Five things you need to know today

Fringe enjoys record year – Transport & Environment Committee – National Museum of Scotland today – Forth Bridge viewing platform – Virgin Money Fireworks Concert

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013 has just come to an end. There were 45,464 performances of 2,871 shows, making it the largest ever arts festival in the world.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society announced that by yesterday afternoon, with hundreds of performances still to take place, an estimated 1,943,493 tickets had been issued for shows and events in 273 venues across the city, reflecting the continuing popularity and cultural significance of the Fringe.  This is 5% more than the overall number of tickets estimated to have been issued by the same point last year.

Kath M Mainland, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said:-“Our loyal and enthusiastic audience has once again been treated to the most amazing cultural experience and has been both challenged and entertained by a programme of spectacular work across all artforms from all around the world.

“Over the past 25 days, audiences from Edinburgh, Scotland, the rest of the UK and across the globe have been inspired by world-class performers, writers and artists in the largest celebration of art and entertainment in the world. I would like, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people who visited the Fringe this year, to thank them for showing us their incredible talent and courage by bringing so many extraordinary shows and events to our capital city.”

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The council’s Transport committee meets this morning at the City Chambers.

The committee will be discussing plans to roll out the 20 mph limit to all residential streets, main shopping streets and streets in the city centre or those with lots of pedestrians and cyclists. This scheme has been piloted in South Central Edinburgh and the council believe it has been a success both in terms of residents being encouraged to walk or cycle and for reasons of road safety.

The council pilot has cost £213,542 for signage, staff costs and various surveys and has been based on findings elsewhere in the UK where 20 mph zones have also proved successful in creating ‘liveable streets’.

The meeting will also consider the proposal first put to the council 3 years ago for a surface pedestrian crossing to be installed on Calder Road at Parkhead. The cost then was estimated to be £150,000 to install traffic lights and the necessary infrastructure to take the place of the subway there. Although the local community would like the subway to be replaced it does not appear that this will be possible as there is no budget for it at present.

Any member of the public can attend this meeting if interested and the papers can be accessed here. 

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Edinburgh International Festival: Movements

27 August, 14:30 – 15:30

Auditorium, Level 1 (entry via Chambers Street)

Cost: £6, book in advance at www.eif.co.uk/series/movements

As part of the Edinburgh International Festival Movements is a series of talks and events, presented in association with National Museums Scotland, exploring how artists have kept pace with technology over the centuries and how technology in turn influences artists. Specialist contributors include musicians Brian Eno, Irvine Arditti and Simon Kirby and subjects include 300 years of the piano, the autonomous and emotional robot band Cybraphon, and the phenomenon of Deus ex machina.

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Network Rail plan to install a viewing platform at the top of the Forth Bridge. What do you think? Would you go up there for a wee look or would you be too scared?

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The annual Virgin Money Fireworks Concert takes place this Sunday 1 September 2013. There are plenty of vantage points from Inverleith in the north to Salisbury Crags on the other side of the city where you can watch the display which starts at 9:00pm accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. This year’s centrepiece is Musorgsky’s dazzling orchestral showpiece Pictures at an Exhibition. Its vivid musical depictions of Russian paintings, conveyed in virtuoso playing and barnstorming brass fanfares, are promised to be the perfect match for an astonishing display of pyrotechnics.

It appears from the website that there may still be tickets for Princes Street Gardens although you will have to check with The Hub.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCPmWS8lyZk]