I was lucky to spend a week in Scotland this August and attend the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time. It’s the largest arts festival in the world, featuring all types of music, theatre, comedy, dance and other exhibits.
This year they sold 1,859,235 tickets for 2,098 shows in 265 venues with an estimated 18,901 performers. You can’t seem to go anywhere in Edinburgh and not find the Fringe. If you aren’t seeing a show at an official venue, you are probably watching a street performance or enjoying live music in the park. I even was told one of the shows takes place in a taxi – very unique?
Not only do people come from all over the world to attend the Fringe, but so do the performers. I actually seemed to run into more people from everywhere but Edinburgh. I value the idea of bringing different types of people together through the arts so this was especially cool to see. According to their website, the Fringe is an open arts festival, which means that anyone can perform without any constraints from the Festival Fringe Society.
Besides taking in the Fringe I also explored more of Edinburgh and took a trip to see the Highlands and Loch Ness (no monster sightings). This was my first time in the UK and Scotland made a memorable first impression.
cc license, peterprice
I found it surprising that I had never heard of the Fringe before this year. It made me wonder if there are other great festivals and events taking place all over the world I don’t know about yet. This trip forced me to recognize how much I have left to see. It also made me want to do my ‘homework’ to figure out where I can go next.
When a city is flooded with tourists for an event it might be harder to get a clear representation of that place. At the same time, I can’t help but love how alive it makes a city feel!
Do you have a favorite festival that is definitely worth the trip?
Hannah DeMilta is a senior at Otterbein College studying Public Relations with a minor in Deaf Culture and Language (ASL). She has studied abroad in Australia and loves traveling whenever possible. She has held several internships in the PR & communications field and hopes to work in the non-profit sector one day. She also loves speaking with students interested in studying abroad, so please feel free to start a conversation: http://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahdemilta
Photo Credit on Homepage: CC License, riggott