30 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Festivals 31

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Festivals

Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, Princes St Gardens / © Dave Stewart

Beltane

https://beltane.org; tickets £8-10; Apr 2017

Beltane is a pagan fire festival that marks the end of winter and

the rebirth of spring. It was resurrected in modern form in 1988

and is now celebrated annually on the summit of Calton Hill. The

spectacular rituals involve lots of fire, drumming, body paint

and sexual innuendo (well, it’s a fertility rite, after all). Bring your

sparklers. Held annually on the night of 30 April into the early

hours (around 1am) of 1 May.

Be aware that access to Calton Hill involves a sloping ascent

and the festival takes place in darkness with some areas becom-

ing very crowded. Contact [email protected] if you have spe-

cific questions about access.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

0131-226 0026; http://www.edfringe.com; 5-29 Aug

When the first Edinburgh Festival was held in 1947, there were

eight theatre companies that didn’t make it onto the main pro-

gram. Undeterred, they grouped together and held their own mini-

festival, on the fringe, and an Edinburgh institution was born.

Today the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest festival of the

performing arts anywhere in the world.

In a strong tradition of enabling access to the arts, the Fringe

has long been committed to catering to diverse audiences. The

Fringe Box Office has designated staff in place deal specifically

with access enquiries and ticket bookings. Contact them at

[email protected] or by phone on 0131-226 0002.

There are a number of accessible performance search tools on

the website. Within the Filter Results panel located on the search

results page, you’ll find an extensive number of accessibility filters

that you can use to quickly locate performances that meet your

requirements. These features are also available on the Fringe app.

Alternatively you can download detailed listings of audio de-

scribed, captioned, relaxed and signed performances. These lists

are updated regularly throughout the season, so download the

latest copies of the listings for the most up-to-date information at

the links at https://www.edfringe.com/visit-the-fringe/accessibility.

Note that the ticket collection point at the Fringe Box Office is

not easily accessible. Customers with access requirements can

buy and collect tickets in the Fringe Shop at 180 High St, which

has automated doors and a designated accessible ticket counter;

take your payment card or transaction ID number. The vast major-

ity of companies with the show in the Fringe offer a complimentary

Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide