Kevin Buckle: Festival goers or tourists – Capital’s tale of two cities
In all my years trading in the city centre I’ve never been so unaware that the various Festivals are taking place. I haven’t been along the Royal Mile recently but certainly elsewhere there has been a distinct lack of performers promoting their shows and if it wasn’t for the posters that are plastered everywhere on temporary hoardings there would be no sign that so many shows were taking place at all.
The shop has remained exceptionally busy but almost the entire customer base has been UK families simply here on holiday or visitors from abroad who again are not here for the Festivals. There have been more locals in than previous years and they are usually the ones who avoid the town centre in August but this year they have ventured out to do some shopping.
In previous years I’ve reported many comments from visitors who felt a bit overwhelmed by how busy the city centre was but for whatever reason this year there has been little said at all despite the fact that in my experience it has been as busy as ever. If anything the only complaints I’ve heard have been about transport with people not impressed at all with either the buses or the trains.
I think one difference between the summer and the winter is that the Christmas Market tends to cause a lot of people just standing around on the pavement and getting in the way of those trying to get from A to B whereas in the summer despite the pavements being crowded I was certainly able to make my way along Princes Street without much trouble.
A lot of families seemed to be visiting for just a few days in which case Edinburgh has enough all year round to offer them but I have occasionally been asked by families who have stayed longer why there are not more family orientated events on in August to which the obvious answer is that it is the Festival.
The other thing I get asked for and have done for as long as I’ve had a shop is what gigs are on. When we opened in the eighties the answer was simple. Every bit of available space in Edinburgh was taken up by the Festival, so small indie gigs in particular were a non-starter.
In later years there were attempts to put on some decent sized shows by well known bands in August but surprisingly they were not that well attended and the idea was dropped quite quickly.
I’m well aware that it helps a lot to be right in the middle of things compared to the years we spent in the Grassmarket or even Cockburn Street, as the visitors often don’t make it beyond the heart of the city centre. But certainly from the shop’s viewpoint an August with visitors is far better than an August with Festival goers.
Normally the first week in September is busy, as it is the last week before the English schools go back and then the students return taking us right up to Christmas.
Knowing Edinburgh Council I’ll be surprised if this Christmas and New Year go by without incident but whether it will be the repeating of old mistakes or something completely new we will have to wait and see.
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