 1st, 2012.
Happy New Year to all festival punters. A quick note on some changes here. I have completed my annual update of the festival history, summary of favourite shows over the years and other articles with any relevant data from 2011. I have also added some further material on the history of the Fringe which I have gleaned from Alistair Moffat's The Edinburgh Fringe which was published back in 1978, a copy of which I recently obtained. Finally, I have largely rewritten the article on potential threats to the festival, as the old version was somewhat past its sell by date.
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Edinburgh to host cultural summit in 2012
posted December 20th, 2011.
The Stage reports that Edinburgh is to host a cultural summit on August 13th and 14th 2012 during the Edinburgh International Festival. Ministers of Culture from all nations who are competing at the London Olympics have been invited. Titled "Culture as an International Dialogue" ministers, artists, thinkers and those who are charged with the development and implementation of cultural policy will discuss the use and value of culture and its role in encouraging dialogue among nations. The summit is being organised by the Scottish and UK governments, the EIF and the British Council.
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Alternative model for Fringe comedians?
posted December 17th, 2011.
Bob Slayer, owner of the Alternative Heroes of Comedy company, will be co-promoting the "Alternative Fringe at the Hive" with Free Festival outfit Laughing Horse in 2012. The venue will host some paid for shows alongside the standard Laughing Horse free shows. Comedians who are appearing on the paid for side will not be charged rent for the venue and ticket revenue will be split 70-30 in the artist's favour. In an article in Chortle, Slayer markets the idea of comedians being more independent, and not relying on venues and promoters. John Fleming outlines the approach in this blog.
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City leader says no to festival campsite at Meadows
posted December 16th, 2011.
One of the winning ideas from the recent Edinburgh Festival Ideas Challenge was to use the Meadows as a campsite in August during the festival. Council leader Jenny Dawe has been quick to scotch this idea. They are prepared to look at other possible sites although they will have to be outside the city centre. This news will come as no surprise to anybody who has monitored the complaints from local residents over the years about the damage caused to the Meadows by events that have been held there. It is boggy ground that is easily damaged.
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Concerns over future arts funding
posted December 10th, 2011.
There is apprehension over plans by Creative Scotland to scrap its Flexible Funding scheme in March 2013 according to The Herald. Beneficiaries of the £7m scheme include the Festival Fringe, Inverleith House and Edinburgh Printmakers. Fears are being fuelled by a lack of clear information on a replacement scheme, to be called Strategic Commissioning. Creative Scotland is facing cuts to its core grant from the Scottish Government.
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