THAT buzz you hear is North Berwick gearing up for the 16th annual Fringe by the Sea festival, which opens tomorrow (Friday).
Excitement is building in the seaside town as residents and visitors look forward to seeing big names including The Jacksons, Richard E Grant, Del Amitri, Alexander McCall Smith, Ray Mears, Caitlin Moran, Clive Myrie, The Stranglers, Chris Brookmyre, Ash and Idlewild.
Also appearing this year will be Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards; Scotland’s Home of the Year judge Banjo Beale; Irish comedian and musician David O’Doherty; and The Last Leg presenter Adam Hills.
Rory Steel, Fringe by the Sea director, said: “Curtain-raising day is always fantastic and the one day I always look forward to.
“I’m excited to see Trash Test Dummies – it’s a great way to start the festival and I used to take my own kids to see them.
“Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards will be great, given that the Olympics are on at the moment, and I know he’s a hero for many after the Calgary Olympics.
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“And, of course, we have Hot Chip on Friday night, which will be a great way to get the party started.”
The 10-day festival will see more than 260 events performed across seven stages and marquees in the Lodge Grounds, the biggest of which, the Big Top, has a maximum capacity of 1,400 seated and 2,500 standing.
With this year’s theme being ‘Sharing Spaces’, visitors can expect to see global stars followed by local talent onstage in the same venue – and sometimes in the same show. Gospel fans will see London-based House Gospel Choir supported by North Berwick choir Voices, while The Jacksons’ support act is Wallyford singer Brooke Combe.
Events will also be held in pop-up venues around the town, including at the Scottish Seabird Centre and North Berwick Library.
Rory said: “The Lodge is our spiritual home now but there are lots of things going on around the town, including the Open Studios, with artists inviting people through their doors for the duration of the festival.”
Book-lovers can check out bestselling Scottish author Jenny Colgan and journalist Hugo Rifkind; while all the family can join the Lughnasadh Torchlight Procession along the seafront on Sunday evening (8.45pm).
Children will also have plenty to enjoy, including TV’s Horrible Histories team – on their only Scottish date this year – Trash Test Dummies, Alexander the Great circus skills, authors Craig Andrew Mooney and Abi Elphinstone, comic entertainer Marcel Lucont and The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Game Show.
The number of visitors to Fringe By The Sea last year – 74,750 – rose by a third from 2022, according to a report by MKA Economics.
The report also showed that the net additional impact of visitor spend during the 10 days of the festival was in the region of £7,313,884 – a 14 per cent increase on 2022.
Rory added: “We can’t increase the capacity of the Big Top but we’ve inc-reased the size of the North Berwick Trust Hub in the middle of the park, so people can come to hang out there. We are prepared for more numbers should they turn up – I recommend that people make sure they buy tickets for the shows they want to see because tickets for some shows are selling out already.”
To find out more and book tickets, go to fringebythesea.com
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