Study Abroad Summer 2023

In response to the end of World War II, Edinburgh established the International Festival in 1947. The goal was to bring together audiences and artists from around the world. That same year eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform at the Festival. Year on year more and more performers followed their example and in 1958 the Fringe was created in response to the success of this growing trend.

Edinburgh’s festivals focused on performing arts of all varieties for decades. In response, the Edinburgh Art Festival was created in 2004 as a platform for the visual arts at the heart of Edinburgh’s August festivals, bringing together the capital’s leading galleries, museums, production facilities and artist-run spaces in a city-wide celebration of the very best in visual art.

Edinburgh now calls itself the world’s leading festival city, and the Fringe the “single greatest celebration of arts and culture on the planet.” How are they able to make these claims? Through this class we will experience the festivals for ourselves and study the organization Festivals Edinburgh which was created in 2007 with a mission to maintain and develop the value of the Festivals’ and the Festival City’s position locally and globally.