Missing the Edinburgh Festival? Then click online for the Shedinburgh Fringe

Well, there may be no ‘Edinburgh’ this year, but there is a Shedinburgh, a new online festival which aims to celebrate and sustain the best of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe... in sheds. So, if you are an avid Fringe-goer, fear not, Shedinburgh promises to have something to keep you entertained.

It’s the brainchild of multi-award winning duo Francesca Moody, the original producer of smash hit Fringe show Fleabag, and writer and performer Gary McNair, who decided to take matters into their own hands when this year’s Fringe fell foul of Covid-19. Described as an online festival and fund-raiser, the Shedinburgh Fringe Festival will run from 14 August to 5 September, and will see the very best of the Fringe streamed into your home... live from a shed.

Gary McNair explains, “This all started as a joke. I love puns so I just wanted to make Francesca laugh when I said I’d be doing the Shedinburgh Fringe from my garden this year. That was meant to be the end of it. But she took it seriously and said we should do it for real. When she convinced me it could be done, it was clear that we could turn it into something that could celebrate the Fringe’s past and really help people access it in the future.

Moody adds, “Shedinburgh is primarily a fund-raiser to create shed load of future, a fund to support the next generation of artists to make it to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021. As two people whose careers have benefited immeasurably from our time at the Fringe we wanted to find a way of giving that opportunity to others. At a time when venues face an uncertain future and artists are struggling, Shedinburgh will shout loud about the Fringe’s vital role in global culture.”

The productions programmed so far include ‘one night only’ unique shed-based versions of performances from established Fringe favourites as well as some from new artists, and also feature shows from Helen Baer, Tim Crouch, Rosie Jones, Gary McNair, Sara Pascoe, Mark Thomas and more.

All shows will be broadcast live from sheds, one located in the Traverse Theatre, one in London’s Soho Theatre, with other shows coming from performers own sheds. Performances will be broadcast once only at 7.30pm via Zoom each night.

Tickets can be purchased through Crowdfunder on a Pay What You Can system for a minimum donation of £4, with all proceeds going into a fund to support new artists bring their work to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director