The Edinburgh International Festival takes place in and around the Royal Mile and its programme includes classical music, theatre, opera and dance, which takes place over a three-week period in the late summer each year. The Festival began in 1947, with the aim of providing 'a platform for the flowering of the human spirit', but from its outset it also inspired shows outside of the official Festival programme, which soon grew into the famous Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The main difference between the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is that artists and companies participating in the Festival appear at the invitation of the Festival Director, while the Fringe Festival has no selection process - anyone can present any type of performing arts they like and pay a fee to the Fringe for services such as box office and inclusion in the brochure.
The Fringe also began in 1947, when the Edinburgh International Festival was launched. Aware that there would be a good crowd and press interest, six Scottish companies and two English decided to turn up uninvited. Thus the Fringe was born, and is possibly even more famous and definitely better patronised than its parent.
The programme is wide and varied and it has been the launching platform for many famous careers especially in the field of comedy. At the 2007 Fringe, theatre made up 31% of the programme followed closely by comedy with 30.5%. Music was next with 17%, children’s shows comprised 5.5% while musicals and opera totaled 5%. Dance and physical theatre made up 4.5%, Exhibitions 3.5% and Other Events 3%.
The Fringe has a 75% market share of all attendance at Edinburgh’s year-round festivals and annually generates around £75 million for the Edinburgh and Scottish economy - yet 304 shows at the Fringe were absolutely free!
The main difference between the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is that artists and companies participating in the Festival appear at the invitation of the Festival Director, while the Fringe Festival has no selection process - anyone can present any type of performing arts they like and pay a fee to the Fringe for services such as box office and inclusion in the brochure.
The Fringe also began in 1947, when the Edinburgh International Festival was launched. Aware that there would be a good crowd and press interest, six Scottish companies and two English decided to turn up uninvited. Thus the Fringe was born, and is possibly even more famous and definitely better patronised than its parent.
The programme is wide and varied and it has been the launching platform for many famous careers especially in the field of comedy. At the 2007 Fringe, theatre made up 31% of the programme followed closely by comedy with 30.5%. Music was next with 17%, children’s shows comprised 5.5% while musicals and opera totaled 5%. Dance and physical theatre made up 4.5%, Exhibitions 3.5% and Other Events 3%.
The Fringe has a 75% market share of all attendance at Edinburgh’s year-round festivals and annually generates around £75 million for the Edinburgh and Scottish economy - yet 304 shows at the Fringe were absolutely free!