Fringe: Arts and crafts markets

With the Fringe you get comedy, theatre, cabaret and music but you also get quite a few more or less permanent arts and crafts markets.

Outside of the festival you usually have a few stalls on the Royal Mile with a lot of imported and locally made jewellery, woolens and other stuff, but also painters, henna tattoos and other stuff. During the festival that changes a little, you get more local stuff on the Mile and more painters and there is bigger variety of crafts available.

Today I went to the new town the first time since the festival started and I thought, I'd have a look what's happening on St. Andrew's square, since it usually is a popular stop for events. And there were a couple off stalls as well. Most of them had international arts and crafts but some also seemed rather local. And there was one tent showing "a refreshing new approach to art". I think the guys who organise the whole thing are from Breeze Gallery and I am telling you they had some amazing paintings and drawings. Oh My God. I loved them all. A lot of them had one or another Edinburgh motive but some of them also were portraits of famous artists, there were a couple of paintings that showed a rainy US American city, which took my breath away. There was quite the variety of styles and motives, but all of them had in common that they had an edge in one way or another to them and I wish I had the money to buy and a wall to put up at least one of them. I am not much into that sort of art, but I very much enjoyed that exhibition, very much recommended!

And then, by chance I ended up at what I believe is the biggest arts and crafts market in Edinburgh at the moment, the West End Fair at St. Johns church.
It is a little odd, because the market takes place in the actual graveyard that surrounds the church. Yes, they build a wooden floor and stalls on top of the (hundreds of years old) graves. Some people of course might think that's inappropriate and I have to admit, that I was not 100% comfortable walking around all the graves and basically going shopping but on the other hand, even if the dead have an opinion on the matter, would they really mind? Anyways, despite the awkward feeling the market itself is AMAZING. If you are in Edinburgh for the Fringe or not, this is THE PLACE to find an authentic souvenir. Forget all the cashmere shops on the Royal Mile (I freaking hate them), this market is where you get locally made stuff directly from the people who make it. And you can get anything and everything you can imagine. All of the things as my kids would say: pottery, jewellery, leather bags and belts, wooden decorations, metal work, woolens, cards and so much more. There are over 100 exhibitors. It is just WOW! Again, I wish I had enough money and space to buy bits and bobs of everyone because they all make such beautiful things and they all deserve all the support they can get. 
Unfortunately I am a poor backpacker, so all I can do is recommend that market to everyone:
No matter, if you are a local or only here for a few days, go there and show the local arts and crafts community your appreciation. Who knows, it could be me next year, hoping someone will buy my stuff.