The List’s G
The Edinburgh Festival is the largest arts festival in the world and if you’ve never been before then it can be a bit daunting and extremely confusing. The Festival is, in fact, three festivals, or four this and alternate years when the Book Festival joins in the fun. Along with these there are several other events running at the same time. In order to help you keep a tenuous grip on sanity here’s a guide on how to find out about performances and where to buy tickets for them.
TOP TEN: This is the creme de [a r‘réme. ten shows. films or clubs which are a sure fire banker fora good time. lfyou only want to see a couple of shows during the Festival choose them from this list. See page 5.
TIME ZONES: We’ve split our coverage of theatre. comedy and dance into six sections. each section corresponds to a time zone (ie l—3pm). starting frorn 9am through to late at night. Each preview covers what we think will be the most interesting stage shows in that time band.
NIT llST: Each section editor has prefaced their section with a list of live shows which should tickle the most
discerning or debased palate.
JENFORMATION & TICKETS
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
This is the main Festival where all the big names from the world of music. opera. theatre and dance descend from around the globe for the cultural event ofthe year. The lnternational Festival runs from Sun l3 Aug to Sat 2 Sept. I Box Office Tickets for all shows in the International Festival can be bought from the Festival Box Office at 21 Market Street. Edinburgh EHI IBW. 013] 225 5756. Open Mon—Sat 9am—7pm; Sun l0arn—5prn.
Tickets are also available for all lnternational Festival events ifyou go along in person to: King’s Theatre. Leven Street; Usher Hall. Lothian Road; Queen's Hall. Clerk Street; Edinburgh Festival Theatre. Nicolson Street; Royal Lyceum Theatre. Grindlay Street. Tickets will also be on sale at the Ticketline Office in the Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street. Ol3l 226 2428. Any tickets unsold on the day of the performance will be available from the relevant venue one hour before curtain up.
Half price tickets may be available on the day of the performance, l-5pm at the Festival Box Office on Market Street. maximum two seats per customer.
I Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert Thurs 31 Aug. 10.30pm. This incredible display is an absolute must. and a cracking (almost) end to the Festival. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra perform at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens while spectacular fireworks fill the sky and cascade down the Castle walls. Tickets into the gardens themselves are now sold out. so join the thousands on
and around Princes Street for the best Views.
WHITE-
EDINBUIGH fESllVAL
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From first thing in the morning to last thing at night. somebody. somewhere will be ready and willing to entertain you. Be it in a theatre. church hall or street corner. every art form known to man will be in evidence at over l00 venues around the city. Theatre. dance. comedy. music. art and a few others which defy description are all on offer l3 Aug—2 Sept. To make the most of your time. pick up the indispensable Daily Diary from the Fringe Office. which gives full details of each day‘s events.
I Box Office Tickets for all shows in the Fringe are available in person from the Fringe Office. 180 High Street. Royal Mile. Edinburgh. ()r by phone on 0l3l 226 5138. Open daily l()am—7pm. Fringe Tickets are also available from Waterstone‘s Booksellers. 83 George Street. Edinburgh. ()pen Mon—Sat l0am—7pm; Sun I lam—7pm. Fringe Club. Teviot Row. Bristo Square. University of Edinburgh. Open daily 10am—7pm. British Gas Caravan. Princes Street Gardens. by The Mound. Open daily lOarn—5.30pm. Gyle Centre. South Gyle. Edinburgh. Open daily l0am-6pm.
I Fringe Venues The rrrain Fringe venues publish their own programmes and also operate box offices for advance bookings:
Assembly Rooms 54 George Street. Ol3l 226 2428. Daily l lam—midnight. from East Laneway beside Assembly Rooms.
Fringe Club Teviot Row. Bristo Square. 0|3l 226 5138 (day). ()l3l 650 4673 (night). Daily 7pm—late.
Gilded Balloon 233—237 Cowgalc. 0 t 3| 226 2151. Daily l()am—lam.
Gilded Balloon II Stepping Stones. Grassmarket. 0l3l 226 215l. Daily l0am— I am.
Pleasance 60 The Pleasance. ()1 3l 556 6550. Daily 1 larn—rnidnight.
I Queen’s llall Clerk Street. 0131 668
uide to the 1995 Edinburgh Festival
2019. Daily l()am—lOpm.
Theatre Workshop 34 Hamilton Place. ()l3l 226 5425. Mon—Sat l()am—|().30pm; Sttn l()am—9pm. Traverse Theatre Cambridge Street. (H31 228 I404. Mon l()am—8pm; Tue—Sun l()am—midnight.
All venues also sell last rninttte tickets shortly before the show. The map in the centre pages shows the location of all Fringe venues.
I Fringe Club It operates as a venue during the day but from l().3()pnt it turns into ‘the epicentre of the largest arts festival on earth' with live music. club nights. comedy. cabaret. cheap food. and of course four bars which stay open until 3am. Membership costs £5 per day. or £20 for the season. available from the Fringe Office.
I Fringe Sunday Join 150.000 furt- scckers in Holyrood Park on Sttn 20 Aug. l—5pm. for the biggest free show in the Festival. as fire-caters. jugglcrs. buskers. pipe-bands. comedians. musicians — well. you get the picture — give highlights of their respective shows.
I Evening News Festival Cavalcade Anyone who's anyone in the Festival takes part in this ftrn parade which starts life in Waterloo Place. journeys down Princes Street and ends up in a big heap on the Grassmarket. So pick your vantage point front any of these places. or run alongside ifyou think you're up to it. Sun 13 Aug. 2.l5pm.
I Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival From classic 50s retrospectives to 90s world premieres. documentaries and shorts. to full-length featttres. complete unknowns to superstars. the Film Festival comprises fifteen days of non- stop movies. lilntmakcrs forums and star appearances. Films will be screened at The Filrnhottse. The Cameo. MGM. ()dcon. UCl and GFT. Sunl3—Sun 27 Aug.
I Box Office Tickets for all films can be bottght in person at the Filmhouse. 88 Lothian Road. Edinburgh. EH3 ()BZ. ()I3l 229 2550. Until ll Aug open daily noon—9pm; l2—27 Aug, open daily 9am—9pm. ()r by phone on ()l3l 467 7664. until ll Aug open daily noon~8pm; l2—27 Aug open daily 9am—8pm.
Films showing at other cinemas can also be purchased at the relevant box office.
2 The List ll-l7 Aug 1995