Edinburgh Festival Fringe organisers push back deadline for shows until summer under 2021 recovery plan

Organisers of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have pushed back deadlines for taking part in the event by several months as part of their efforts to stage a revival this year.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe was called off the first time in its history in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.The Edinburgh Festival Fringe was called off the first time in its history in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe was called off the first time in its history in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Venues, promoters and producers will be allowed to book in shows just a few weeks before the festival is staged in August – if the Scottish Government given the green light for live events to return this summer.

However the Fringe Society is not expected to open up bookings until the spring.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Venue operators, who are not expected to make key decisions on their plans until April or May, say they need clear guidance on what scale of shows or audience sizes are likely to be allowed if the Fringe is told it can go ahead in reduced form.

The society, which has pledged to operate a “flexible box office and ticketing website” this year, said it was planning ahead for several different scenarios for August and wanted “to give participants and audiences as much flexibility as possible.”

The Fringe, which is planned to be staged from 6-30 August, has revealed its first plans for a reboot this year as it announced that it had begun the hunt for a new figurehead for the event.

Professor Sir Tim O’Shea, chair of its board since 2012, had been due to step down last August but agreed stay on last spring while the Fringe Society battled to stay financially afloat in the wake of the cancellation of the 2020 event.

The recruitment advert for the said the both the Fringe Society and the festival had a “steep recovery challenge ahead,” adding that the new chair will be tasked with ensuring a strategy is in place to “the maintain the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s pre-eminent position in the world.”

It states: “The global pandemic has had a significant impact on the Fringe, the Society and the wider culture and events sector. It is also likely to have a bearing on the strategic direction of the organisation going forward.”

In the announcement about its recovery plans, the society insists it will be prioritising public health in its 2021 planning, but says it is “hoping” live performances would be able to return, adding: “Our part in human recovery will be more important than ever.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Insiders say the plans will allow venues to put their programmes together as late as the summer if restrictions are not eased until then.

A spokeswoman said: “It’s still too early to say exactly what the festival will look like at this stage, and with the situation changing around us so rapidly, it wouldn’t be sensible or fair for us to speculate.

The Splash Test Dummies were part of Underbelly's Fringe programme in 2019.The Splash Test Dummies were part of Underbelly's Fringe programme in 2019.
The Splash Test Dummies were part of Underbelly's Fringe programme in 2019.

“Of course, we’re hoping for a return to live performance, but we’re also planning for a range of different scenarios – from socially distanced events, to a hybrid programme of digital and live performances, to a more robust digital Fringe.

“To give participants and audiences as much flexibility as possible, we’ve pushed registration opening to early spring, and will keep it open through the summer. We’re also working to retain a flexible box office and ticketing website.

“As we move forward with our planning, we’re here to talk through plans and listen to ideas, and we’ll keep venues, artists and the public informed every step of the way.

"Whatever decisions are made, we will always prioritise public health. As such, we will continue to talk with both the Scottish and UK governments to come to the best possible solution.

The Pleasance Courtyard is one of the most popular venues at the Fringe.The Pleasance Courtyard is one of the most popular venues at the Fringe.
The Pleasance Courtyard is one of the most popular venues at the Fringe.

"We are all sharing in the uncertainty, fear, unpredictability and seeming relentlessness of the pandemic. But one day soon, live performance will be possible again and we will be able to meet and reconnect and feel joy together. Our part in human recovery will be more important than ever.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"We will continue to prepare for that and to work with our stakeholders to keep Fringe artists, venues and companies in the hearts and minds of audiences, the arts industry and media, both at home and abroad.”

Fringe Society chief executive Shona McCarthy pledged she would be working with her new chair, who is expected to be appointed in April, to ensure “that the spirit of the Fringe burns as brightly as ever, and to build a more resilient Fringe Society to support the return of the Fringe as the best version of itself."

She added: “We strongly encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds to ensure the Fringe Society is best representing the communities it serves.”

Ms McCarthy said Sir Tim had been “a figure of strength and stability for the Fringe Society and I am incredibly grateful that he agreed to extend his tenure in the wake of these extraordinary times."

She said: "“I’d like to personally thank him for his passion, commitment and foresight, and for his guidance during the most difficult year the Fringe has faced. I know that he will continue to be a great friend both to me and the Fringe Society in the future.”

The Royal Mile is normally thronged with festivalgoers and Fringe performers in August.The Royal Mile is normally thronged with festivalgoers and Fringe performers in August.
The Royal Mile is normally thronged with festivalgoers and Fringe performers in August.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director

Related topics:

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.