Edinburgh Festival, 10-30 August, 1997

The World's Largest Arts Festival?

More than half a million people planned their August holidays last year around a trip to Edinburgh. This year organisers of the 'world's largest arts festival' are expecting even more.

What is commonly seen as the singular 'Festival' is in reality six different events including the original, eponymous Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, the Military Tattoo , a Jazz Festival, Film Festival and Book Festival. Held over three weeks in late summer, the annual event spills out into every major - and not so major - theatre and concert space (including pubs, restaurants and plots of grass) in the city.

The annual event, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, aims to bring together an international mix of cultural events for all while also promoting the Scottish arts and culture to international visitors. This is important as 20% of visitors are from overseas and 30% from areas in the UK outside Scotland.

The event has also proved vital for the local economy. Altogether , the six festivals generate £122m each year and sustain over 4,000 jobs in Scotland.

The most popular component of the six-headed event, the Festival Fringe, began by accident. In 1947, the first International Festival, attracted more performers than planned for. Eight theatre groups, who showed up uninvited, would not be deterred by lack of support or venue. They performed on the streets and on make-shift stages around the official sites and earned a reputation amongst press and audiences alike.

In 1955, the number of non-approved and supported groups had grown and, in order to co-ordinate their efforts, formed The Festival Fringe Society. Today, the Fringe, an eclectic mix of independent bodies, is by far the largest and most well-attended aspect of the three weeks. This year it comprises more than 10,000 performers in 1,278 shows (or an estimated 14,297 performances!)- from music to theatre, opera, dance, visual art, discussions and children's events.

Festival Highlights

Additional Resources

For more information and a full programme of events, check out the following related sites: