🗞️ Letter from the Editor: Time t o revel in the colour, sounds and creativity of the greatest collect ion of arts festivals in the world

The Scotsman has been proud to cover the Edinburgh festivals since their inception in 1947, and as the festivals have grown, our coverage has grown too. We are not aware of any other daily newspaper, anywhere in the world, which produces a greater volume of professional arts criticism in a single month than we do in a typical August. View email online

News Opinion Sport I N S I D E R Aug 5, 2022 Neil McIntosh Editor of The Scotsman Hello from The Scotsman. Here in Edinburgh, there's a palpable sense of excitement: the sun is shining, and the city is shaping up for the first proper Festival since 2019. Both the International Festival and The Fringe start tonight although (as some of you have reminded me on social media this week!) a few, very enjoyable, shows have already started. The Festivals return A lot has changed in the last three years, but at least for the rest of the month we can revel in the colour, sounds and creativity of the greatest collection of arts festivals in the world. It is the 75th anniversary of the International Festival's foundation, of course, and I'm constantly reminded of The Scotsman's leading role in the foundation and growth of those festivals and, of course, every year in assessing and championing the events put on by a global cast of performers. In the depths of the Covid crisis, we resolved to keep our Festival coverage, and its spirit, alive in some way - that resolve gave birth to the amazing Scotsman Sessions you can find online - and I'm delighted that The Scotsman will, again, offer an unrivalled service to readers this year as the events roar back. As our Arts Editor, Roger Cox, wrote last week, we are not aware of any other daily newspaper, anywhere in the world, that produces more professional arts criticism than we do in a typical August. - Ten children's shows to see on the Fringe - Rap, Rocky Horror and Robbie Williams anthems brought in for Edinburgh Tattoo revamp - Ukrainian ballet dancers set to star in the Fringe As a subscriber to The Scotsman, you'll have a front row seat - perhaps literally, if you've taken advantage of our free tickets offer - but certainly metaphorically. Our brilliant team of critics are fanning out across the cities venues - from the established theatres to the improvised spaces and church halls - to find the best, the freshest and (occasionally) worst the Festival can bring. In our pages over the coming weeks, you'll be able to read their verdicts. We hope you enjoy it, and manage to take in a little of what's on offer in person. (And don't forget to sign up for our new arts newsletter if you want to get updates in your inbox). The world around us The rest of the world goes on, of course, and it's not all good news: the youngest and the poorest in our society will feel the coming recession hardest. That the bad news lands in the middle of a - frankly - uninspiring Conservative leadership election (our columnist Laura Waddell put it even more strongly) is unfortunate. That their ideas, and leadership from the outgoing Prime Minister and his Chancellor, are so poor is entirely a culmination of the chaotic policy, and politics, of the last six years. We'll continue to analyse the impact - and potential routes out of this mess - in the days and weeks to come. In the meantime, I hope you can find some escape in the days ahead. The weather's looking good through the weekend and especially into next week, so if you can make it to a show or two, conditions are perfect. For everyone else, I hope you enjoy living vicariously through the pages, online and in print, of your Scotsman's coverage. Thank you, as ever, for your support. Neil McIntosh Editor, The Scotsman The Scotsman’s 2022 Edinburgh Festival coverage: everything you need to know The Scotsman has been proud to cover the Edinburgh festivals since their inception in 1947, and as the festivals have grown, our coverage has grown too. We are not aware of any other daily newspaper, anywhere in the world, which produces a greater volume of professional arts criticism in a single month than we do in a typical August. Read more + UK to fall into longest recession since 2008 financial crisis in 'national emergency' as interest rates increase The UK is set to fall into its longest recession since the financial crisis and inflation will peak at more than 13 per cent as gas prices soar as the damning outlook has been described as the "final straw" for struggling businesses and families. Read more + Tory leadership race reveals how morally bankrupt the UK has become – Laura Waddell The race for the Conservative leadership election has revealed the selfish, self-serving, miserable heart of the UK political elite. Read more +

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