Hey there, it’s Backstage, your theatre director!

**Today’s Topic**

Today's theme is "Theatre Festivals."

And why, you ask? Well, it's because the Edinburgh Festival is happening right now, and it reminded me of the time I stayed there for about three weeks. So, I thought I'd share some memories from that experience!

**Main Content**

To cut to the conclusion:

If you want a trip full of sightseeing and theatre, Edinburgh is the place!

Do you have any places you want to visit before you die? For me, ever since I got into theatre, one place has always fascinated me—the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is one of the world's largest theatre festivals, held annually in Edinburgh, Scotland, every August. As the name “Fringe” suggests, it represents the "outer edges" of the official festival, where unconventional and avant-garde performances take center stage.

### So, what’s the Edinburgh Fringe?

The Fringe is an open-access festival, which means anyone can participate. There’s no selection process, so artists and theatre companies from around the world bring their works to showcase. The result? A massive variety of performances where you can see fresh, experimental pieces you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

### The Origins and History

The Edinburgh Fringe started back in 1947. After World War II, the official Edinburgh International Festival was launched to bring together renowned artists from across Europe. But, not everyone could participate in the main festival, so some artists decided to perform independently in Edinburgh, thus creating the "Fringe."

Since then, the Fringe has grown year by year and become a massive celebration of artistic freedom. Today, thousands of performances flood the streets and venues of Edinburgh, turning the entire city into one big stage.

When I visited, it was over five years ago, and I stayed for three weeks—almost the entire festival! I soaked in everything from the very beginning to the end. Let me break it down a bit for you:

- **Accommodation: Airbnb**
I rented a nice little apartment in central Edinburgh with a kitchen, which let me focus on seeing as many shows as possible while cooking my own meals to save on costs.
- **Tickets: Mostly Online**
After deciding to go, the next challenge was buying tickets. Thankfully, nearly all of them were available online. Even though anyone can participate in the festival, the ticketing system was super smooth and well-organized.
- **Finding the Best Shows**
This was all about reviews and word-of-mouth. Despite being an open festival, you’d still find famous theatre companies performing there, often with a reputation from other cities like New York. So, I'd follow the buzz around town.

One performance that really stuck with me was a piece called *Are we not drawn onward to new erA*. The first half of the performance didn’t make much sense—it was in a weird language, the movements were bizarre, and at one point, they completely destroyed a tree on stage, ripping off every leaf. It was uncomfortable. But then, in the second half, they lowered a screen and started playing back everything in reverse. Suddenly, all the strange actions made sense, and the destruction turned into restoration. It was a brilliant concept, showing the duality of destruction and regeneration while reminding us that, in reality, we can’t just hit rewind.

- **Fringe is fantastic, but so is Edinburgh!**
One challenge for first-time visitors is balancing the festival with sightseeing. Edinburgh itself is an incredible, historic city, with must-see spots like Edinburgh Castle, Glasgow, and the famous Loch Ness (home of the legendary Nessie). Juggling theatre and sightseeing can be exhausting, but totally worth it.

In short, if you love theatre and travel, the Edinburgh Fringe is a dream come true. I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t experienced it yet.

Honestly, now that I’m reminiscing, I want to go back... Maybe just for a day trip?

**Conclusion**

In conclusion:

For a perfect mix of theatre and sightseeing, Edinburgh is unbeatable!

That’s all for today! If you enjoyed this episode or related to any of it, feel free to leave a comment or give me a follow!

This was Backstage, signing off! Thanks, everyone!