The Fringe Society team is pleased with the encouraging level of support by artists for the new spaces announced about the extension of the traditional Street Events programme to new sites across the city centre.
Scheduled daily from 11:00 – 18:00, (except 11-16 Aug in St Andrew Square) the new stages will bring a taster of the Fringe to the New Town, with performers from 170 shows participating in 650 performances across both stages.
Across the genres, there will be something for everyone visiting the spaces this August. In St Andrew Square the TikTok team will be in residence and will live stream on various dates throughout August while St James Quarter’s Cathedral Square Taster Stage in will be the first event to take place in this new space.
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh said “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Fringe Society and St James Quarter to bring free Fringe activity to St Andrew Square Garden and Cathedral Square. I encourage everyone to stop by and get a real feel for the fantastic artists and shows on offer. With the addition of the free Fringe stages, there is now significant Fringe presence throughout the New Town, complementing the traditional Old Town offering and ensuring we have a thriving and vibrant area during August, welcoming residents and visitors to our wonderful city centre.”
Audiences are encouraged to make repeat visits to the two stages, with performers changing throughout the day. The tasters have been designed to allow visitors to the area the opportunity to get to know work by the artists, before booking a ticket to see their full show.
Shona McCarthy, CEO at The Edinburgh Fringe Society said “This summer we’re delighted to be able to expand the Street Events programme to these new spaces in the New Town. It’s been fantastic to see the volume of artists who have engaged with these opportunities and we encourage anyone visiting these areas to stop by to get a taste of the Fringe Festival. We are grateful to our sponsors and partners in supporting our expansion of Street Events and look forward to watching performance in both the live experience, and digitally on TikTok.”
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 