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The transformation's Udderway
Published on Monday, 01 August 2011

They're putting up a tent on Bristo Square.  We know what comes next, because we've seen it there before.  The spindly legs will be added soon; its head can't be far behind.  And then, they'll attach a bright purple udder.

It's a COW.  It's lying flat on its back.  And it means just one thing...  The Fringe is coming to town!

UdderbellyThe tent's the Udderbelly (pictured), the most startling landmark on the Fringe.  But we shouldn't let a cow hog all the attention... not when the whole town's dressing up for the show.

This is the part we like the best: the excitement, the transformation, the chance to poke around buildings whose doors normally stay tantalisingly closed.  When else, for example, could we go inside the Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, its towers so striking and visible on the Princes Street skyline?  Or catch a recital in St Cecilia's, Scotland's oldest concert hall?

Then again, the best venues aren't always the grandest ones.  We can't wait to call into C Too, tucked away behind St Columba's Church on the Royal Mile, for a sneaky beer in the garden bar and a life-affirming show inside.  Yes, it's just a church hall, but it's a church hall with history - indelibly stamped with the spirit of the Fringe.  We'll rush there as soon as it opens, and we almost don't care what we're going to see.

And then, of course, there's the Assembly George Square, the latest mega-venue to land on the Fringe scene.  With not one, but three, Spiegeltents and a myriad of courtyard bars, it'll be a new favourite hang-out, if the weather proves kind.  And that's not the only major new venue this year; we're excited about Summerhall, which promises an intriguing programme of largely experimental theatre, just a short walk from the Assembly's new home in the old Dick Vet school.

In the New Town, the Hill Street Theatre has moved to fill the vacuum left by the Assembly with a new offshoot at St George's West - the lovely West End church which surely deserves its share of Fringe limelight.  Over by Leith Walk, Greenside is resurgent this year, and still the list goes on; the Fringe banner is flying over halls, churches and pubs the length and breadth of the city.

It's all coming soon, and we can hardly wait.  2,500 shows, 250 venues, all packed into an extraordinary, exhausting 25 days.  So, catch your breath; if you can, catch some sleep.  And then get ready to make the most of it all.

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