The Stirling Fringe’s Street Food Festival, with Hervé, the Loving Food Truck, another of our Local Heroes!
This year, the City of Stirling hosted its second ten-day arts festival, the Stirling Fringe. Smaller, younger, and more community-focused than its Edinburgh counterpart, the Stirling Fringe is already attracting its fair share of attention in the press and beyond. We spoke to Barry McDonald, the man behind the Festival’s creation.
Where did the Stirling Fringe idea come from? ‘There wasn’t a eureka moment, as such, but I’d been visiting the Edinburgh Fringe for a couple of years as a PR consultant for some productions and noticed how many people were travelling from the Stirling area to see shows. I wondered why, if there was an appetite for the arts in Stirling, no arts festival existed. I mentioned the idea of a Stirling Fringe to a few people involved in the Stirling creative arts and they all said it was a fantastic idea. The name Stirling Fringe was never intended to be the name of the festival, just a working title. But it kind of stuck.’
Barry with Provost Mike Robbins, supporter of the Stirling Fringe
How does the Stirling Fringe differ from its Edinburgh counterpart? ‘We’re only a fraction of the size of Edinburgh – and we intend to keep it that way. Despite growing in size, we’ll always remain a manageable festival with the community at the heart of our activities.’ But Barry is clear that ‘manageable’ doesn’t mean unambitious – there are big plans for the future: ‘I’d like to see the festival grow an international reputation with more acts coming from overseas. This year we had acts from South Africa, Sweden and Canada. It would be great to attract more overseas acts as the festival grows. We also want to develop our reputation as a festival where artists can come and try something new. Over the next few years I’d also like more community engagement and have every community group staging their own shows.’
Barry is keen for the Fringe to make a difference for Stirling. ‘Apart from being very centrally located, Stirling has a rich historical culture. If we can add – in some small way – to the artistic culture, we can make Stirling the perfect destination.’ And it’s this vision that drives him: ‘One of the main motivating factors is genuinely to make a positive impact on Stirling. This isn’t my home town – I only moved here nine years ago – but it is my home now, it’s where my daughter was born and if I can help in some small way to improve the arts scene in Stirling, then it will all have been worthwhile.’
One of 2014’s highlights: acoustic nights at Cowane’s Hospital
We’re interested to know if there is any such thing as a normal working day for Barry, and his response is no surprise: ‘The great thing about this job is there is no typical day. It can involve everything from setting up a music concert (carrying heavy speakers is a prerequisite for the job!), stocking the bar, looking after the social media channels, and handing out brochures. You need to be able to turn your hand to anything.’
Highlights this year? ‘The music events we staged at Cowane’s Hospital. It’s an amazing venue for live acoustic music. We loved it so much we’re launching a new monthly music event – The GuildHall Music Club – which starts on Dec 6.’ And what’s in mind for the Fringe next year? ‘We’re just about to sit down and plan next year’s festival. Who knows what it will look like? We always welcome new suggestions – email info@stirlingfringe.com!
- For more information on the Stirling Fringe, see: http://stirlingfringe.com/
- For more information on the Guildhall Music Club, see: http://www.cowanes.org.uk/guildhall-music-club-cowanes-hospital/
Photo credits: All photos courtesy of the Stirling Fringe.