Hello and welcome to our new look website page for 2012. Please feel free to look around and provide us with feedback and comments on what you think to the new design, we are here to listen. The Edinburgh Peoples Festival are determined to ensure that the world’s greatest arts festival is open to all citizens of the city. Our festival promises that, unlike the others, our program will remain within the financial reach of everyone, our shows will take place throughout the city [and not just in EH1] and throughout the year and we will act primarily, although not exclusively, as a showcase for local talent.
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On this page we will try and keep you up-to-date with the very latest going events for 2012. There are plenty of new events planned and here you will be the first to find out. By checking back to this page often, you are sure to be one of the first to find out the where and when we will be next.
Edinburgh People’s Festival will be celebrating ‘the worlds worst poet’ William Topaz McGonagall. On May 24 at 6.30pm, we will be walking from his grave in Greyfriars Cemetery, and ending up in the Scottish Poetry Library at Crichton’s close.
William, a poet and tragedian of Dundee, has been widely hailed as the writer of the worst poetry in the English language. A self-educated hand loom weaver from Dundee, he discovered his discordant muse in 1877 and embarked upon a 25 year career as a working poet, delighting and appalling audiences across Scotland and beyond.Born and died in Edinburgh, McGonagal is traditionally associated with Dundee where he tried to make his living first as an actor and then as a poet. The legendary debate is whether McGonagal wrote poetry that was bad by accident or design, whatever you think, he is, no-doubt, the undisputed champion of the world at bad poetry.
Our event starts at Greyfriars Kirkyard where local actor and historian Colin Brown will say a few words at the great man’s graveside. Thereafter the party is guided to the nearby Scottish Poetry Library in the company of the Colin Brown who acts as our host in this unque celebration of McGonagall’s contribution to world literature.
Meet Thursday 24th May at 6.30pm in Greyfriars Kirkyard and afterwards at the Scottish Poetry Library in Crichton’s Close [off the Canongate] 7.30pm where tea and Dundee cake will be served as patrons are invited to mimic the poetic style of McGonagall himself.