2. Fringe
… was
founded in 1947. It is now recognised as one of the most important celebrations
of the arts in the world. The founders of the Festival believed that the
Festival programmes should be of the highest possible artistic standard
presented by the best artists in the world and that the Festival should enrich the cultural life of
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To promote and encourage arts of the highest possible standard
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To reflect international culture in presentation to Scottish audiences and to reflect Scottish culture in presentation to international audiences
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To bring together a programme of events in an innovative way that cannot easily be achieved by other organisations.
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To offer equal opportunity for all sections of the public to experience and enjoy the arts, and thus encourage participation through other organisations throughout the year
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To promote the educational, cultural and economic well-being of the City and people of
The Festival
brings to
43% of the
Festival's audience comes from Edinburgh and the Lothians,
18% from the rest of
Around the International Festival, a number of other
festivals have grown, the largest of which is the Fringe.
There is also the Military Tattoo, a Jazz Festival, Film
Festival and Book Festival. All of these are administered separately from the
International Festival. A recent survey showed that the festivals generate ₤122
million for the economy of
(The Edinburgh International Festival currently employs 27 permanent staff and 200 temporary staff during the Festival period.)
The two largest venues of the Edinburgh International Festival
(Usher Hall and The Edinburgh Playhouse)
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In 1947 eight
theatre groups turned up uninvited to the first Edinburgh International
Festival. The inn was full so they checked in at locations away from the big
public stages. The first Fringe had been born. There was no central box office,
no Fringe Programme, no advance publicity – the 'impostors' just arrived.
In 1951
Edinburgh University Students opened a 'drop-in centre' at
In 1958 The
Festival Fringe Society became organised. A constitution was drawn up, a
brochure with all non-festival shows published, tickets sold centrally, a club
set up and information given.
In 1971 The
first Fringe administrator, was employed. The first steps to a more
professional Fringe were being taken.
In 1972 The
highly regarded Fringe First award was set up.
The Fringe is still getting bigger. In 2005 over 1000 groups from 49 different countries performed 1,800 shows in 250 venues across the city.
Tattoo Finale, 2005
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The first Edinburgh Tattoo took place in 1950. There were eight items in the programme.
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The Tattoo has always been staged at
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The audience during the 3 weeks is about 200,000.
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The average number of participants (soldiers) is 800.
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The first overseas regiment to participate was the Band of the Royal Netherlands Grenadiers. The year was 1952, and there were also performers from
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The Tattoo is set up and run for charitable purposes. Over the years, it has gifted some £4 million to service and civilian organisations. At the last official count, visitors to the Tattoo contributed an estimated £72 million annually to the Scottish economy.
sources: