the absolute and vital component to any fringe's success rests in a city’s many different communities collectively feeling that it belongs to them. This is the critical nut to be built up from that foundation where the locals have a feeling of ownership, making them proud to have this cultural asset on their doorstep and thus celebrate the role it plays in enhancing and enriching the lives of those who live there.

If a fringe festival can get the hard part right – getting people to attend, take a chance on a show, and spend their hard-earned cash on a ticket – then there is a vital social purpose, too.