The Edinburgh International Festival was established at the end of the Second World War to enrich and enliven the Scottish capital and "provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit" in Europe, Britain and Scotland. Its reputation has helped provide a major source of tourism revenue for the city, and in 1999 it was given a permanent home at the former Highland Tolbooth on the Royal Mile, now called The Hub.
The festival takes place in every major arts venue in Edinburgh, including the historic Usher Hall, Edinburgh Playhouse and Royal Lyceum. It coincides with the Edinburgh Book Festival and Edinburgh Fringe, which help double the population and turn almost every pub, community centre and street corner into a festival venue. The climax is a spectacular fireworks display and concert by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, held in Princes Street Gardens. Tickets to this event are available only via a postal ballot or in limited quantities online or in person on given dates each year. But there are plenty of places around the city where you can watch the fireworks for free.
Edinburgh now has 12 major annual festivals that grew out of the success of the Edinburgh International Festival and has led to it being dubbed Festival City. Several coincide with the EIF and are often collectively referred to as the Edinburgh Festival. The festival has been held for three weeks from mid-August since its inception in 1947. In the same year several maverick theatre companies organised their own unofficial events and gave birth to the Edinburgh Fringe, a collection of often impromptu street performances, comedy and art installations that run in tandem from mid to late August. The Edinburgh International Film Festival ran concurrently with the EIF from 1947 until 2008 but now takes place in June.
Almost every artistic taste is catered for by the combined events of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe. Artistic access to the EIF is by invitation only and features internationally acclaimed artists, opera singers, orchestras and theatre companies. The Fringe is an open arena with no official selection process. It has proved a fertile breeding ground for new talent and experimental work and has seen the debut of performers including Ricky Gervais, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
Artists attending the EIF are already well-established, but the Fringe attracts those hoping to make a career break. A number of awards are given annually to help emerging performers. The Perrier Award, established in 1981, ran until 2005 and virtually guaranteed the winning comedian a TV appearance. Past recipients include Emma Thompson, Frank Skinner and The League of Gentlemen. Other coveted awards include the Edinburgh International Festival Award presented to a Fringe company to help develop works in progress for the next year’s EIF.