Edinburgh: Virgin Money, the financial services division of the Virgin Group, has today announced a sponsorship deal with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society for ‘Fringe on the High Street’. ‘Fringe on the High Street’ is the now famous range of daily outdoor performances that take place during the Fringe on the Royal Mile and The Mound precinct and includes the Half Price Hut.
As official sponsors Virgin Money will enjoy a major rights package which will provide the perfect platform for the bank that aims to make 'everyone better off' and importantly guarantee the continuation of this iconic event.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festivals in the world and takes place in Scotland's capital city for three weeks every August. The Fringe Society has been managing outdoor events on the High Street since 2000.
In 2010 the Fringe saw 40,254 performances of 2,453 shows, featuring over 21,000 performers from over 30 countries, an inspiring celebration and showcase of the best performance and entertainment emerging from around the world. Around one million people came to the High Street in August to sample the entertainment on offer. Over the month visitors could take in 278 extracts of Fringe shows performed on specially constructed outdoor stages, 89 performers staging circle shows, over 200 buskers and over 54 other assorted artists. This is the largest and most spectacular event of its kind in the world.
Virgin Money's Chief Executive, Jayne-Anne Gadhia, said:
"I am delighted that Virgin Money will be supporting the arts by sponsoring the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Our headquarters are based in Edinburgh and we have plans to grow significantly in the city. This sponsorship demonstrates our commitment to the City of Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole.
"The ‘Fringe on the High Street’ event offers the people of Edinburgh, and hundreds of thousands of visitors, a chance to watch for free, the best street theatre in the world as well as extracts from hundreds of Fringe shows.
'At Virgin Money we aim to make 'everyone better off' which makes the Fringe Society the perfect partner for us as it's open and accessible to everyone. We are planning to paint the town red for three weeks in August and beyond."
Chief Executive of the Festival Fringe Society, Kath M Mainland, said:
"Virgin Money has a growing presence in Edinburgh and it is fantastic that they have chosen to sponsor the ‘Fringe on the High Street’ event. One of the core responsibilities of the Fringe Society is to support those who participate in the Fringe and the opportunities offered by the event on the High Street and The Mound that we manage each year is a key part of that support. Over the coming years we will work closely with Virgin Money to make ‘Fringe on the High Street’ and the events that surround it even more exciting and dynamic than they have ever been before."
Notes to editors:
- Virgin Money’s sponsorship of ‘Fringe on the High Street’ will run for three years from 2011 to 2013.
- The 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from the 5th to 29th of August.