The opening day of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was thrown into disarray on Friday as power cuts plunged numerous venues into darkness, forcing performers to take their acts to the streets.
The first outage struck Edinburgh's south side around 4 pm, lasting until 6 pm. A second power cut then hit the west of the city at around 7 pm, causing widespread disruption across the festival.
Several venues were forced to cancel performances, including Underbelly's Bristo Square and George Square locations. Comedian Olaf Falafal, however, continued his show at the Pear Tree venue despite the sudden blackout.
"I was about 20 minutes into my show and everything shut off," Falafal told BBC Scotland's Drivetime. "I had about 90 people in and everything went pitch black. Thereâs a lot of multimedia and video in it too."
Undeterred, Falafal asked the audience to use their phone lights to illuminate the stage, allowing him to continue with his show using his iPad to play his video clips. He described the experience as "one of the most interesting and emotional shows" he had ever done.
Student acapella group, the Oxford Alternotives, found themselves performing in the street after having to evacuate the Space Triplex building on Hill Place.
"We made the best of the situation and performed outside," said Hattie Twigger-Ross, a member of the group. "Whilst the situation was not ideal, we were able to lighten the mood and keep people entertained. Getting to meet the lovely people who had planned to see our show has made us even more excited to perform the full set tomorrow."
The cast of the musical "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" posted on social media that their first Fringe performance was cut short just three numbers in due to the power failure.
A spokesperson for SP Energy Network apologised for the disruption, attributing it to a cable fault. Edinburgh Travel News, a City of Edinburgh Council account, reported that the power outages had also affected some traffic signals in the city.
Despite the challenges, performers and audiences alike displayed resilience and good humour, transforming a frustrating situation into an unexpected and unforgettable part of the Fringe experience. As the festival continues, organisers and power companies will be working hard to ensure the rest of the performances go off without a hitch.
