Gilded Balloon – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Edinburgh University Students’ Association to open four Fringe spaces

This summer, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe returns bigger than ever, in this its 75^th year, and Edinburgh University Students’ Association is set to re-open iconic venues across the city, in conjunction with its Festival partners, as well as a brand-new spot for 2022: Potterrow Plaza.

New for 2022, Edinburgh University Students’ Association in collaboration with Pleasance London will create a space in front of the Pleasance Dome with food, drink and immersive show experiences. As well as this brand-new spot, classic Fringe venues the Pleasance Courtyard, and Gilded Balloon at are set to return with a number of local favourite food and drink suppliers.

At the Potterrow Plaza, guests will get the chance to experience a séance or a take flight, in two new interactive simulation performances installed by the Pleasance Theatre Trust. Mint Falafel will be in residence with a delicious selection of flatbread wraps suitable for everyone from meat-eaters to vegans. The area will have plenty of seating and a bar and will be a great spot to take in the atmosphere right at the heart of the fringe.

The Pleasance Courtyard will be back at its best for 2022, with city favourites such as the Beach House, Pizza Geeks and Babu Kitchen (rebranded as Total Meltdown with delicious cheese toasties) to name a few.

Barnacles & Bones will be coming with a delicious pasta menu, CEC Catering, the team behind The Garden Bistro in Saughton, will be taking over the indoor cafe and Luxford Burgers, which is run by an Edinburgh University student, will also be at the venue, making sure visitors will never go hungry pre or post show!

The delicious food offering at The Pleasance will sit under the iconic canopy of umbrellas and stretch tents in the series of cobbled courtyards, which makes it the perfect spot to enjoy the festival atmosphere come rain or shine.

Pizza Geeks, much-loved amongst Edinburgh locals, will have an outlet inside the Pleasance Dome. Their pizzas – inspired by beloved sci-fi and video game characters – can be enjoyed day and night in the Dome; ideal in the event there is August rain! The Pleasance Dome houses several fringe venues and has a dfun, unique atmosphere day and night. The spacious area also gives visitors a good chance of finding a seat to enjoy drinks for a quick break between shows.

The Gilded Balloon at Teviot venueis the perfect spot, day and night. From coffee to start the day, to a pre-show drink, to a DJ backed late-night in the Garden, the venue is in the heart of the fringe, from morning until the wee small hours throughout the month of August.

Linton&Co speciality coffee will be on site for festival caffeination, and food will be available from the team behind the ever-popular Down the Hatch. Drinks will be served from three bars in the Garden. The entire garden is sheltered, and guests can even cosy up in one of the colourful beach huts (which seat 6) if the weather takes a turn.

Inside Teviot, there will be several Grab & Go bars for show-goers to the many Gilded Balloon venues inside. The iconic Library Bar will be serving a wide selection of drinks and a diverse menu day and night.

Along Charles Street, outside the Gilded Balloon at Teviot venue, there will also be a row of food trucks that will take seat for the month, with Bross Bagels and Mac Love serving the best bagels and macaroni cheese in Edinburgh. Screaming Peacock will please meat lovers and veggies with a mouth-watering selection of burgers, and Crema Caravan will satisfy any sweet tooth with delightful artisan desserts.

Drinks will be flowing across all three venues, with Molson Coors products featuring across all locations. Coors, Prahva, Carling, Staropramen, Guinness, Rekorderlig ciders, Johnnie Walker, Gordon’s Gin, Fever Tree softs and much more will all be on offer, so there really is something for everyone.

Cocktails on draught will also be available in all sites so guests don’t have to wait long to be served, and can even grab a cocktail in a can whilst queuing for performances!

Niamh Roberts, Students’ Association President, said: “After lockdowns, the Fringe is back, and it is set to be one of the biggest ever. We want to make sure our guests have the best time, enjoying an amazing food and drinks offering across our sites.

“We hope everyone gets to experience as much as possible of what makes the Fringe so special.”

All three main venues are open ‘til late so visitors can enjoy the very best food and drink Edinburgh has to offer – whether they’re catching a show or catching up with friends.

To get the latest news from each venues, follow:

https://www.instagram.com/thegardenatteviot/
https://www.instagram.com/courtyardanddome/

Fringe venues join together to launch ticketing and reviews platform

EIGHT Edinburgh Festival Fringe producing venues – Assembly, Dance Base, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Summerhall, Underbelly and ZOO – are coming together for the first time to launch an updated show ticketing and reviews platform, edfest.com – providing audiences with a central hub for easy booking, information and reviews of ‘the best curated shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’.

With tickets now on sale, edfest.com provides a centralised booking and reviews hub providing access to 1,159 shows across comedy, dance, theatre, and music at 140 venues, featuring performers from 32 different countries.

Some notable performers and shows in the 2022 edfest.com line up are:

Assembly: Choir of Man, Beats on Point, Friendsical, Love Loss & Chianti and Queenz

DanceBase: Ballet Ireland, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dan Daw Creative Projects

Gilded Balloon: Late’n Live, Maisie Adam, Leith Social, Henry Naylor, Jack Docherty

Just The Tonic: Jimeoin, Tom Stade, Aliya Kanani, Jack Gleadow, Anthony Deveto

Pleasance: Freedom Ballet of Ukraine, Sophie Duker, Ben Hart, Tim Vine, SK Shlomo

Summerhall: Learning to Fly, Life is Soft, Mama Love, Talisk, Efterkland

Underbelly: La Clique, Rhys Nicholson, Dragons & Mythical Beasts, Circa: Humans 2.0, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch

ZOO: Night Dances, Runners, Rocky, Sad Book, Far Gone, Every word was once an animal

The new edfest.com website has been designed to give audiences a more bespoke experience, allowing them to search and find shows they will love.

Companies and venues will update information on a regular basis and the public will be encouraged to review shows and share with their friends. The new experience gives ticket buyers a more rounded view of what’s on offer, replacing what word of mouth and poster clippings have done in the past.

Speaking on behalf of the eight edfest.com venues, Jim Hollington, CEO of Dance Base, comments: “The last two years have been incredibly hard for everyone in the arts and entertainment sector. It’s therefore critical that this year’s Edinburgh Fringe is a success, to protect the future of our own organisations, of the performing artists who make the Fringe, and of our contribution to the city of Edinburgh overall.

“As producing venues, we invest a huge amount of time, energy and money curating and producing some of the best entertainment in the world and bringing that to Edinburgh. Whilst the pandemic created numerous challenges, it did allow us to stop and think about how we could collaborate and do things better.

“Across the eight edfest.com venues we share a similar vision and so it made sense for us to pool our sales and marketing resources to drive efficiencies across our own operations and ultimately make things easier for customers. Our box offices will also all be linked and audiences will be able to buy for multiple venues.

“Crucially this year we are going on sale earlier than usual to increase the sales window for bookings and generate much needed revenue.

“Putting the last two years behind us we would like to encourage everyone from Fringe loyalists who turn up every year, to Edinburgh locals and first timers to visit edfest.com, book some spectacular shows and once again enjoy the best possible Edinburgh Fringe experience this August. We can’t wait to get going!”

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021: A Fringe that will go down in history and help guide our future

After an extraordinary 25 days, the 2021 Edinburgh Festival Fringe has drawn to a close, having brought artists, arts industry, media and audiences together once again to celebrate the magic of live performance.

This year, the Fringe looked very different. For the first time, audiences were able to engage with work both online and in-person, with performers, creators and producers embracing new ways to keep performance in our hearts and minds.

Shows happened in car parks, racecourses, tents and forests. There were brave new works-in-progress; exciting revivals; reimagined classics; solo shows; family-friendly shows; international showcases; sketch shows; interactive digital works; outdoor site-specific shows; walking tours; immersive experiences and late-night, mixed-bill, laugh-a-minute shows.

Some performers took the stage for the first time in 18 months, while others used the festival as a way of reconnecting with fellow artists and industry professionals.

There was support for arts professionals in new ways – with Fringe Connect offering a professional development, workshop and networking space for artists and industry, and Fringe Marketplace providing a digital platform to showcase export ready professional work from across the Fringe to delegates from around the world.

Our Street Events programme looked different, but was just as joy-filled as always, with everything from magic to live music happening in safe, managed locations from West Parliament Square to the Mound.

Street performers also went into communities across Edinburgh, while the Fringe Society worked with over 30 charities and community groups to distribute Fringe vouchers and Lothian bus tickets to give people the opportunity to experience the Fringe either in person or online.

The Fringe Society continued its commitment to accessibility. There was BSL interpretation of the street events at West Parliament Square, and a bespoke access bookings service on offer for customers who require it.

This Fringe was also a big step forward for sustainability. More performers marketed their shows digitally, through QR codes, social media and more. Our online strand meant less travel and a reduced carbon footprint for some participating artists, audiences and industry, extending our global reach even further.

We also strengthened the Fringe’s place in our local community. This year, over a third of audiences were from Edinburgh, and a further 17% were from the rest of Scotland. 44% were from the wider United Kingdom. Artists and creatives local to Scotland also added their stories to stages and screens in greater proportions than we have seen in recent years.

But that didn’t happen at the expense of the festival’s founding open access principle. 38 countries were represented on the Fringe this year, with work from nine countries featured as part of international showcases taking place. There was also increased international representation in proportion to the overall programme.

Commenting on this year’s festival, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Traditionally, this day in the Fringe calendar is all about statistics: how many shows took place, how many tickets were bought, and what that means.

“But this year, I’d like to stop defining success by scale. For me, that’s never been what makes the Fringe special. Success should be defined by the quality of experience we’ve all had – and what we’re hearing from performers and audiences alike is that this year’s Fringe has been hugely successful indeed.

“When registration opened in May, we had no way of knowing for sure what this summer would look like. Today, we celebrate every single show that has been brought to life. I’d like to personally thank and congratulate everyone that made it happen, as well as our audiences, sponsors and supporters who have cheered us on and offered much-needed support through this wild and unexpected year.

“We’ve still got work to do to ensure the Fringe recovers – but recovery isn’t about growth in the statistical sense. It’s about growth as a Fringe community. As we move forward with our Save the Fringe campaign and continue to champion this festival and the wider arts, we’ll be calling on everyone to help us shape what the future of this fantastic festival holds.”

Benny Higgins, Chair, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “I’d like to offer huge congratulations to everyone that made this festival happen in the most challenging of circumstances.

“I’ve been blown away by the commitment, creativity and talent of those that have worked tirelessly to bring the magic of the Fringe back to Edinburgh’s streets – and for the first time – to screens around the world.

“As we look to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary in 2022, I am looking forward to being part of a wider conversation about how we make this festival the very best version of itself. This year proved that a small amount of public sector investment can bring about positive change, and it’s crucial that investment in this hugely important festival continues. The Fringe has a big role to play in our recovery, and as we look to build a renaissance for the Fringe in the future, we’ll keep working to support those that make it happen.”

Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said: “It’s been a fantastic month, seeing the phased return of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and seeing Edinburgh locals and visitors get to enjoy what Edinburgh does best.

“As official whisky of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Johnnie Walker has celebrated the month with our residence ‘The Fringe Club’ on The Mound throughout the festival and gifting lucky festival-goers with exclusive prizes. We’ve our eyes firmly on the future, opening our doors to Johnnie Walker Princes Street on 6 September and joining in the celebrations once again in 2022.”

Next year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from 05 – 29 August 2022. It will mark the 75th anniversary of the festival.

SPONSORS and SUPPORTERS

As a charity, the work of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society would not be possible without the valuable support of our partners, sponsors and funders.

We are delighted to be working with Johnnie Walker for the third year running as our official whisky partner.

We are proud to be partnering with the newly opened St James Quarter and are excited to be working with them this year and beyond.

We are excited to be partnering with Crowdfunder again through our FringeMakers fundraising platform, supporting Fringe artists and venues with vital fundraising efforts.

We have teamed up with Rare Birds Books to a create a limited-edition book bundle with books selected by the women behind three of the Fringe’s most iconic venues; Rowan Campbell, the General Manager of Summerhall, Dani Rae, the General Manager of Assembly and Katy Koren, who co-runs Gilded Balloon. Proceeds of the sale of this bundle will support go directly to supporting Fringe artists bring work to the Fringe.

We would also like to thank Lothian Buses for their continued support of our Fringe Days Out programme.

We’re thrilled to welcome Edinburgh Gin on board as Official Gin of the Fringe and look forward to working with them.

We are grateful for funding through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government -through Creative Scotland -the City of Edinburgh Council and Festivals Edinburgh; Scottish Government for Made in Scotland through the Festivals Expo Fund – managed through Creative Scotland – and the continued support of the City of Edinburgh Council. Thanks also to Scottish Government for funds from their Get into Summer campaign.

We are grateful for funding from the Pivotal Event Business Fund, the SCVO Adapt and Thrive programme, the Foyle Foundation and the UK Government to enhance our digital capabilities.

Our thanks also to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Pump House Trust and the Turtleton Charitable Trust.

With thanks to EventScotland and City of Edinburgh Council for supporting Street Events.

Thank you to Brightcove, our streaming partners, for their support in delivering the Fringe Player.

Our thanks also to our Fringe Angels, Patrons, Friends and supporters whose passion and generosity made a real difference this year.

Lothian ladies live it up at the Fringe!

Meet Edinburgh’s senior Fringe reviewers!

Mary Ferrie (80) from Bathgate and Helen Orr (81) from Harthill took it in their stride when 50+ health and wellbeing website Living it Up asked them to join its crew to review the Fringe.

The pair – from West Lothian 50+ Network – got their glad rags on and joined Living it Up’s researcher and cameraman to do some schmoozing at the press launch, before reviewing three shows and grilling the performers to camera.

Mary and Helen first met in 1976 – when Helen was lecturing on nursery nursing – and they’ve been firm friends ever since.

Mary said: “When the Living it Up team contacted us about being guest reviewers, for their coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe, we jumped at the chance! Their website is for people like us who want to keep their independence, try new experiences and just have fun.

“The best act we reviewed was Victoria Wood and Me, by a lady called Mo Shapiro. It was excellent and we told her we thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Helen added: “The press launch was great fun too. We haven’t done anything like this before, so it was a good laugh. One of the acts said ‘laughter’s the best medicine’. That’s true; no matter what age you are.”

The budding reviewers were given chalk boards to mark each act they saw out of 10. They later sat down for face-to-face interviews behind the scenes with the actors, which were recorded byLiving it Up’s sound crew.

Click here to view the video

livingitup.org.uk is a digital service with health, care and wellbeing tools and information for people over the age of 50 in Scotland. It’s supported by NHS24 and the Scottish Government and covers Forth Valley, Highland, Lothian, Moray and Western Isles, including remote areas.

A spokesperson for Living it Up said: “Mary and Helen did us proud! It’s great for us to feature people like them, as they’re a true example of what older people can be and do, if they have tools and inspiration at their fingertips.”

She explained: “Our website has four strands: DISCOVER, SHINE, CONNECT and FLOURISH – all of which have different health and wellbeing themes and resources.

“For example, in our website’s FLOURISH section, we have experience guides. These are written by real people to shed light on living with specific conditions and to highlight coping mechanisms for life experiences.

“In our SHINE section, there’s inspiration to re-ignite an old hobby or skill, perhaps in a voluntary capacity. Our CONNECT part teaches people about the latest technology, with step-by-step-instructions. It also inspires some ‘upskilling’ by highlighting local classes for like-minded people. By clicking on our DISCOVER section, users can type in their local area and find activities and resources relevant to them within reach.”

A CHANCE TO WIN

Living it Up has been given tickets for the Fringe, thanks to festival host Gilded Balloon. To be in with a chance of winning, check out the competition on Facebook.