Dear Diary,

Once a year, the city of Edinburgh is taken over for three weeks.

It kind of turns into a mad house.

Streets get crowded.

The inner city seems to burst any minute.

Hospitality operators are having the time of their life.

It’s loved by tourists.

Acting like a super power magnet that is luring in people from around the world. And they come in masses. Like lemmings.

It’s hated by locals.

To some extend, especially for those living in the centre. … hence why I moved away.

So what is it that attracts worldwide attention?

I’m talking about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that takes place every August. 

Summer City Vibes

It’s something you have to experience at least once in your life.

For me it’s a curse and a blessing.

I like the buzz. The atmosphere is indeed something special. There’s a lot to do and see in the city.

Though, I do get annoyed as well.

It’s really hard to navigate through the inner city. It becomes an obstacle course, where you try to avoid any human collision whenever possible.

Right. Still haven’t told you what the Fringe is all about. Bear with me.

The Festival 

The Fringe’s humble beginnings started in 1947.

Today it is the world’s largest performing arts festival with more than 190 shows lined up in 2023.

Last year the 3 million! visitor record got broken for the first time.

As a comparison - Edinburgh has a population of 554,000 …

The best bit, a lot of the events are actually free. 

They take place on the streets or in basement bars and pubs on tiny stages (not as dodgy as it sounds).

Of course, there are paid shows as well. Those are the big ones. From comedy to theatre, musical to circus and dance, and more.

Rising Stars

The fringe offers newcomers a stage to perform and rise in front of a crowd. Often for the first time and some even become famous.

Rowan Atkinson, Miranda Hart and Graham Norton are only a handful of well-known personalities whose career has kicked off after a Fringe performance. 

There is this saying - if you can make it at the Fringe, you can make it everywhere.

One thing is for sure, the festival definitely has something to offer for everyone.