Fringe by the Sea: First Five Days
Fringe by the Sea 4/8/26
First five days – Overview
FBTS happens every summer a stone’s throw from our back garden. It used to spread out across the town but now is concentrated in the Lodge Grounds, an area of trees, grass and pathways at the heart of North Berwick. And each year it gets bigger and better. Sponsors, apart from the Council and Creative Scotland, are mostly businesses based or active in East Lothian. This year there’s an overall theme: the environment, nature, conservation, things that live and grow. We’re reviewing quite a few events; here are some we didn’t review and some we didn’t even get to see.
Big names included Capercaillie, a world class Scottish band; we could hear their bass notes from our garden, and Belle & Sebastian, indie pop group with a trail of hits. Ian Hislop, editor of ‘Private Eye’ and quirky TV personality was sold out as soon as announced. Our local celebrity Maggie O’Farrell identifies as Irish but went to school here in North Berwick (We recently found her name neatly written on the flyleaf of a school text we’d bought in a charity shop! The school was delighted to accept it back). O’Farrell’s recent book ‘Hamnet’ has been a worldwide best seller and award-winning film.
Food at the event also has worldwide appeal. A range of counters offer everything from fresh Forth lobsters, burgers and pizzas to Sri Lankan, Cantonese, Mexican and Japanese-Korean street food. The last three are all award-winning and Thai noodles are served by an Italian vegan chef from the top twelve in TV’s Professional Master Chef. By contrast sit-in restaurant ‘Comhla by the Sea’ promises quality East Lothian produce and organic wines.
A hundred or so plant pots flourish in the middle of the grounds with delightful flowers grown by schoolchildren across the county. Nearby the Heart Foundation recruits volunteers to train in CPR. A video van shows a programme of ten short films, including prize-winners.
Local talent is also on display. Twelve North Berwick Songwriters presented a polished hour-long gig of original songs; about love, flirtation, lost contact, landscape, courage, war, peace, failure and astounding successes. The Mill Youth Theatre offered ‘The Murder Mystery that Goes Wrong’.
And just along the road, ‘Circobello’ from Portobello brought a troupe of young women – and-a-man – who combined acrobatics with balletic contortionism in a single show of some of the most beautiful gymnastics – and staging – you’ll ever witness, exploring fish, fire and a flowing silk trapeze.
Beyond the Lodge grounds there are walks around the town led by Dave Berry who can tell a tale about every brick and stone. There are also lessons in ecology at the Seabird Centre. (It turned out the talk we’d booked was aimed at young children, but in fact we had fun and even learned something.) And keeping the grass pristine, lots of recycling bins are cleverly shaped for minimum confusion while the brilliant reusable-cup-return scheme cuts throw-away glasses and cups to zero; caring for nature in deed as well as word.
More to come.
