EDINBURGH FESTIVAL preview

The List's Guide to the 1997 Edinburgh Festival

THIS YEAR, THE world~famous Edinburgh Festival celebrates its 50th

birthday. It’s going to be a big, fat, exciting three weeks; and to ensure that our readers have the best time possible this August, we at The List are already hard at work preparing our THREE WEEKLY FESTIVAL SPECIAL ISSUES. These will be published on Thu 7, Thu 14

and Thu 21 August.

As the only locally based publication dedicated to arts and enter- tainments, with twelve years of experience, The List is ideally placed

Tickets 8: Information

THREE FESTIVALS have taken place in Edinburgh every August since 1947 - the International Festival, the Fringe and the Film Festival. This year, they are joined by the Book Festival (now an annual event) and (within the Fringe) the annual Mela of Asian arts, and the new Flux festival of contemporary music. The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival takes place in the week prior to the Festival. Details of all the festivals are given below.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

The original and most prestigious Edinburgh Festival, at which leading international performers of music, opera, theatre and dance are invrted to perform at the city’s major venues The International Festival runs Sun 10- Sat 30 August.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE Tickets for all International Festival events can be bought from the Festival Box Office, 21 Market Street, Edinburgh, 0131 473 2000, Open (until Fri 1 Aug) Mon Fri 10am~6pm, Sat noon—3pm (Sat 2 Sat 30 Aug) Mon—Sat 9am-7pm; Sun 10am 5pm. The following venues also sell tickets for all International Festival events. King's Theatre Leven Street,

0131 220 4349;

Queen’s Hall Clerk Street,

0131668 2019,

Usher Hall Lothian Road,

0131 228 1155

Any tickets unsold on the day of the performance are available on the door one hour before curtain up. Half-price tickets for some perform- ances are sold -- SUbJE‘CI to availability from 1pm on the day of performance, at the Festival Box Office, 21 Market Street, 0131 473 2000. Limited to two tickets per caller. Day seats for all opera perforrriances and all shows at the Gateway Theatre are sold for £5 (SUDJOCI to availability) on the day of the performance, at the main International Festival box office

BANK OF SCOTLAND FIREWORKS CONCERT Thu 28 Aug, 10.30pm. This annual spectacular, at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens, is one of the highlights of the Festival’s final week

30 THE LIST 25 Jul ~7 Aug 199/

This year, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra performs Handel, Shostakowch, Johann Strauss, Sibelius and Chabrier, \\'llll(‘ spec— tacular fireworks fill the sky and cascade down the Castie roc l: lilt‘IQ )5 only one chance left to buv tickets grvrng admisSicm to Princes Street Gardens. From 10am on Sun 21 Aug, a limited number of tickets will be offered for sale at the main International Festival box office rmax- imum fOur tickets per person) They are expected to sell out (Itllcli'ly, but disappomted punters c an IOIII the throng on and around Princes Street to Jostle for the best views

to guide you around the biggest arts festival the world has ever seen.

Over the three weeks, we’ll be doing everything we can to help you

find out where to go, what to see and how to get the tickets. These pages will have given you a taste of what to expect from

the 1997 Festival. Below and over the page, we'll explain all about

the practicalities.

It’s already shaping up to be a good year we hope you’ll enjoy it

with us.

Sparks will fly: Bank Of Scotland Fireworks Display

Tickets for Fringe events are also

ava:lal‘-le lil person from

Scottish Gas Mobile Information Centre fKrinc Street Gardens, by The -".‘:ound Open from Sun 10 Aug, daily 10am S 30pm-

Fringe Club Tc’rvrot Rosa», Bristo Sguar‘e 3pen from Fri 8 Acurt, daily

10am 7pm

I James Thin Booksellers 53 59 South

Also 50 years old, the Fringe is (pen to any performer from aii',ri.'.«liere in the world who can find a tenor), and is consequently the l)|’]’)f“~i and rn->st varied arts festival in the work) From early morning until late at night, somebody somewhere Wallis to enter— tain you. Whether the venue is a theatre, a church hall or a street corner, every art-form known to man is on Offer at almost 200 venues around the Cliy. Theatre, dance, coriiedy, music, vrs‘ual art and a few other genres defying categorisation are all on offer. The Fringe runs officially Sun 10-—5at 30 Aug, biit many shows begin earlier, during 'week /ero'

FRINGE BOX OFFICE

Tickets for all shows in the Fringe are available from the Fringe Office, 180 High Street, Edinburgh, 0131 226 5138 Open for bookings in person daily 10am 7pm, or by phone

9am 9pm (10am 6pm until Mon 28 Jul).

Bridge Open from Tue 5 Aug,

lleI) Sat 10am 7pm, Sun

ilarn 5pm

Waterstone's Booksellers 8. Czecagc- Street Open ii‘iiii: Fri 1 Aug, Mon Sat 10am /prii, Sur‘: liarii 7pm

FRINGE VENUES

The Friii'te as a

lJI".'-')frIIIiIlJ‘-’I, but sexeral venues r on

ll’Fl/il‘fl(jib-'Iirllli'if‘“'10lelll()l(‘

perfoiriiaiice spa< and publish their

own bro: huies ithc' Asseriibly Roorris,

share a szrigle l)!’>< lltll(“ and also oper—

the Gilded Balloon arid the Pleasance

ate box o‘li.es for their own shows”

Assembly Rooms SJ George Street,

0131 226 211.78 Open Moi) Fri

llarii cuer illllill 7 Aug), daily

10 30arii iiiiiz'niglit Ifioiii 8 Aug)

Tic iairts for Gilded Ball ion events are also sold here

Fringe Club levrot Ron-x, BII‘ to Sguare,

. 013l bSO ‘1673/226 5') Open daily

7pm late

' Gilded Balloon 233 235 Cowgate,

0131226

151 Open ivion Fri 10am -SI)III 4.30 Jul 7 Aug), daily 10am 12 30arii (8 30 Aug) Tickets for Assembly Rooms events are also

is it it selectively

sold here.

Gilded Balloon II People's Palace, Old Fishmarket Close, 0131 226 2151. Tickets sold at main Gilded Balloon box office and Assembly Rooms.

Hill Street Theatre 19 Hill Street, 0131 226 6522. Open daily

noon 12.30am (1016 Aug); 9.30am-11pm (18-30 Aug). Pleasance 60 The Pleasance, 0131 556 6550. Open daily

10 30am <1 .30am (630 Aug). Open for telephone bookings Mon—Fri 10am 6pm (until 5 Aug), 9am—10pm (6 30 Aug).

Queen's Hall Clerk Street, 0131 668 2019 Open daily 10-75pm (until 31 Jul), 10am 8 30pm I1 -10 Aug); Mon— Sat 10am -10pm, Sun noon~830pm ’10 30 Aug)

Famous Grouse House 5 Chambers Street, 0131 220 5606 Open from 8 Aug daily 9 30am -12 15am.

Theatre Workshop 34 Hamilton Place, 0131 226 5425 Open Mon -Sat

9 30am c5pm (until 7 Aug), Mon-Sat 9 30am 11pm, Sun 10am—10pm (from 8 Aug)

Traverse Theatre Cambridge Street, 0131 228 1404 Open daily 10—6pm (until 6 Aug), Mon 10am~8pm;

iiie Sun 10am -‘.0pm (7—17 Aug); Mon 10arii-8pm, Tue Sun 10am— 11pm (18 30 Aug)

All venues also sell tickets for their own shows shortly before performances begin.

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