Edinburgh festivals August!

I am looking forward to another great Edinburgh festival  and Fringe - and all the variety, colour, creativity, fun, (comedy, dance, theatre, music, books, more) and inspiration it brings! The weird and wonderful and the celebration of all the arts and culture.

Main venues – The Pleasance, Traverse, Gilded Balloon, Assembly Rooms, 

Each August I visit Edinburgh festival and I’m always amazed how my hometown is both strange and familiar to me. While most of my time is at the EIBF (edinburgh International book festival), I like to make excursions down the Royal mile and to venture through the packed crowds and savour the vibrant atmosphere of the many players performing the great variety of shows to be found here.

It is weird and wonderful, escapist and real, extreme, frivolous and serene.

I enjoy to venture off the main routes and I eat at least once at Bilbos on the corner of Chambers street.

I try to make a time out to shill, to regroup, recharge and re-collect.  And everything in-between.

I take the walk from the Gilded Balloon near the university, down along Forrest Road past the folk bar Sandy Bells, along the Bridges and the national library and then down the busy Mound, on along George street past the statues of Hanoverian kings – and eventually to the reflective hub for those who enjoy books at EIBF.  I also make time for a couple of ART exhibitions and several shows.

I grew up here and never realised how BIG the festival was worldwide! Some favourite photos from Edinburghfestival 2015! TICKETS available at - https://www.edfringe.com

Edinburgh Fringe festival 2015

Last year Robin Williams died during the start of EF. Williams suffered  from severe depression and he committed suicide. He was one of the most respected actors and it was felt as a sad loss. This year at EF themes of depressions were explored by several shows. I have read that isolation in today's society leads to depressions also.

**I am on the train, it’s August again and I’m off to Edinburgh festival. Another year gone. It’s been hectic.  It is a balmy hot day which is good – perhaps we’ll have a late summer? There’s a beautiful still fluffy blue reflection on the lake as we head over. I browse through the festival literature.

EIF is such a carnival of the extremes – from the sublime to the ridiculous, the daring to the intellectual; great thinkers to the clowns. It provides a platform for new creatives; brings together the great and the good and encourages collaborations.

Does it all matter? What does culture and the arts mean for societies? A great big fat and resonating yes.

At EIBF; Edinburgh International book festival 2015

‘Around the world’ brochure and Trading Stories. ‘We would be a much poorer culture had those wayfarers not persisted in gazing beyond the next horizon.’

The centre for the festival action is the Royal mile that leads from the Edinburgh castle to Holyrood (crag and tail volcanic formation). Here you can see performers from many of the fringe shows. It can be quite manic!! Mind you if you enjoy crowds it is great fun. Take change to give the performers something for their efforts. This year I saw some rather gay Australians in Mohawk headdresses; a South African high school choir; Korean dancers; more.... I have only a limited time on the high street. 

Edinburgh festival 2015!

The Edinburgh Fringe and the official Edinburgh International festival have started now in August and I look forward to going over for my yearly visit soon - to enjoy the fun buzz and entertainment of the high street, the shows, exhibitions and much much more…

I grew up in with Edinburgh festival and looked on it as a normal event – with no idea until I was older that it was such a massive festival attracting visitors worldwide.

The mix of shows, the arts festival and mostly the Edinburgh International book festival - which hosts the many respected writers; novelists, poets, journalists, comedians, musicians, illustrators and children’s authors and more. Edinburgh festival will be as big and bold as ever! Edinburgh is my hometown so I always enjoy visiting its cobbled streets and strong sense of its historic and cultural past. 

The festival is brilliant, sassy, innovative, creative, all encompassing, extreme, highly visual - from the highest quality choral evening, the silliest fringe show, the thrill of scary acrobatics, informed talks, the daftest comedy to the beauty of singing or dance. Check out reviews Scotsman.  

https://www.edfringe.com

Scottish Festivals ...

Scottish Festivals ...

Seek to engage, challenge, entertain and to ensure quality of standard, musicianship, writing, diversity, colour and more.

*East Neuk classical music festival 10th Edition – 27^th June – 6^th July   

Situated in intimate venues on the coastal villages of Fife, with German pianist Christian Zacharias and with trios, sopranos and chamber groups. This year will celebrate the 19th century Viennese composer Franz Schubert.  http://www.eastneukfestival.com/

 

*Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival – 18^th – 27^th July

This year with Van Morrison and Jool Holland, as well as renowned jazz artists from across the world.  Edinburgh Jazz Festival was set up in 1978 by banjo-player and guitarist, Mike Hart. Mike's initial focus was on traditional jazz and a host of events taking place for free admission in pubs. There is a Princes Street parade, The Mardi Gras in the Grassmarket and Jazz On A Summers Day in Princes Street Gardens which are free events. Regular visitors are Buddy Tate, Warren Vache, The Black Eagles Jazz Band and the Hot Antic Jazz Band. The Festival's artistic policy has been to concentrate on musical excellence (rather than the "star system") and to champion spontaneous creativity: music making on the spot in Edinburgh. These have been developed with the production of a wide range of new music, the establishment of the Edinburgh Jazz Festival Orchestra, and an on-going commitment to supporting Scottish musicians to realise creative ideas, and to link with international musicians.  http://www.edinburghjazzfestival.com/

*Edinburgh International Festival- August 2014

The Big One! The oldest arts festival.

Edinburgh buzzes for the month of August when some locals leave and others enjoy watching for the good reviews and for the next big shows.

For the visitor it is worth walking around (faster often than by bus) from the Under Belly beside George Square and the university, down past to the Royal mile where there are many shows on display (very busy at the weekends) – then down the mound worth it for the spectacular vista from Edinburgh’s castle and gardens and on past the Art galleries (where there are often packed crowds for the fire eating street performers and jugglers). Take a left turn down Princes Street and into parallel George Street and before long you see the white tents of Edinburgh’s book festival where many world famous authors descend for the two middle weeks and by contrast offers a place for reflection and more considered entertainment. .

Flyers, colour and spectacle are everywhere on the streets in a vast celebration. As the festival offers every type of arts, I find it interesting to see the crossovers between the arts. To find music such as Nile Rogers who gave a highly interesting and spontaneous talk at the book festival, with dance exploring new mediums and expression through mime, visuals and illusion such as the show Leo.

Edinburgh Fringe. 1 – 25 August. There is everything to sample here with over around 3,000 shows.

The Fringe developed from the main festival, particularly expanding into comedy, such as Cambridge footlights where many well known comedians first got their big break. Nearly any available space is used over the city.  https://www.edfringe.com/

Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) 9 – 25 August. The world’s largest book festival began in 1983 and is held at Charlotte Square, Edinburgh’s westend, with children’s events and a wide diversity of novelists, journalists, economists, scientists, poets, musicians, historians, and politicians. The festival includes debates and evening Unbound shows.  https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/

Edinburgh International Art Festival, 31 July – 31 August. http://edinburghartfestival.com/

Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) 8 – 21 August.  The main event and the world’s oldest festival. It focuses on the high brow and world class theatre, opera, dance and music. The festival is all embracing. 
http://www.eif.co.uk/ 

Edinburgh Festival Photos

 LEO performed by Tobias Wegner, directed by Daniel Briere won Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award

Neil Gaiman Edinburgh International Book Festival 2011

Mark Beaumont