The Edinburgh Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world. Every August,
thousands of performances take place in venues all over the city. The Fringe began
in 1947, as a smaller version of the Edinburgh International Festival. Today, it is
much bigger and people come from all over the world to watch comedy shows,
theater productions, street performers, and much more. We asked some visitors
what they thought of this year’s festival and its shows.
Man 1: I love stand-up comedy, so I come here every year. I always watch
lots of different kinds of comedians. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
is great because you can watch comedy shows all day, from early
in the morning until late at night. I don’t know of any other festival
which has as much great comedy as the Edinburgh Fringe. And
it’s not only about the comedy. I saw a ballet yesterday, and it was
amazing! I didn’t really want to go, to be honest, but I’m very glad
I did. The dancing was incredible!
Woman 1: I live in Edinburgh, so I have a whole month to see a lot of
different kinds of performances. Some local people don’t like it
because there are so many tourists, and the city gets very busy
and crowded. But I like seeing so many people coming to our city
and having a good time, so I think the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
is a good thing. I don’t like everything I see here, though. I saw
a physical theater performance yesterday. It was a bit like dance,
but there wasn’t as much music. It was … interesting. The actors
were very good, but I didn’t really understand the story.
Man 2: I just saw a play and it was awful! I read a review that gave it five
stars, but I didn’t like it at all. There wasn’t any action; it was just
some people standing around talking. It was really dull. Next, I’m
going to see a comedy show. I can’t remember the comedian’s
name, but my girlfriend thinks he’s hilarious, so it should be good.
Woman 2: People say it’s the biggest festival in the world. I think that
must be true, because there are so many different shows and
performances here. The streets are full of performers and there
are posters for plays and comedy shows everywhere. I just saw
a clown doing an outdoor show. He was really funny; everyone
stopped to watch him, even the police officers. It was brilliant!
I come here every year, but not just for fun. Actually, I’m the
director of a youth theater group. This year, we’re doing Bugsy
Malone. It’s been really popular. The kids always enjoy coming
here. In my opinion, the Edinburgh Fringe is the best festival in
the world