The Fringe - A Short History

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland began in 1947 when eight performance groups were not invited to perform in the larger Edinburgh Festival of the Arts.

As a reaction to being left out, these rogue companies staged their own "fringe" performances. Undaunted and determined, these companies created makeshift theatres creating non-traditional performance spaces on the outskirts - or "fringe" - of the established festival.

Soon the Fringe Festival gained a large and loyal following, outstripping the mainstream festival.

This phenomenon has since spread worldwide.