The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (5th to 29th August 2011)
In 1947 the organizers of the Edinburgh International Festival planted a seed in Edinburgh that grew into something artistically ground breaking and unique – The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The overwhelming spirit of the Fringe captured the hearts of Edinburgh’s people and this infectious buzz spread throughout the world. Indeed there are now over 40 Fringes worldwide.
Each August, Edinburgh’s population doubles in size and the city swells to accommodate more than 21,000 performers and around 850,000 arts enthusiasts.
Complete with an audience eager to be impressed, the potential reward for performers in Edinburgh is massive. Everyone wants to play his or her part: street artists, dancers, poets, playwrights, comedians and musicians all make the necessary pilgrimage to this performer paradise.
Amongst the bold, brave and ambitious have been: Emma Thompson, Jude Law, Graham Norton, Johnny Vegas, Robin Williams, Eddie Izzard and Billy Connolly. The Fringe has become every worthwhile performer’s benchmark. If you can succeed at the Fringe you can succeed anywhere. That belief remains today.
In 2010 there were approximately 40,254 performances of 2,453 shows in 259 venues. The performances don’t end there. From the 5th – 29th August, the Royal Mile is converted into one massive Street Stage hosting
every type of Fringe performance. Street artists doing everything from tightrope walking, juggling and fire eating enrapture the ever-present crowds.
Several established venues across the city during the 2010 Fringe marked an anniversary. Gilded Balloon celebrated 25 years on the Fringe with Karen Koren collecting the Jack Tinker Spirit of the Fringe award and hosting 3 anniversary shows boasting world famous comedians from the venue’s life on the Fringe.
Assembly celebrated 30 years on the Fringe and hosted a cabaret programme at their new venue in Princes St Gardens. Bedlam Theatre also celebrated 30 years on the Fringe with a programme including Fringe First Winning Another Someone (Rash Dash). Zoo Venues saw their 10th birthday in with award winning shows including Herald Angel and Stage Awards winning Operation Greenfield (Little Bulb Theatre) and the triple award winning Bound (Bear Trap Theatre Company).
Venues ReMarkable Arts at Hill Street and The Jazz Bar both won Herald Angel Little Devils for showing tenacity and ensuring the show must go on in adverse circumstances.
Free comedy gained its first Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee with Imran Yusuf’s (Laughing Horse @ Espionage) newcomer nomination and the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Award was awarded to three-time nominee Russell Kane: 
Smokescreens and Castles (Pleasance). David Bates returned with the Famous Spiegeltent and was awarded a Total Theatre Award for making a significant contribution to the Fringe.
Further famous names which performed at the 2010 Fringe include Clarke Peters, Gyles Brandreth, Carol Ann Duffy, Abi Titmuss, Simon Callow, Caroline Rhea, Jennifer Coolidge, Arj Barker, Paul Merton and a returning contingent from BBC Radio including Scott Mills from Radio 1 and Richard Bacon from 5 Live and Radio 4 Comedy live from the Royal Mile.
The 2011 Festival Fringe programme will launch on 9th June 2011, with the box office opening the following day. The programme itself is free of charge and can be pre-ordered through the Festival Fringe website – www.edfringe.com.
Alternatively, it will be available to pick up at the High Street office, located on the Royal Mile, after its launch.
The High Street office is open daily from midday – 9pm throughout the Festival Fringe and is an ideal location for ordering tickets, meeting fellow festival goers and indulging in the unique atmosphere only experienced at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
www.edfringe.com