From arts to adventure, Starwars to science: 200 shows over 10 fun-packed days

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ appearance is just one of many exciting events at Fringe By The Sea.

The annual festival in North Berwick, which runs for 10 days from August 5 to 14, is packed with shows to suit all tastes.

If you are interested in events about the environment, look out for Blue Scotland with Mollie Hughes, Countryfile’s Adam Henson, Bushcraft skills sessions, and Meet The Scientist with ocean conservationist Elouise Cartner. More on these events can be found at fringebythesea.com/ front-page-exploration/

If you already have tickets for Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ talk on August 14, you may be interested to stay on and enjoy a special Royal Scottish National Orchestra concert. They will be performing the work of revered movie composer John Williams, including the themes from blockbusters Star Wars, Superman, ET and Harry Potter.

There will be more than 200 shows across the 10 days, catering for fans of comedy, music and literature. Bringing the laughs are comedians Frankie Boyle (August 11) and Milton Jones (Aug 9), and broadcaster Clive Anderson (Aug 6).

Texas perform in the Belhaven Big Top on Saturday, August 6, while music fans can also look forward to legendary ’80s rock band Happy Mondays (August 13), folk duo Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham (Aug 8), and festival favourites The Manfreds (Aug 10).

Best-selling authors Alexander Mccall Smith and Paula Hawkins appear on August 5 and 6 respectively while former Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson will be in conversation with journalist James Naughtie on August 10.

Hailed as a cultural and community success, Fringe By The Sea 2021 brought more than £3 million of economic benefit to East Lothian, according to an independent report by MKA Economics.