The Edinburgh Festival Why Brits Are Missing Out

T he annual Edinburgh                                                 Festivals are regarded          Many big names from both sides of  world wide as some of the       the Atlantic have graced the       best Europe has to offer in terms     festival throughout the years,     of film, literature and music.        such as Robin Williams, Christian  Every year it is estimated that       Slater, Jude Law and Hugh Grant    the population of Edinburgh           to name but a few. It is           doubles as the city becomes one       remarkable considering the vast    of the most vibrant places to be      amounts of money that these        in all of Europe. However,            people can demand for a film role  despite this worldwide                that they would choose such        recognition, only a third of the      humble surroundings - but getting  visitors are locals which means       back to the roots of their acting  many Britons are failing to take      careers seems to be the goal and   advantage of this fantastic short     the fresh challenge is one they    break opportunity available to        seem to relish.                    them right on their doorstep.                                                                                  This year's festival is set to be  Starting in 1947, the Edinburgh       one of the most entertaining in    Festival has grown into the           recent years, with a large number  largest festival in the world of      of quality plays, concerts, gigs   its type. In 2004 there were an       and films set to entertain the     amazing 25,000 performances of        masses throughout the duration.    1,700 shows in over 230 venues        One of the most eagerly awaited    across the city! To give an           plays is "Beyond Midnight" by      impression of how gigantic the        Diane Samuels - writer of the      festival really is, it would have     popular "Kindertransport".         taken over 5 years to see every       Pitched as an adult fairy-tale,    performance back-to-back in 2004!     the production picks up where                                            Disney left off and follows the    trials and tribulations of            will be one of the first           Cinderella's daughter, following      opportunities to hear the band's   the death of her mother. While        new work from their new album -    this dark tale is certainly not       "You Could Have it So Much         for children, no Edinburgh            Better...With Franz Ferdinand" -   Festival would seem complete          set to be released in September    without a fresh offering from the     2005.                              Trestle Theatre Company.                                                                                       With so much going on in the city  One film that seems set to make       there really couldn't be a better  its mark is "On a Clear Day"          time to visit for a few days.      which tells the story of a man        However, despite numbers           recently made redundant who           increasing steadily throughout     decides to focus his life into        the years it is amazing that more  swimming across the English           Britons do not choose Edinburgh    Channel. Starring Peter Mullan        as a short break destination at    and Brenda Blethyn the film can       this time of year. Accommodation   certainly draw parallels with the     can certainly be hard to come by   Full Monty (another Edinburgh         but hotel specialist companies     Festival hit) and certainly seems     such as to be the next worldwide British      href="http://www.superbreak.com"   blockbuster.                          target="_blank">http://www.superb                                        reak.com always have a range   In terms of music, Franz              of excellent deals in city hotels  Ferdinand are a Scottish band         for those looking to spend a       making waves and their festival       weekend in Scotland's Capital.     appearance at Prince's Street                                            Gardens is eagerly anticipated by     In many ways the situation         fans and critics alike. Perhaps       mirrors visitor patterns in        the main reason for this is it        London's West End. For years       American and Japanese tourists        driven short break.                realised that the quality of                                             venues and shows available in         For further listings on all        London were amongst the best in       aspects of the Edinburgh Festival  the world - it just seemed to         try these helpful websites - take locals longer to take            href="http://www.edfilmfest.org.u  advantage of its wonders.             k"                                 However, this trend is certainly      target="_blank">http://www.edfilm  reversing and, buoyed by high         fest.org.uk and profile shows such as "Billy          href="http://www.edfringe.com"     Elliot", London's West End is         target="_blank">http://www.edfrin  proving extremely popular with        ge.com.                        Britons looking for an event           About the Author: Edinburgh based travel writer and webmaster of http://www.travel-tips.co.uk Source: www.isnare.com