The Edinburgh festival Fringe returns this weekend with a hybrid programme of nearly 800 in-person and online shows after its cancellation last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Fringe makes up part of the world’s largest annual arts season, alongside the Edinburgh international festival and the book and film festivals, which open later this month, and all have been forced to significantly curtail this August’s events for the second year running. One of the most famous, the military tattoo staged at Edinburgh castle, has again been cancelled.
Earlier this summer, the Guardian reported that the Edinburgh festivals have been offered millions of pounds in emergency funding in the face of widespread fears they may never fully recover from the severe impacts of the pandemic.
As Scotland plans to remove most legal Covid restrictions from Monday, including the requirement for social distancing, Shona McCarthy, the chief executive of the Edinburgh festival Fringe Society, described the return as “nothing short of extraordinary”.
“In the face of complex restrictions and enormous challenges, the Fringe community has created a diverse and engaging programme of over 700 shows to entertain us, bring us joy, and ultimately do what culture does best: tell stories that help us understand where we are, what we’ve been through, and where we need to go.”
The programme will run until 30 August, and features work from the worlds of theatre, dance, circus, comedy, music, musicals and opera, cabaret and variety, children’s shows, and spoken word, all delivered in strict accordance with Scottish government Covid-19 guidance. This year’s Fringe also features a scaled-back programme of street events in managed locations.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the president of the Edinburgh festival Fringe Society, described the programme as offering “a giant cultural sprinkler after a year of drought”.
She said: “In an act of pure artistic heroism, the Fringe Society and thousands of artists, writers, dancers, actors, designers, comedians, musicians and creatives have fought to bring this festival back to the streets of glorious, glittering Edinburgh. We have a lot of time to make up for and this festival is more than ready for you.”
As well as the Fringe, the Edinburgh international festival also opens this weekend, with the Edinburgh Art festival already open.
The Edinburgh international book festival will open in a new venue on 14 August, and the Edinburgh International film festival will welcome audiences from 18 August.
