What is the world’s largest arts festival?
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe l is the world’s largest arts festival spanning 3 weeks in summer with over 2,500 international shows from 60 nations in 258 venues.
The three-week Fringe Festival of performing arts dates back to 1947 .when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival which was set up ater World War II to celebrate European cultural life.
The artists of the first Fringe were not part of the official programme of the International Festival, however this didn’t stop these performers, they just went ahead and staged their shows on the fringe of the Festival anyway. Their spontaneous action coined the phrase and the name, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
This spontaneous artistic movement spurred millions to flock to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe annually to produce, and to enjoy art of every genre. The number of performers grew fast and in 1958 the 1958 the Festival Fringe Society was created in response to the success of this growing trend. The Festival Fringe Society proceeded to formalize the festival, provided information to artists, published the Fringe programme and created a central box office and in the process established the world’s largest arts festival.
In sticking to the ethos of the pioneer artist of 1947, the constitution of the Society was written so that the Society was to take no part in vetting the festival’s programme.
To this day, this policy is intact and anyone with a story to tell and a willing venue will be included in the programme.
Edinburgh Fringe had its 75th Birthday this year and to to celebrate they collected #edfringe artists’ and audiences’ stories from years gone by, like this one from Sandra Marshall
Edinburgh is famous for its festivals and you should definitely plan to attend one when visiting the Scottish capital.
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