The Edinburgh Festival Fringe

[hirashin]

Dear all,
according to our textbook, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest arts festival.
But I'm not sure what "fringe" means in the name. Could anyone explain it?

Hirashin

 

[Psea206]

Fringe refers to something on the edge or margins. For example a decorative border on a rug, usually loose strands or tassels, could be called a fringe.

In this context (Edinburgh festival) it means to be on the edge culturally. Fringe theater will include more experimental kinds of works. Fringe comedy may include acts that push the limits of humor, of social conventions, etc. So it refers to things that are deliberately odd or weird, but not in a negative way.

Fringe festivals can range from the really outrageous to the mildly unusual. Sometimes things hat were once common might now be considered “fringe”, and sometimes acts that are more mainstream in one culture would be fringe in another.

 

[mdchachi]

About the Fringe | Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Fringe story dates back to 1947, when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform at the (then newly formed) Edinburgh International Festival, an initiative created to celebrate and enrich European cultural life in the wake of the Second World War.

Not being part of the official programme of the International Festival didn’t stop these performers, they just went ahead and staged their shows on the fringe of the Festival anyway, coining the phrase and our name – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since the dawn of this spontaneous artistic movement, millions have flocked to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to produce, and to enjoy art of every genre.

 

[hirashin]

Thanks for the information, Psea206 qnd mdchachi.