YOUR NEWS – Flocking to Edinburgh
As theatre (in England) is given the green light by the UK Government, Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe has announced that a whopping 460 shows are now selling tickets for this year’s event which runs from 6-30 August.
With more shows being announced weekly, tickets for over 460 registered shows have now been launched at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe – the world’s biggest arts festival.
As restrictions continue to ease in Scotland, and as venues adapt to these changes, additional tickets for previously announced shows are being made available at edfringe.com. This week, more tickets have been released for shows at a range of venues, from Summerhall to theSpaceUK.
Shows selling tickets cover a huge spectrum of the arts including Theatre, Comedy, Music, Cabaret and Variety, Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus, Musicals and Opera, Children’s Shows, Exhibitions and Events.
How this year’s Fringe will work: online, in-person and on-demand shows
This year’s Fringe will look a little different. In 2021, audiences will be able to access a wide range of amazing Fringe shows through socially distanced in-person events, scheduled online performances and on-demand digital shows. Tickets and information for all kinds of registered Fringe shows – live, online, paid and free – can be found at edfringe.com.
In-person shows: Registered live, in-person performances taking place at various outdoor and indoor venues must comply with City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Government covid-related regulations. As a result many Fringe venues are operating outdoors in 2021.
The Scottish Government has advised that regulations could lift on 9 August (though this is contingent on Covid levels and the continued vaccination roll out in Scotland and is subject to review).
Online shows: There will be two kinds of online events available this year: scheduled and on-demand.
With scheduled shows, audiences can buy tickets as they would to a traditional in-person event. Shows will have a dedicated start and end time and are treated as an ‘appointment to view’ event. For on-demand shows, audiences can buy tickets to watch at their leisure.
Fringe Player and other online platforms: Audiences can view Fringe shows via the brand-new Fringe Player. Available via edfringe.com, this bespoke digital platform offers audiences an exciting new way to engage with Fringe content.
The player will be accessible to audiences from 6 Aug, with captioning built in. Both on-demand and scheduled online shows are available on this platform.
Where other platforms (Zoom, YouTube, Vimeo) are being used to host online work, information on how to access these is clearly provided at the point of purchase.
Online shows will be available to watch from August but can also be pre-booked.
Tickets and programme: This year and in keeping with reducing contact during in-person interactions, all events will be e-ticketed and shows will be listed online, as there won’t be a printed programme this year. Audiences will be able to attend shows without using paper tickets. More information on ticketing can be found at edfringe.com.
Access at the Fringe
This has been a challenging year, and a lot has changed about the way live entertainment is presented. But our commitment to making the Fringe accessible will always be a priority.
The Fringe Society provides free a personal assistant ticket for anyone who needs it. You can register for this by emailing accessbookings@edfringe.com. We will also provide a bespoke access bookings service on the phone or in-person by appointment.
This year, we are also continuing our sensory backpack scheme for autistic people, to help make the Fringe experience as enjoyable as possible. Each bag includes a fidget spinner, earplugs, water bottle, stress reliever and a social story. These items are designed to help users relax and overcome stressful or intense situations. This year, to keep things as safe as possible, we are sending the bags out to key partner organisations who will distribute them to their users.
Show announcements still to come
The landscape for live events has been incredibly uncertain for the last few months. The Fringe is nothing if not creative and adaptive, and even when faced with massively reduced timescales, Fringe artists and operators are still getting ready to announce new and innovative work.
As we all keep working to put on the best Fringe we can, we’re excited to see more shows being announced over the next five weeks. Keep an eye on edfringe.com for more.
Sponsors and supporters
As a charity, the work of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society would not be possible without the valuable support of our partners, sponsors and funders. We are delighted to be working with Johnnie Walker for the third year running as our official whisky partner.
We are excited to be partnering with the newly opened St James Quarter and Crowdfunder through our FringeMakers fundraising platform, supporting Fringe artists and venues with vital fundraising efforts. This will be launched in the coming weeks. We would like to thank Lothian Buses for their continued support of our Fringe Days Out programme.
We’re thrilled to welcome Edinburgh Gin on board as a partner in 2021 and look forward to working with them.
We are grateful for funding through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government – through Creative Scotland – the City of Edinburgh Council and Festivals Edinburgh; Scottish Government for Made in Scotland through the Festivals Expo Fund -managed through Creative Scotland – and the continued support of the City of Edinburgh Council. Thanks also to Scottish Government for funds from their Get into Summer campaign.
We are grateful for funding from the Pivotal Event Business Fund, the SCVO Adapt and Thrive programme, and the UK Government to enhance our digital capabilities.
Our thanks also to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Pump House Trust and the Turtleton Charitable Trust.
Our thanks also to our Fringe Angels, Patrons, Friends and supporters whose passion and generosity made a real difference this year.
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