On The Festival.
Aug. 19th, 2013 11:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
danieldwilliamI’ve been asked a few times in the last week how I, as a citizen of Edinburgh, find the Festival.
The conventional wisdom seems to be that Edinburghers are oppressed by the Festival and largely ignore it.
I really like it and I’m right in the firing line. I work on the Royal Mile and my son’s nursery is also on the Royal Mile. I live on the Meadows which hosts several Fringe venues. The are has lots of student flats which get rented out during the Festival so there are lots of late night comings and goings. During August I pretty much live my life in the middle of the Festival. I still like it.
Sure, getting from one place to another in the middle of town can be difficult. Getting something to eat or drink can also be challenging. I treat this as a game. Can my accumulated local knowledge defeat the hordes of visitors and revellers? Usually.
The world’s largest arts festival comes to my town once a year and parks itself, almost literally, on my doorstep. What’s not to like? The economic activity keeps bars, restaurants, theatres, community halls and public spaces that I use during the rest of the year solvent. I get to see world class artists perform. Some of them for free. Hell, if they are lucky I can bump into them a bar. There are nightly fireworks.
Having a huge audience in town helps my drama club put on two shows over the summer.
I go. I go and see things. Fewer in recent years since the Captain arrived but I go. I pick a few things I know I’ll like. I take a punt on something. I get in to conversation with people in queues or when they are flyering me. Some of the most interesting things I’ve seen have been as a result of talking to the people flyering me. There are some performers I go and see every year. My mate M will come down for a long weekend and drag me off to see stand up and drink at unsuitable hours in less suitable place.
It’s great and I love it.
The conventional wisdom seems to be that Edinburghers are oppressed by the Festival and largely ignore it.
I really like it and I’m right in the firing line. I work on the Royal Mile and my son’s nursery is also on the Royal Mile. I live on the Meadows which hosts several Fringe venues. The are has lots of student flats which get rented out during the Festival so there are lots of late night comings and goings. During August I pretty much live my life in the middle of the Festival. I still like it.
Sure, getting from one place to another in the middle of town can be difficult. Getting something to eat or drink can also be challenging. I treat this as a game. Can my accumulated local knowledge defeat the hordes of visitors and revellers? Usually.
The world’s largest arts festival comes to my town once a year and parks itself, almost literally, on my doorstep. What’s not to like? The economic activity keeps bars, restaurants, theatres, community halls and public spaces that I use during the rest of the year solvent. I get to see world class artists perform. Some of them for free. Hell, if they are lucky I can bump into them a bar. There are nightly fireworks.
Having a huge audience in town helps my drama club put on two shows over the summer.
I go. I go and see things. Fewer in recent years since the Captain arrived but I go. I pick a few things I know I’ll like. I take a punt on something. I get in to conversation with people in queues or when they are flyering me. Some of the most interesting things I’ve seen have been as a result of talking to the people flyering me. There are some performers I go and see every year. My mate M will come down for a long weekend and drag me off to see stand up and drink at unsuitable hours in less suitable place.
It’s great and I love it.
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no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 12:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 01:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-19 01:19 pm (UTC)I recall a few years after the Fringe brought in a book online function they released the results of some basic analysis that they had done that showed that about 50% of tickets were for delivery to an Edinburgh post code.
To be honest unless you live or work on the Royal Mile or George Street or have to travel along those streets to where you are going I don’t think it is that much of an inconvenience. Unless you want a venue for something in which case be prepared to book really early and pay lots.
Theatre rental doubles, maybe quadruples during the Festival, even if you have friends.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-21 12:09 pm (UTC)I don't really engage with the Book Festival.
My antipathy with the Fringe stems from the hordes of Fringe-goers getting in my way, stopping me getting to the bar, booking out the places I want to eat. And the blanket coverage that the BBC gives the Fringe.
This annoys me because it is as if the rest of the year Edinburgh doesn't exist. (Apart from Holyrood.)
I think the Fringe exemplifies what is wrong with London, really. It is full of people from London performing to people from London seeing lots of people from London they can see any time. But probably don't. It just seems so self-congratulatory.
On the other hand, I completely agree that Edinburgh, particularly the pubs and restaurants I like, do very well out of the Fringe, and I am pleased for them. And I do enjoy the vibrancy
I am rather looking forward to the Fringe finishing so that I can enjoy the last week of the Festival in relative peace.
And lamenting the barren cultural landscape that envelops Edinburgh in September and October.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-22 10:24 am (UTC)There is definitely an issue for local projects they tend to get swamped by the Fringe and either priced out of venues or starved of audience. MLW’s choir stopped doing Festival concerts a few years ago. My drama group can only manage because they are getting mate’s rates on a venue and can run two shows in the time slot.