Edinburgh, ancestral home of the Fringe movement, continues to lead from the front with the announcement today of a new international day of celebration of all things fringe – World Fringe Day – to take place on Tue 11 July.
The initiative, which will bring together more than 200 fringes from across the world to celebrate fringe culture, was announced by Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs for the Scottish Government and Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Festival Fringe Society. Participants and audiences are being encouraged to take part on the day by sharing their fringe love on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the Fringe. In the years since, the pioneering spirit of the original has spread worldwide to create a year-round calendar of events from Amsterdam to Prague, from Adelaide to Edmonton.
“We are thrilled to reveal the plans for the first ever World Fringe Day,” said McCarthy, launching the event. “This is an incredible opportunity for fringe organisers, venues, participants and audiences to take part in a truly international celebration of creativity that will transcend national boundaries, demonstrating the power of arts and culture to bring people together. We hope as many people as possible will join us for a very special day of worldwide fringe fun, as we celebrate 70 years of fringe and pay homage to Scotland as the birthplace of the fringe movement.”
Heather Croall, her counterpart at Adelaide, concurred. “The global fringe movement continues to grow from strength to strength, so it seems only fitting to introduce a worldwide day of celebration, where everyone that has been involved in or enjoyed attending a fringe festival can reflect on what fringe means to them. Adelaide Fringe is really excited to join our sister fringes around the world to celebrate World Fringe Day. ”
The move is being supported by £100,000 from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo70 fund through Creative Scotland. Further plans will be unveiled at www.worldfringeday.com in due course.
In the meantime, supporters can follow @worldfringeday on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube and use the hashtags #WorldFringeDay #Fringe70.