This is the programme for this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival. To celebrate my 50th birthday we went last year and loved every minute. With any luck we’ll get back this year.

The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) was established in 1947 in a post-war effort to “provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit” That same year, eight theatrical companies “gatecrashed” the official Festival by organizing their own event, outside the official auspices of the EIF; this started the movement which grew into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (EFF). The EIF and the Fringe remain independent bodies and run separate programmes each year. In more recent years various other annual cultural festivals have been created in Edinburgh, again by separate organizations, though taking place at around the same time in August

Every year thousands of performers take to a multitude of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, musicals, operas, music, exhibitions and events.

 Local performers appearing at the festival this year will include Belfast actor Dan Gordon with his show “The Boat Factory”