Upon arrival at Waverley Station in Edinburgh I find myself immediately in the hustle and bustle, the only chance I have is to go with the flow and follow the crowd. See where it takes me. The typical Scottish weather seems to be foregoing the city of Edinburgh on this beautiful Saturday and under this unbelievably blue sky, the Old Town looks like Disneyland to me. I end up in Lawn Market and find myself surrounded by street musicians, painters, performance artists, comedians and their audience.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to Fringe! Every year during the whole month of August , the Scottish city goes wild and crazy. Since 1947 the Fringe Festival has grown to the biggest Art Festival in the world! Over the years, a lot of offsets sprang up like mushrooms out of the ground, but just like Woodstock, there is only one real Fringe!
Countless venues all over the whole city are hosting over 2000 shows and events of everything the art-lover desires: plays, concerts, exhibitions, stand-up, dance… From student plays to TV celebrity shows or clowns in the street – there is alittle bit for everyone and every price range and even without entering one of the venues, you are guaranteed to be having an amazing time in the streets of Edinburgh this month. There is a lot to discover and the one who wanders off the beaten track is likely to discover as much (or even more…) as the one who rushes from one big venue to the next.
Granted, finding a place to stay through the whole month of August is complicated, if not to say terribly expensive. I decided to save on the money and stayed in Glasgow to go to Edinburgh by train, which only takes an hour through the beautiful Scottish countryside. And as an exciting day in Edinburgh comes to an end, I’m quiet happy to leave the busy streets and find some peace on the train to watch Disneyland slowly vanish in the distance…
