Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for several simultaneous arts and cultural festivals that take place during August each year in Edinburgh, Scotland. These festivals are arranged by a number of formally unrelated organizations, meaning there is no single event officially termed the Edinburgh Festival. The Edinburgh Festival, which is the largest cultural event in the world, traces its roots to 1947 when the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) was established in a post-war effort to "provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit". That same year, eight theatrical companies "gatecrashed" the official Festival by organizing their own event, outside the official auspices of the EIF; this started the movement which grew into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (EFF). The EFF is also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe, or (incorrectly) the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (The Fringe) is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1946 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Scotland's capital during four weeks every August. The Fringe mostly attracts events from the performing arts, particularly theatre and comedy (which has seen substantial growth in recent years,) although dance and music also figure significantly: in 2009 35% of shows were comedy and 28% were theatre. Theatre events can range from the classics of ancient Greece, William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett, to modern works, and in 2009 37% of shows were world premieres. However, there is no selection committee to approve the entries – it is an unjuried festival – so any type of event is possible: the Fringe often showcases experimental works which might not be admitted to a more formal festival. In addition to ticketed events (included in the programme), there is an ongoing street fair, particularly on the Royal Mile. The organizers are the Festival Fringe Society: they publish the programme, sell tickets and offer advice to performers from the Fringe office on the Royal Mile.
For many groups at the Fringe the ultimate goal is a favourable review which, apart from the welcome kudos, may help to minimise any financial losses that are suffered in putting on the show. Edinburgh based newspaper The Scotsman, often seen as the 'bible' of the Edinburgh Festival for its comprehensive coverage, originally aimed to review every show on the Fringe. They now have to be more selective, as there are simply too many shows to cover, although they do see more or less every new play being staged as part of the Fringe's theatre programme because of their Fringe First awards.
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