As the Fringe in Edinburgh kicks off its three weeks of cultural activity, another begins a few miles away – North Berwick’s Fringe by the Sea (5-11 August) offers a smaller but no less interestingly formed programme of musical, literary and other events to whet the intellectual (and other) appetites.
Playing to the strengths of its location as a destination for holiday-making families, Fringe by the Sea offers a programme that aims at inclusivity while maintaining the spirit of the larger and rather more diverse event along the coast.
While Elaine C Smith (7Th August), Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain (8th August) and Dougie Maclean (11th August) provide the headline events, there are numerous other well-known names appearing, including Liz Lochead (8th August), Maggie O’Farrell (7th August) and Christopher Brookmyre (8Th August) are only some of the authors making a trip to the seaside that week.
As one might expect of an area where natural heritage abounds, tutored walks on North Berwick Law and along the coast to Yellowcraigs Beach feature, along with intriguingly named Performance Archaeology, in which participants are given opportunities to get to grips with camera surveying, topography and for those already missing ‘Time Team’, what is really meant by ‘geophys’, as well as taking part in excavation. This is a first for any festival in Scotland, and one wishes this particular initiative well (both 7Th August).
Finally, for those who prefer the kind of mess you can wipe off with a kitchen towel,
Jo MacSween, of MacSween Haggis presents some of the dishes included in her Haggis Bible, and well-known chef and Fife’s food ambassador Christopher Trotter promotes the cuisine of the Kingdom (both 9th August)
Fringe by the Sea has managed to pack quite a lot of guid gear in sma bulk and into the programme of this inclusive yet diverse mini-festival, and one wishes them well wit all of it. If the weather stays as sunny as at the time of writing, take yourselves along the coast and get some stimulating entertainment as well as sand between your toes.
Tickets for all events are available from the festival ticket both (situated on Quality Street, North Berwick) and from www.fringebythesea.com.