Half virtual, half physical, Edinburgh’s dream Fringe - Liam Rudden

EDINBURGH’S ‘ghost’ festival is confined to the history books this weekend after something that was unthinkable just six months ago became a reality - the axing of the Capital’s festivals.

Edinburgh 'ghost' festival 2020

Consequently, the last four weeks have been unlike any other August in recent memory for those of us living in the city. Truth be told, it has proved a month of mixed emotions for many. The joy seeing the city centre devoid of tacky, often tasteless posters which rob locals and tourists alike of the stunning views of both old and new towns has been tempered by the damage done to local businesses through the loss of trade from the ever increasing number of tourists that normally descend on the Capital at this time.

My hope is that for everyone with a stake in Edinburgh during August, this was a year of reflection and contemplation. A year out to take stock of how the festivals and, more importantly, the behemoth that is the Fringe go forward. After all, crowds may flock to Princes Street Gardens for the fireworks that close each ‘edition’ of the Edinburgh International Festival, but it is the Fringe that takes over every available space in August, spreading like unwanted ivy into every nook and cranny of the city.

And, just as ivy can cause structural damage to defective masonry, the ever spreading Fringe severely affects Edinburgh’s fractured infrastructure - just how good has it been walking around the streets unhindered by crowds year?

Yet it’s those crowds who fuel local businesses, so getting a balance in 2021 is essential. It is highly unlikely, according to the science, that Covid will have passed by next August, so the planning must start now, learning what we can from this year. Indeed, the planning, you would hope, has already started.

Numbers similar to that which crammed the city last year would appear unsustainable during an ongoing pandemic, as acknowledged by Fringe Society Chief Executive Shona McCarthy who outlined in an interview a vision of a much smaller physical event next year, complimented by an online Fringe to maintain the numbers of artistes able to take part.

As has been seen this year, get it right and people will tune into to watch live streams and recorded content, but truth be told many of this month’s efforts have been nothing more than place holders. Valuable sources of comfort for those unable to accept the Festival that never was perhaps, they nevertheless served too narrow an agenda to survive in their current format - many were primarily fund-raising initiatives for venues and performers, entertaining the masses, a secondary by product.

Now, the ’Holy Grail’ of all festivals must be to find the way to make clicking into stream as natural as stepping into a venue, after all, now we know what happens when a Coronavirus appears, having a backup plan can not be longer be a spur of the moment thing.

And who knows, a half physical half virtual festival in 2021 could just be the answer to everyone dreams.

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