Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 22/09/2023

North Berwick’s Fringe by the Sea 2022 won the award for outstanding cultural event or festival at the Scottish Thistle Awards last night (Thursday 21 September).

The event was praised by judges for its impressive year-on-year growth and for demonstrating excellent engagement with the local area and its people.  

More than 200 people gathered at the Sheraton Grand in Edinburgh for the Central and East Thistle Awards. The event saw 14 regional awards given out to celebrate the very best of the tourism and events industry.

Read our news item on the Thistles Central and East finals.

Award winners posing with trophy in formal wear

The winning team posing along with the presenter and our head of events industry development

About Fringe by the Sea

Fringe by the Sea was supported through EventScotland’s National Events Funding Programme in 2022 and 2023.

North Berwick provided the perfect stage for this 10-day multi-arts festival. The event brought together like-minded art lovers and supported local and international acts.

Fringe by the Sea is a huge team effort with fantastic crew and volunteers so this award is really a big thanks to everyone involved.

Community is at the heart of the festival and we think that's what really delivers the magic.

Jackie Shuttleworth, General Manager of Fringe by the Sea

An independent report by MKA Economics suggested that Fringe by the Sea 2022 delivered a £6.4 million economic boost for the local economy. There were 57,250 visits to the festival and 35,000 tickets were sold.

Read more information about the event on fringebythesea.com.

About the Scottish Thistle Awards

The Scottish Thistle Awards are delivered by VisitScotland in partnership with regional awards programmes.

The five different regional awards ceremonies are taking place in September, October and November before the regional winners go through to battle it out for a national accolade at the national final in December. 

The awards champion innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices. This is in line with the ambitions of the national tourism strategy, Outlook 2030. 

Check out more information and key dates on visitscotland.eventsair.com.

Related links

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