About Fest
A Brief History
In the summer of 2002, a fledging publication named Fest emerged at the Edinburgh Festival. Operating from a cramped cellar underneath the Pleasance Courtyard, Fest was the brainchild of precocious Edinburgh students Helen Pidd and Dan Lerner, who set their sights on shaking up the staid journalism of the broadsheets.
Their vision was bright and bold, a free tabloid that picked out the most interesting, most innovative and best shows across the festivals. Fringe goers wanted reviews, the pair believed, but didn’t want to traipse to a newsagent every time they chose a show. Fest provided a perfect alternative, providing reviews and listings where consumers most needed them – at the venues. Published three-time-a-week and distributed from 100 stands across festival Edinburgh, Fest quickly established a reputation for sharp and insightful journalism, offering a springboard for young local journalists to be creative and showcase their talent.
After a chaotic opening year, Fest moved to more respectable premises in 2003 and began to establish itself as a festival regular. Media partnerships were setup with Time Out, BBC and Big Issue Scotland, and in 2004 a July preview edition was distributed all around the country. Fest editor Helen Pidd also began an annual comedians Vs Critics football match in 2004, inviting Fringe comics to get their own back in a fiercely competitive encounter held at Holyrood Park.
In 2005, Pidd and Lerner left Fest to seek fame and fortune and passed the reigns onto then comedy editors Will White and Sam Friedman. The magazine has since gone from strength to strength, establishing a successful publishing partnership with local arts monthly, The Skinny, and in 2006 beating off The Scotsman, The Herald and The List to win the prestigious Allen Wright Award for excellence in Fringe Journalism.
2007 promises to be the most exciting year yet for the Fest team, as the magazine changes to a handy pocket-sized A5 format, distributed every Tuesday and Friday.
For advertising inquiries contact Sam Friedman (sam@festmag.co.uk)
For all other inquiries contact Miles Johnson (miles@festmag.co.uk)