Go forth and enjoy the fun

WELCOME, one and all, whether performer, artist, actor, writer, musician, or just someone here to enjoy perhaps a few days or even the full three weeks of the collection of festivals – official, fringe, visual arts, Tattoo, comedy, book, etc – that collectively make up the world’s greatest arts festival.

True, you may hear a few grumbles from Edinburgh’s permanent residents about the traffic jams, the difficulties of getting taxis or restaurant tables, the crowds on the pavements making shopping difficult, but apart from a bit of polite listening, don’t pay too much attention to them.

The majority of Edinburgh’s citizens enjoy having the festivals here. They even make up a big chunk of the audiences, even if some of them only make an effort to catch a free viewing of street theatre or some of the firework shows. But many Scots travel to see the world’s finest cultural events, some very big stars – and some wannabe stars – and just to drink in the atmosphere and the sights.

There is also the challenging and the dangerous, the bizarre and the unexpected, and, if play- wright Mark Ravenhill, giving the first Fringe lecture, is right, this might be the first year that the Fringe might start to really stretch the boundaries. The paradox of performing at the Fringe, which is meant to showcase the experimental, the risky, and the cutting edge from outside mainstream art, is that it is expensive and often necessitates seeking sponsorship. Public and private funding for this, which can discourage, shall we say, the more inventive art, is drying up. So perhaps that, odd though it sounds, may be liberating. We encourage our readers to go and find out.