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Edinburgh Fringe tickets are flying about
August has arrived in Edinburgh – and the rest of the world, in fact – bringing with it a deluge of travelling live performance from stand up comedy to theatre; everything in between, before and beyond that, too.
The Fringe kicks off (Getty 2014/Jeff. J Mitchell)
The city becomes one of the most visited in the world during the Festival Fringe, so this year, celebrations have kicked off at the airport, meaning newly arrived tourists get a taste of the frivolity and hullaballoo as soon as they step off the plane.
"This is an amazing time of year where our city truly comes alive. We work closely with city partners to bring some of the buzz and atmosphere out to the airport and we've got a great selection of Fringe performers lined up to entertain our passengers over the next few weeks," Edinburgh Airport Chief Executive Gordon Dewar explained.
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"The fact that we now have a dedicated ticket collection point in the terminal is a real bonus and means visitors can print their tickets here, saving valuable time to explore the city. I've already used the machine to get my tickets. We're getting into the spirit of things and want to make sure all visitors have a great airport experience and a fantastic welcome to Edinburgh," he added.
This year, ticketing has been improved to deal with the exponentially increasing appeal of the Fringe. Previous years have been criticised for the elongated, roundabout way tickets were bought and sold, leading to a streamlined operation for this and subsequent festivals. What's more, you can even collect your tickets when you arrive at the airport, for maximum convenience.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Chief Executive Kath M Mainland said: "It gives me great pleasure to say that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014 is finally here. We have been getting ready for Fringe 2014 for the past year and it feels fantastic to launch what will definitely be an unforgettable month of arts and culture.
"The sheer volume of performers, companies and venues who are gathering in Edinburgh, many of them arriving through Edinburgh Airport, to be part of this year's festival is overwhelming and further solidifies the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's position as the best place in the world for artists to showcase their work."