(Re)Launch Party

Photography: Dalila D'Amico

Believe it or not, Fest celebrates its 20th anniversary this August and so naturally, a banging party was in order.

First launched as a thrice-weekly paper in 2002 by a pair of young journalists (Helen Pidd, now the North of England editor at The Guardian, and Dan Lerner), we’re now proud to be a long-serving official media partner to the Fringe with market-leading criticism, award-winning writers and a burgeoning presence in Adelaide, Australia.

All of this and more make this year’s magazines extra special but we were also keen to mark our grand return after a pandemic-induced hiatus. So as well as the beautifully updated design you have in your hands, we threw a lovely shindig for our industry friends and colleagues at Fruitmarket to honour the anniversary.

Fueled by delicious local ginsmiths Pickering’s, we danced the night away to tunes supplied by The Skinny and Fest DJs. All guests were also treated to free tote bags co-branded by our friends at From Start to Finnish, which included delicious Blanco Niño tortilla chips and cans of post-social replenishment drink Bounce Back.

A big thank you to everyone that made it along on the night and to The Skinny’s Tom McCarthy for all his efforts with the planning and organisation. See you next year?