Hosted on a publicly-available Google Sheets, the Fringe of Colour Database exists to highlight and support shows and events taking place at the Edinburgh festivals in August that centre People of Colour. We determine this using the following criterion: 50% or more of the performers or speakers on stage are People of Colour (Black, Asian, Arab, Indigenous and Latine).
If it's a one person show, that performer must be a Person of Colour, if it's a 20-person cast, at least 10 of the performers must be People of Colour. If it's a talk, at least half of the people on the stage, including the chair, must be People of Colour.
Why 50%? We argue this is the minimum proportion of performers necessary to qualify a show or event as centring Artists of Colour.
The Fringe of Colour Database is run by FoC Founder, Jess Brough. All data is collected from the festivals’ own websites, and is open-access and available for use (with the request that any use is appropriately credited).
Please note: The 2022 and 2023 Databases are only partial records of race at the Edinburgh festivals.
Explore shows and events
If your Fringe show is missing, email Jess at fringeofcolour[at]gmail[dot]com with a link to your show (and confirmation that you have understood the criterion). It'll be added as soon as possible!
How to use the Fringe of Colour Database
Each spreadsheet is organised according to categories of shows or events, to help facilitate searches (e.g., comedy, theatre, children’s shows).
Not familiar with Google Sheets? No problem. You can use the category sub-headings to find what you are looking for (e.g., Comedy, Music, etc.) by scrolling down the page, or you can use the search function if there is a particular show, performer or event you are looking to get information on.
To use the search function, click Ctrl+F on a PC, or Cmd + alt + Space on a Mac. Then just type in a keyword (or partial keyword) like "disability" (or "disab", to capture words like "disability" and "disabled"), "Palestine" (or "Palestin" to capture words like "Palestine" and "Palestinian"), "austim" (or "autis" to capture words like "autism" and "autistic"), as well as genre words like "magic", "dance", and "puppet".
For companies, collaborators, producers, promoters, talent scouts and more…
If you are looking to find Black artists or Artists of Colour in the UK and beyond, the Fringe of Colour Database provides a great resource for your searches. Simply scroll to the performance category you are looking for and see who took a show to Edinburgh in previous years (or who joined from online). Do keep in mind that a lot of artists and creatives cannot make it to the Edinburgh festivals, so this is by no means an exhaustive list of great talent.