We are pleased to announce that show registration for Fringe 2021 will open on Wednesday 05 May.
Artists and venues will be able to register Fringe shows right up until the end of the festival. The Fringe’s world-class programme will be available to browse and book at edfringe.com, with tickets going on sale for audiences in early summer.
As Scotland navigates its roadmap out of lockdown, much is still unknown about what the Fringe will look like this August. However, a range of scenarios are being prepared for, from socially distanced live events to digital offerings.
The Fringe Society is supporting artists and audiences to find and book work online across a range of platforms, including the brand-new Fringe Player.
This online platform aims to bring some festival magic into homes across the world, while providing a secure platform for artists, companies and venues to host their shows. The platform is available to any registered 2021 Fringe show or venue to use if they wish.
Any live performance registered as part of the 2021 Fringe will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government.
Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work through edfringe.com. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.
“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 06 – 30 August 2021.
Emergency Scottish Government relief funds reach grassroots music venues in Edinburgh
16 Edinburgh venues have received over £932,000 through the Scottish Government’s Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund delivered by Creative Scotland.
Bannermans, Henry’s Cellar Bar, LaBelle Angele, Leith Depot, Opium, Sandy Bell’s, Sneaky Pete’s, Stramash, Summerhall, The Banshee Labyrinth, The Bongo Club, The Caves, The Jazz Bar, The Mash House, The Voodoo Rooms and Whistle Binkies in Edinburgh are among 82 venues across Scotland which have received a total of £4million.
Aimed at providing grassroots live music venues with emergency support to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and prevent closure, the £4million fund closed for the second round of applications on Wednesday 3 February 2021.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This is an incredibly difficult time for the live music sector and it is important that we support our grassroots music venues – which are key to our rich and diverse music scene – to survive until they can reopen.
“This fund, part of our ongoing commitment to support cultural sectors during the pandemic, aims to do that by ensuring financial support reaches a wide variety of music venues across the country.
“I thank the music sector for continuing to work with us to identify the most effective ways to help it.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music at Creative Scotlandsaid: “We’ve now been without live music for much longer than anyone could have imagined. Covid-19 has hit the music industry hard, and we all look forward to the day when musicians and audiences can get back together – in the same place, at the same time – to ignite the special spark of live performance.
“Grassroots venues are where talented musicians test and perfect their original material, where careers are borne and local scenes have their deepest roots. The first round of awards from this fund covered the length of Scotland, from Dumfries to Kirkwall.
“The second round broadens that support, reaching Arran and the East Neuk of Fife. These awards are proof of the confidence that the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland have in our music sector, its artists, its audiences, its technicians and, of course, its much-loved grassroots venues.”
This is the second of two funding rounds. To date, over both funding rounds combined, 85 venues across Scotland have now received a total of £6.2million through the Fund. £2.2millon was awarded in the first round in September 2020.
Rowan Campbell of Summerhall said: “Summerhall is immensely grateful for this award which will help to secure our staff, our ongoing costs while closed and our ability to reopen in the coming months.
“It is a welcome lifeline that recognises our place as an important venue in the live music landscape of Scotland.”
Henry’s Cellar Bar owner/manager, Claire Grandemange said:“Thanks to the Creative Scotland’s Grassroots Music Venues Fund and all the help from the team of the Music Venue Trust, the uncertainty over our ability to carry on paying staff and other fixed costs has been removed, and we are confident about our future reopening as a music venue once restrictions are lifted.”
Recipients of the £4m Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund are:
Struggling with Halloween ideas? Fear (no) more – Drive-in Movies at Edinburgh Airport offers the best Halloween entertainment for people of all ages in a safe, family-friendly environment!
Sarah Drummond and Louise Montgomery enjoy a Drive-in screening of Scream with the Ghostface himself… PIC: Lloyd Smith
Featuring a spine-chilling selection of family favourites, cult classics and blockbusters, Drive-in Movies at Edinburgh Airport transports its audiences into a fright-filled world of cinema this Halloween!
The event takes place between Thursday 29 October and Sunday 1 November and presents 12 fantastic horror classics to choose from, including The Lost Boys, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jaws and Scream, plus family favourites Hocus Pocus, E.T, Coco, Ghostbusters and much more – all in a safe, socially-distant, outdoor environment with strict health and safety measures in place.
The pre-screening entertainment includes Halloween-themed sing along, film quiz with spot prizes, competition for best costumes and carved pumpkins displayed on the dashboard, all run by the event’s MC, Edinburgh DJ Stewart Calverto who becomes Count Calverto …
Edinburgh’s Drive-in Movies truly is the place to go for Halloween fun this year!
Scotland’s top alternative night out, Fore Play Crazy Golf, has announced the launch of their new pop-up venue in Edinburgh city centre.
Set to open next month, Scotland’s favourite adult-only crazy golf haven’t let COVID deter their plans, and they’re bringing their love of crazy golf, great nights out and Edinburgh to the city in a complete transformation of the former Steak restaurant, located at Picardy Place.
The bold new move comes after the team had to close their first ever popup at the Biscuit Factory after only two weeks of trading earlier this year in March.
The new Fore Play Crazy Golf venue promises to be bigger and better than before, with thrill-seekers set to enjoy two floors jam-packed with fun, games and Instagrammable features. The new space boasts 9,000 sq ft and can seat up to 126 socially distanced guests throughout the venue.
Taking centre-stage the Edinburgh course features famous Auld Reekie landmarks paying tribute to some of the city centre’s most instagrammable spots including Greyfriars Bobby statue and the Scott Monument.
With a unique blend of crazy golf, mouth watering street food and cocktails made with local suppliers like Pickering’s Gin and Edinburgh Beer Factory, Fore Play Crazy Golf promises an experience which is un-fore-gettable in every way.
New venue features include a bar on each floor, as well as a heated outdoor beer garden which can seat up to 40 people, allowing players to enjoy table service throughout the venue.
Meanwhile Edinburgh’s street food superstars, The Pitt are on hand to feed hungry putters with a new food menu that boasts plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.
Craig Neilson, Chief Greenkeeper at Fore Play Crazy Golfsaid: “COVID might have ruined our plans the first time round, but we’re excited to announce that Fore Play Crazy Golf is here to stay.
“Our new home in Edinburgh city centre is a fantastic location and we’re delighted to be able to provide people in Edinburgh with a different night out to enjoy with friends or on a date. We’ve teamed up with some of the city’s best food and drink suppliers to make sure it’ll be a night to remember.”
FUN-loving pensioners who were missing out after the world’s biggest arts festival was cancelled have been treated to a bespoke day of events instead.
Cramond Residence, Edinburgh’s most exclusive care home, hosted a Festival-Fringe-style celebration for its residents since the annual arts event was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The day-long ‘Cramond Fringe’ saw residents and staff enjoy a celebration of arts and entertainment, while abiding by social distancing rules. It included performances by magicians, jugglers, poets and singers.
Lisa Sohn, Lifestyle Co-ordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “This offered something different for our residents and it was wonderful way to bring everyone together safely.
“While nothing can make up for Edinburgh losing the Festival-Fringe this year because of the pandemic, we still had a brilliant day of entertainment and performances here. The residents absolutely loved it.”
Cramond Residence is a purpose-built care home created at a cost of £8m and opened in October 2018. It combines luxury, five-star accommodation with outstanding clinical standards – with places available from £1850 per week.
The Cramond Fringe event was held in the residence’s dedicated cinema room – a sizeable, multi-purpose space which enabled strict social distancing. The residence also includes a library, hair salon, private, fine-dining space and a physiotherapy room.
Lisa added: “The fringe celebrations started with a ribbon cutting ceremony in the morning, followed by refreshments over a presentation on the history of the Festival and a Fringe trivia quiz for those more competitive residents.
“After lunch we started our afternoon of entertainment which included juggling, magic shows, skits, jokes, and a sing-song. We tried to create the feeling of a variety of acts by switching the chairs around and creating different ‘stages’.
“Speaking with the residents after the event, they told us they’d loved it a really good time and would love for it to happen again – maybe we will need to make the Cramond Fringe an annual celebration due to popular demand.”
Cramond Residence can care for up to 74 older people and has a specialist dementia unit to care for those with an advanced stage of dementia. Each resident enjoys a luxury room with en-suite bathroom facilities. It maintains a care staff to resident ratio of at least 1:4 at all times.
Spread across three floors, it also adopts a small-group living philosophy. That means groups of eight rooms form distinct “houses”, where residents are encouraged to eat and socialise together. This is believed to have played a major role in infection control during the Coronavirus pandemic to date.
Family run for family fun, Conifox has re-opened its doors to welcome back kids, adults, parents and friends all in need of a little (wild) escape.
The adventure park and restaurant, situated 20 minutes from Edinburgh city centre, has passed the Visit Britain Covid 19 We’re Good To Go Industry Standard and is excited to once again see the park flooded with smiling faces and hear it ringing with peals of laughter whilst ensuring maximum safety guidelines are being followed and operated.
James Gammell, director of Conifox, is thrilled to see the park returned to its former pre-pandemic buzz: “we are so excited to welcome our friends and family back to Conifox.
“Whether we are watching you speed around the pedal go-kart racetrack or peeking out from behind our fingers as you off-road on our pedal tractors, it is so wonderful to be reminded of the park as it should be; a kids – and adults! – wonderland!
“To ensure the safety of our guests and our staff, we are adhering to the strictest guidelines, so even if you are showing off your skills on the 9-hole footgolf course, jumping on the giant pillow, bouncing all over the trampolines or excavating the giant sand pit, you can feel content that your wellbeing – and your enjoyment – is our paramount concern.
“As a family run business, we are passionate not only about what we do, but also about delivering the absolute best in customer experience. No matter if you are 8 or 80 you are welcome here and we will do everything in our power to make it a day that stays with you as an everlasting, happy memory.”
Constantly innovating and improving their customer offering, Conifox is the perfect spot for a full day out with family and friends. Although the Stables Bistro is closed to ensure compliance with social distancing measures, there is still a selection of delicious food available, including a sizzling BBQ (weather permitting) and all-day breakfast baps, as well as coffee and tea when you need a little refresh.
Alongside the huge and varied to-do list of activities you will certainly have planned ready for your arrival, there is also an exciting and everchanging calendar of events offering fresh and unique entertainment each and every month. From ‘Princess Parties’ to ‘Living Room Magic’, you will wish you had more hours in your day!
Situated on the outskirts of Kirkliston, just five minutes from Edinburgh Airport, Conifox is the ideal venue for school group outings, corporate fun days and birthday parties, thanks to boasting plenty of outdoor space for everyone to enjoy.
To keep visitors safe, tickets are currently only available to pre-book and some attractions will be closed at certain times throughout the day for deep cleaning.
To find out more visit the Conifox Facebook page@conifoxadventurepark or www.conifox.co.uk.
The Parking Lot Social is a Live Drive-In event running this weekend at Dalkeith Country Park.
The Parking Lot Social is an amazing, new touring experience which packs a load of exciting entertainment into one incredible night out.
We’ve created a spectacular event space and overloaded it with a programme of immersive and interactive entertainment that’s broadcast from our stage straight to your car, allowing us all to come together, while still keeping us that safe distance apart.
For a chance to win a ticket, just tag who you would take in the comments, and share this post. For 20% off enter 20PERPTR during checkout at https://bit.ly/3gg2WDG
Laughing Horse Comedy has launched its 2020 Edinburgh Free Fringe programme, which will take place online next month. The spirit of the Fringe is alive and well in August with a packed programmme of comedy shows, children’s shows, cabaret and spoken word.
Shows are a performed live, and run from August 7th to 30th – with shows available each day apart from Tuesdays. These are available a streamed content for free with donations given like a free Festival show would be in Edinburgh, or held in a ‘Pay What You Want’ ticketed video conference call, set-up to allowing people to get free tickets, or offer a donation to the performers.
The shows are all from performers who have been seen before at the Free Festival, including Dave TV award winning comic Masai Graham with his 101 Jokes shows, a comedy chat show hosted by leading Scottish comic Vladimir McTavish, regular family-friendly Comedy Sportz Improv shows, the return of Peter Michael Marino’s hit kids show ‘Show Up, Kids’, worldwide Festival hit ‘Joke Thieves’, plus Comedy and Cabaret performed live from the USA, a Science Chat show, a new panel show and solo shows including new shows from comedians Meryl O’Rourke, Charmian Hughes (pictured), Singapore’s Sam See, Sasha Ellen and more.
For Fringe fans in Edinburgh there will also be the opportunity to see some of the shows at our venues – with some of the performances planned to be broadcast live on the big screens at our Three Sisters and Pear Tree venues, two of the usual big hubs of Fringe activity in August.
Laughing Horse Comedy, who run free Festival and it’s director Alex Petty think this is a great opportunity to keep the spirit of the Fringe alive in it’s first ever fallow year, support performers and keep some of the fans of the Fringe entertained both at home and in Edinburgh.
This also helps in the early planning for the 2021 Fringe which is already underway, that of course is very likely to see changes for shows of covid-19 is still with us – especially for free shows that have until now remained predominately unticketed, something that will need to change to a ticketed or Pay What You Want model in the ‘new normal’.
Start Spreading The News – #EJBFOnline launches today!
A four day online feast of content marks the dates of our 43rd Festival – (Thursday 23rd – Sunday 26th July).
Featuring new sets made under lockdown, solo home videos, a selection of great content from our video archive and a host of talks, radio programmes, DJ sets and that lockdown staple: a quiz!
Spanning traditional jazz to the avant-garde, the festival features Scottish jazz luminaries and some international friends – we hope you enjoy.
Trolls (U) tops the poll of feel good films of lockdown, picked by children themselves
Playing outdoors has been kids favourite positive lockdown activity
Full list of films published on CBBFC, along with fun, free activities for children and families
Trolls (U) has topped a poll of feel good films being watched in lockdown by children aged 4 – 13, according to new research by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
The research, carried out by We Are Family and Panelbase to reflect on children’s experiences during lockdown, found that more than six in ten (62%) kids have watched happy and positive films to cheer themselves up.
The top 10 films are revealed as; Trolls (U); Frozen (PG); Boss Baby (U); The Greatest Showman (PG); The Lego Movie (U); Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (12); Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (PG), Inside Out (U), Finding Nemo (U), Spiderman: Into The Spider-verse (PG).
For children aged 4 – 11 Trolls is the favourite, but for older children, aged 12 and 13, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle came in first place.
Faye Harcourt, Director of Marketing and Outreach at the BBFC, said: “Film and TV can be an excellent tool for families to use to get together and enjoy a shared experience. It can also act as a positive distraction for children, allowing them to take a break from their surroundings and explore different world views and experiences.
“That’s why we have been working to ensure that kids’ voices are heard and, as the global pandemic continues, make sure that families and young people are getting the information they need to choose content well and to stay entertained.
The research also looked at other activities children were doing to keep positive during lockdown, with playing outdoors coming out top (64%). Kids have also been watching videos on YouTube (58%), gaming (54%), baking (43%) and doing arts and crafts (42%) to stay happy and positive.
More than a third (34%) of children have been using apps – like FaceTime, HouseParty and Zoom – to talk to their friends. But older children were much more likely to keep in touch this way, with more than two in five (44%) saying they’ve been using apps to virtually hangout with friends.
Maurice Wheeler, Managing Director of We Are Family who conducted the research, said: “During such an unusual time, it’s important to keep listening to your audience and in particular to capture the thoughts and feelings of children and young people.
“During lockdown children and families as a whole have turned to entertainment to keep themselves happy and positive, and also to bring the family unit together.”
The poll, carried out by Panelbase, surveyed 1,000 children aged 4 – 13, alongside their parents, and provided participants with a curated list of popular films rated U, PG and 12. Children were then asked to decide what film they would most likely watch when they needed cheering up.
The full list is published on CBBFC, the BBFC’s dedicated children’s website, where families can find out everything they need to know about the films, including the age rating and ratings info.
There are also a range of free activities and resources for kids based on the top 10 list, including ‘Movie Night With the BBFC’ packs, case studies and children can also have a go at rating a trailer.
