Edinburgh Fringe: Ten things you never knew about fringes

1. The word “fringe” originally meant an ornamental border made of silk or cotton threads.

2. One of the earliest uses in English was around 1400 in the medieval romance Sir Gawain And The Green Knight which referred to “a saddle that gleamed full gaily with many gold fringes”.

3. The Book of Numbers in the King James Bible commanded the Children of Israel to “make them fringes in the borders of their garments”.

4. During the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the population of the Scottish capital doubles from 500,000 to one million.

5. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe began in 1947…

6. Though John Geddie wrote a book called The Fringes Of Edinburgh as long ago as 1926.

7. In the early 1950s the name of “fringe theatre” spread to all non-mainstream drama everywhere.

8. “Fringe” first referred to a short portion of hair at the front in 1876.

9. A total of 62 countries will be represented at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe which will include 53,232 performers across 300 venues.

10. You can find details of shows and ticket availability at tickets.edfringe.com