Fringe stalwarts promise fun and games on Edinburgh streets
● Promoters press ahead with online and offline events
A treasure hunt-style game played around some of the best-known venues and locations at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be staged throughout next month.
Long-time promoters and producers Gilded Balloon will be creating a “Fringe Search Party” which groups of up to five will be able to play at a time as part of a month-long programme of online and offline events.
They are working with Leith-based “escape rooms” operator Padlox to create a trail of puzzles, games and clues which will lead participants around the city as they attempt to “rescue the spirit of the Fringe”.
The game, which will be designed to be played either solo or in a team, is the first major live event to be confirmed in the city centre after the August festivals were officially called off in April due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
An “alternative Fringe” programme, featuring a mix of live events with social distancing in place and onlineonly events, is expected to take shape over the next few weeks.
The Fringe Search Party game is expected to be one of the highlights of Gilded Balloon’s August programme, which will be staged across the Fringe’s traditional dates.
Comic Fred Macaulay is to host an online incarnation of his regular Gilded Balloon chat show, featuring special festival appearances from Rory Bremner, Jo Brand, Greg Hemphill and Greg Mchugh.
Gilded Balloon will be screening some of its recent Fringe hits, including Double Feature, a play set in an abandoned cinema featuring panto stars Andy Gray and Grant Stott, and Just Checking In, a comedy set in a Scottish hotel taken over by Donald Trump, starring impressionists Ronni Ancona and Lewis Macleod.
The Edinburgh-based company will also be unearthing rarely seen footage of some of the big names to have graced its stages before they were famous – including Sarah Millican, Kevin Bridges, Rhod Gilbert and Nina Conti.
Katy and Karen Koren, joint artistic directors, said: “If you haven’t lived through an Edinburgh Festival, it is hard to explain how creative, joyous, busy and vital the month of
August is. It has to be seen to be believed, but sadly not this year. The loss of the Fringe has left a huge hole not only in our lives but in the lives of thousands of performers and other people who made Edinburgh their home for August.
“This year we will try to remind ourselves of what there was and what we will bring back again in the future.
“We’re so excited to be able to share a wee programme with you this August. The show must go on – although socially distanced and slightly smaller than normal. The majority of the events and shows will be totally free to watch. However, audiences will still have an opportunity to donate money. Part of any money raised will be used to support Gilded Balloon’s continued investment in the Fringe and events across the year.
“The remainder will go to the performers taking part in the programme, many of whom have lost their livelihoods for the foreseeable future.”
Gilded Balloon, which was launched by Karen Koren at its original home in the Cowgate in 1986, now has a year-round home in Rose Street and has staged Fringe shows at Teviot Row House student union since 2001.