About
Founded in 2018, Fringe of Colour is a multi-award-winning initiative dedicated to supporting People of Colour at arts festivals in Scotland and beyond.
This work exists in many forms, including:
A Database of shows by Artists of Colour at the Edinburgh festivals
Fringe of Colour Films, a hybrid arts festival celebrating the creative work of Black, Asian, Arab, Indigenous and Latine people in Scotland and around the world
Fringe of Colour Responses, a publishing platform for Writers of Colour to respond to work by Artists of Colour
Before the Applause, a podcast series and audio programme exploring filmmaking
Fringe of Colour was founded in 2018 in response to the scarcity of shows by People of Colour at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the disproportionate promotion and support they receive in comparison to productions by white performers.
The project began as a database of shows and developed into a free ticket scheme in 2019, providing People of Colour with tickets to attend shows by Performers of Colour at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. You can find the latest database here.
2020 posed new challenges. In the midst of COVID-19, with festivals and live events cancelled and a necessary move towards the virtual, we noticed that many organisations gladly fell back on the “safe”; read: white, straight, cis, able-bodied, neurotypical, wealthy or middle class, for online entertainment. In creating our own festival, Fringe of Colour Films, we continued to look for people from our many different communities to support, celebrate, and work with.
Each year, Fringe of Colour adapts and evolves to suit what is needed of the project and our resources. The best way to stay informed about new work and projects is to join our mailing list.
Fringe of Colour has been celebrated publicly as the recipient of the Total Theatre Award for Significant Contribution (2019), Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Panel Prize Award (2019) and the Creative Edinburgh Independent Award for the Fringe of Colour project (2019).
Our Team
This work could not be done without a host of brilliant artists, arts practitioners, producers, strategisers and developers. Learn about the people who make Fringe of Colour happen.
Press coverage
See what people have been saying about Fringe of Colour, the database, and the festival on our Press page, and find out how to get in touch with us.
Our Supporters
Fringe of Colour is a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) and receives public grants, as well as donations and income from event ticket sales. We couldn’t do what we do without this essential support!
Contact us
If you are a group who works with Black people or People of Colour of any age, in or around Edinburgh, and would like to stay up-to-date with free tickets to Edinburgh-based productions, please get in touch.