'I wanted to bring the Fringe to him': how performances came to Edinburgh's care homes

“I wanted to bring him to the Fringe that summer - he'd been going for over 50 years - but he was too frail,” he said. “So I asked his wife if I could bring the Fringe to him.”

Prof Goldblatt worked with the Edinburgh Interfaith Association to bring Fringe performers to his friend’s care home, an initiative which became the Fringe Care Fest.

He remembers the moment with fondness, sharing that when a Canadian singer began a rendition of La Vie en Rose, the entire home of 50 residents suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's burst into song.

“They sang along in French, they remembered everything, it was amazing,” said Prof Goldblatt.

Since then, the Fringe Care Fest has grown to annually entertain and inspire over 1,500 care home residents from Edinburgh to North Berwick - covering 21 homes. This year’s Fringe Care Fest will feature dozens of acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe performers from Australia, China, England, Italy, the US, Scotland, and other countries.

The programme’s extensive list of acts featuring jazz singers, a string quartet, a flamenco duo, drag artists, and more - alongside their emphasis on asking residents “what would you like to see this summer?" - means there is never a dull moment.

Prof Goldblatt recalls residents who would become so immersed in the performances that they “thought they were in George Square, having a beer”, or formed a “conga line going out the door”.

Last year, one incident left staff both surprised and delighted when a daredevil performer lay down upon a bed of sharp nails, prompting a resident to rise from his wheelchair, shouting :“Let me try that!”

In honour of Mr Miller, whose desire to attend the Fringe opened the door for care home residents across Edinburgh and the Lothians to enjoy the arts, the Edinburgh Interfaith Association has created the “Charlie” awards for care homes that participate in the Fringe Care Fest programme.

A gala awards ceremony will be held in Autumn 2026 at the Scottish Parliament to honour local care homes for their creativity, team spirit, staff enthusiasm, and other categories showcasing their commitment to integrated care.

Zoe Bower, activities lead at Strachan House Care Home said the Fringe Care Fest allows residents to remain involved in the local community, providing staff with the feeling that they are “enriching [the residents] lives as much as possible”.

Reverend Gareth Jones, co-chair of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, said the group hopes to expand the initiative even further.

“Due to the hard work of the staff and volunteers, we are well positioned to bring the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to more and more of the 58 care homes in Edinburgh,” he said.

Anne Peat, a resident at Strachan House, said it comes back to the same thing that started it all - not being left out. “Our friends and residents go and talk about it, and now we can talk about it too,” she said.