Edinburgh's 'Disneyland' overcrowding set to get worse as locals are hit with fresh issue

Daily Record

a day ago

The Edinburgh International Festival has been a mainstay on the city's calendar since 1947, but not everyone is a fan of the city being overrun by tourists in the summer
For nearly 80 years, Edinburgh has been thrust into the global spotlight each August, as the world-famous Edinburgh International Festival draws crowds from every corner of the planet.
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However, those vast hordes arriving from France, America and Germany can occasionally overlook the fact that Edinburgh remains a functioning city rather than a tourist attraction, according to locals.
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One Edinburgh local, called Julie, revealed to the Daily Telegraph that festival season leaves her utterly frustrated.
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"It's like living in Disneyland," she said, explaining: "The tourists seem to forget that people actually live and work here."
The Scottish capital boasts just over half a million residents, yet the city can welcome up to three million punters for the Fringe festival alone.
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"In the last 20 years it has become a money-making racket, it's horrendous," Julie said.
She added that with multiple spin-off events, including the book festival and the film festival, contributing to the tourist invasion, the streets are "hoaching" with visitors.
She believes that simply commuting to and from her city centre workplace becomes maddening: "Tourists walk about outside with a drink in their hand.
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"You see people urinating behind bins, and not just the men. I try to visit a friend in Fife as much as possible during August to avoid it all."
Yet this summer might be particularly vexing for Julie with three sold-out Oasis reunion gigs planned at Murrayfield.
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Edinburgh council chiefs have sparked controversy with a briefing document suggesting that the upcoming reunion gigs on August 8, 9 and 12 will attract a "rowdy" crowd of "middle-aged men" in a state of "medium to high intoxication", who are likely to be overweight and thus "take up more room."
Liam Gallagher, the band's frontman, didn't take kindly to these comments, firing back on social media: "To the Edinburgh council I've heard what you said about OASIS fans and quite frankly your attitude f*****g stinks. I'd leave town that day if I was any of you lot."
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He also took issue with the council's description of his fans as being overweight, retorting: "I'd love to see a picture of all the people on the Edinburgh council bet there's some real STUNING [ sic ] individuals."
Margaret Graham, the convener for culture and communities at Edinburgh council, defended the city's record in hosting major events to the Scottish Sun: "We're very proud to host the biggest and best events in Edinburgh throughout the year, which bring in hundreds of millions of pounds to the local economy and provide unparalleled entertainment for our residents and visitors."
She continued: "As with any major event which takes place in the city, we prepare extensively alongside our partners to ensure the safety and best possible experience of everyone involved – and Oasis are no different."
She concluded by expressing her excitement for the upcoming concerts: "We're all looking forward to seeing Oasis take to the stage this August and I'm sure that they'll 'live forever' as some of the most memorable concerts ever performed at Murrayfield."