A unique take on rock ‘n’ roll, a musical insight into family dynamics, an improvised one-man musical, a self-retrospective with Michelle Shocked and a show exploring the works of Annie Lennox, are to play in The Boards at the Edinburgh Playhouse this August. Continue reading The Playhouse on the Fringe line-up announced
Fireworks concert brings record-breaking Festival to a close
After 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues across Edinburgh, the final curtain has fallen on the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe – and it’s been yet another record-breaking year for the luvvies …
Continue reading Edinburgh folk get their city back!
Police in the Capital have launched their own unofficial Fringe venue as part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival policing campaign! Continue reading Laughing Policemen: all the world’s a stage for city cops
The Fringe is back, with it’s eclectic mix of the good, the bad and the downright awful. Last year’s event offered enthusiasts no less than 45,464 performances of 2,871 shows, making it the largest ever arts festival in the world. This year’s could be even bigger – aficionados really are spoiled for choice.
It’s always a bit of a gamble, of course: you pay your money, you take your chances – but art-lovers in North Edinburgh have landed a major cultural coup. Internationally renowned artist Pierre Toblerone is exhibiting his latest collection on the streets of North Edinburgh – for free!
Toblerone is known by some as the French Banksy, and the unconventional young artist from the Left Bank has delighted critics with his bold use of everyday household items in major art installations. Never far from controversy, Toblerone – who changed his name in 2010 in a one-man protest against the exploitation of cocoa beans – steadfastly refuses to exhibit at major galleries and museums but instead brings his work ‘close to the people’.
Toblerone famously refuses to speak to the media – the reclusive artist now only communicates through the medium of artistic expression following some particularly harsh reviews – but his agent said: “Pierre believes that art has the power to move and that all art – if it is honest – must provoke and challenge. These major new works do all of these things. They provoke, they challenge – and I’m sure I saw one of them moving. And even if I didn’t, they will be moving soon”.
“The first creation The Way to the Sea (above) demonstrates the eternal battle of the elements, in this case fire and water, while Armageddon (top) portrays the futility of war. Pierre believes that this is his most complete exhibition to date: it has been nearly four years in the making but Toblerone lovers will appreciate the passion and attention to detail that goes into Pierre’s work.”
Guardian arts correspondent Guy Hyperbole gushed: “Toblerone is an artist very much in demand, and if he chose to exhibit at, say, The Tate Modern, the demand for tickets would be insatiable – art lovers just can’t get enough Toblerone. This latest exhibition by the enfant terrible of the arts movement has been much-anticipated and it was certainly worth the wait. Simply put, it is so powerful one feels almost violated.
“Art lovers simply must see this exciting exhibition before it moves on – it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get close to some truly inspirational work. The juxtapositions are incredibly brave and these installations are Pierre’s message to the world. Just what that message actually is is open to a bewildering range of interpretations, but if you see only one exhibition during the Festival, I urge you to see this – you will never experience primitive urban art in quite the same way again.”
Don’t miss it!
Pierre Toblerone: Les matresses d’amour. Free
Just in case it’s escaped your attention, it’s Festival time. The annual Festivals are all about fun – and city police plan to help keep it that way
Police in Edinburgh are to launch a high-profile safety operation for the duration of the festival season. Officers will offer advice on crime prevention and personal safety to the tens of thousands of visitors who come to Edinburgh during August, and advertising trailers highlighting the 101 non-emergency police number will also feature prominently on city centre streets.
This will be the first time the operation will be undertaken by the national Police Scotland force, which came into operation on 1 April this year.
Ch Supt Mark Williams, the divisional commander for the City of Edinburgh, said: “The Festival is an exciting time for the city, with so much fantastic entertainment, sights to see and events to participate in. It’s also a busy period for police, as tens of thousands of tourists arrive and local residents take advantage of all that is going on across the city. With that in mind, it is essential that Police Scotland provides a visible presence throughout Edinburgh as part of our commitment to keeping people safe.”
This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe guide runs to 376 pages, packed with a cornucopia of comedians, dance troupes, musicians, actors and novelty acts – good, bad and downright dire – all vying for your attention at 378 official venues.
Choosing just what to go and see – and, more importantly, what to avoid! – is tough, so perhaps you can help. Let us know what’s worth seeing – we’ll publish your reviews on the blog. And if a performance is truly awful, it’s best that we know that too!
Enjoy the shows!
This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe guide runs to 376 pages, packed with a cornucopia of comedians, dance troupes, musicians, actors and novelty acts – good, bad and downright dire – all vying for your attention at 378 official venues.
Choosing just what to go and see – and, more importantly, what to avoid! – is tough, so perhaps you can help. Let us know what’s worth seeing – we’ll publish your reviews on the blog. And if a performance is truly awful, it’s best that we know that too!
Enjoy the shows!
Granton Youth Theatre will be performing their powerful production ‘Just Like Everybody Else’ at the Holyrood Road’s Bongo Club this weekend.
The drama was devised and developed by Granton Youth Centre participants and the group’s performance was highly praised when ‘Just Like Everybody Else’ premiered at North Edinburgh Arts Centre in April.
Jut Like Everybody Else can be seen at The Bongo Club, Holyrood Road on Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets are only available at the venue box office or through www.thebongoclub.co.uk . The performance is suuitable for ages 12+.
Granton Youth Theatre will be performing their powerful production ‘Just Like Everybody Else’ at the Holyrood Road’s Bongo Club this weekend.
The drama was devised and developed by Granton Youth Centre participants and the group’s performance was highly praised when ‘Just Like Everybody Else’ premiered at North Edinburgh Arts Centre in April.
Jut Like Everybody Else can be seen at The Bongo Club, Holyrood Road on Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets are only available at the venue box office or through www.thebongoclub.co.uk . The performance is suuitable for ages 12+.
The Festival gets into full swing this month and Edinburgh’s population more than doubles as visitors pour into the city to be entertained. With the Fringe getting under way this weekend, police have issued safety advice to visitors from near and far.
Lothian and Borders Police are encouraging those visiting Edinburgh’s festivals to think about how they can guard against falling victim to crime.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors are expected to visit the Capital in the weeks ahead, and while incidents of crime remain relatively low during the festival period, the increased numbers of people in the city provide attractive opportunities for criminals.
The policing response to this year’s festival activity will focus on preventing crime, in particular theft, violent crime, and anti-social behaviour.
As part of this preventative approach, police are urging people to access advice on how they can protect themselves from becoming victims of crime.
Tips on crime prevention are available on information displays that have been erected in the High Street, while the Police Information Centre, also located in the High Street, will act as a hub where visitors will be able to obtain advice.
Chief Inspector Gavin Phillip, from Lothian and Borders Police, said: “Edinburgh’s festivals are world-renowned and attract a huge number of visitors, enhancing the Capital’s reputation as a safe place to visit, live, and work.
“We want to ensure that people enjoying the city during this period have an enjoyable time, and in that regard our policing plan in the month ahead will focus heavily on crime prevention.
“In particular, we want people to take steps to keep their personal possessions safe and avoid falling victim to thieves.
Likewise, we are asking revellers taking advantage of the extended opening hours during the festival to be mindful of their personal safety.
“A range of crime prevention advice is available on the Lothian and Borders Police website, and I would urge those planning to visit the city centre in the weeks ahead to visit the site”.
Community Safety Leader, Councillor Cammy Day, said: “Edinburgh really comes alive during the festival season with thousands of people flocking to the city centre to take in all the fantastic events taking place.
“Thanks to the great partnership work between City of Edinburgh Council and Lothian and Borders Police the Capital is a safe place, however it’s important people take steps to ensure they don’t fall victim to crime.
“There will also be extra patrols from both police and the Council’s community safety officers and environmental wardens to ensure the city continues to offer a very warm welcome to visitors from all over the world.”
