Scotland, home of the ‘cultural cringe’, has done something amazing – leader comment

The Lonely Planet’s decision to put Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the top of a list of 500 ‘must-do’ experiences in the UK comes as no surprise.

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Scotland has done something utterly, Earth-shatteringly, amazing.

In a country that is prone to the idea it is somehow inferior to others – the infamous Scottish ‘cultural cringe’ – we have nonetheless gradually created the world’s biggest arts festival, a joyous event that includes everything from avant-garde, cutting-edge drama to comedy superstars to, let’s face it, rather hopeless amateur dramatics (important to note that sometimes, it’s the am-dram that sticks in the memory).

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So it is no surprise to learn that the Lonely Planet travel guide has given the Edinburgh Festival Fringe top spot in a list of 500 must-do experiences in the UK.

There is something for everyone, well perhaps almost everyone, and few other places in the world are as vibrant as Edinburgh in August.

The influx of visitors can cause problems for people trying to go about their everyday lives, but it would be a mistake to deal with these by diminishing the festival.

We clearly need to get better at managing its growing pains, but we should remember this is a globally significant event Scotland can and should be proud of.