Edinburgh Fringe acts and venues get go ahead for 2021

Performers and venues will be able to register for 2021’s Edinburgh Fringe from next month, as plans for live and digital events are made.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the organisation that underpins the running of the festival, announced that registration for in-person and virtual acts opens on May 5.

A range of scenarios are being prepared to allow the largest arts festival in the world to go-ahead despite uncertainty from the pandemic, including socially distanced live events and digital offerings.

Shona McCarthy, the society’s chief cxecutive, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.

“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”

The Fringe was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 and it is not clear what the situation will be like come August, when Edinburgh’s festival season is expected to kick-off.

A dedicated streaming platform, the Fringe Player, has been developed in the hope of bringing some of the festival’s atmosphere into homes around the world.

But the Fringe Society is in a difficult financial situation having reduced staff numbers by a third to try and weather the economic storm during the pandemic.

The organisers of the festival warned it could take at least three years for a recovery to be staged.

The Fringe will take place from August 6 until August 30 and any live performance will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government.

Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work here. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.