The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, billed as the “biggest celebration of arts and culture on the planet,” has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Executive Shona McCarthy said in a statement.
It had been scheduled for August. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was “a heart-breaking decision” during her address to the Scottish Parliament today.
“We’ve had confirmation earlier today that the Edinburgh Festival will not take place this summer for the first time in more than 70 years. This is a heart-breaking decision but absolutely the right one,” Sturgeon said.
Four other festivals also slated to take place in the Scottish capital in August have been cancelled:
- Edinburgh Art Festival
- Edinburgh International Book Festival
- Edinburgh International Festival
- Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
All five festivals, including the Fringe, welcome "audiences of 4.4 million and over 25,000 artists, writers and performers from 70 countries, making them the second biggest cultural event in the world after the Olympics," the organizer's wrote in a statement.