Organisers of the Edinburgh festivals hope the events will go ahead this year, despite COVID-19 restrictions casting doubts over whether this will be allowed to happen.
The 2020 festivals featured a purely online programme due to the global pandemic, and it is not clear what the scale and form of the 2021 festivals will be.
As things stand, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo are all set to take place as scheduled.
A spokesperson for the Edinburgh Fringe Society said “it’s still too early to say exactly what it will look like at this stage, and with the situation changing around us so rapidly, it wouldn’t be sensible or fair for us to speculate at the moment.
“Whatever happens, we know the Fringe will exist in one form or another in 2021.
“We’re working with venues, artists and a variety of stakeholders to plan for a range of different scenarios – from socially distanced live performances, to hybrid digital and live performances, to a more robust digital Fringe.”
The Edinburgh festivals normally dominate the Scottish cultural landscape in the summer, generating as much as £300 million annually for the economy.
Donald Wilson, the city council’s culture leader, said “it would be an understatement to say 2020 was extremely tough for our festivals and events sector.
“As we look ahead to 2021 we will be doing all we can to support the sector and its recovery as safely and as quickly as possible.”
Words by Emily Withers.
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Image: © Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.