The First Ever Berwick Fringe

By John Reed

On the late morning of 31st July, the very first Berwick Fringe Festival opens, with 13 venues giving a stage to more than 50 artists, drawn mainly from the local area. As a town of around 13,000 people, Berwick punches musically way above its weight, with a huge pool of original songwriting and musicianship from which to draw. So get yourselves to Berwick upon Tweed!

The day before this shot was taken, high winds were driving waves along the River Tweed. What a difference a day makes.

I know from experience that events like the two-day Berwick Fringe don’t just happen overnight, especially the first of its kind. The event organisation has to be driven by a few dedicated people, sometimes just one. It consumes them from its conception through to its reviews. Back in the day, I stage managed events at the University of East Anglia, including the Norwich Folk Festival, which was held at the university ‘village’ every year. So none of this is new to me, but there are plenty of reminders.

I remember once co-organising a single day festival in Manchester comprising a music workshop, demonstrations of different instruments, an art studio, an early evening meal, and seven bands over five hours in the evening. Some of those bands had never played live before. Some of the artists had never played together before. There were local bands, Midlands bands, and a folk duo over from Nova Scotia. Yet that single event spawned twenty-one different collaborations.

Music is a very powerful force, for those who create it, play it, watch it, and listen to it. It can calm us or energise us, inspire us and enthuse us, it can lift us or evoke memories, and it can be a truly wonderful escape from our busy lives.

The Watchtower on Northumberland Avenue is often missed by visitors to the town. It lies north of Berwick’s Elizabethan battlements on walls that predated them.

Berwick Lighthouse stands at the end of Little Pier, its wall protecting Little Pier Beach from the estuary of the River Tweed. A calm and magical place at the best of times, the tower seems to act like the pin of a brooch holding together sea and sky.

Berwick upon Tweed, as distinct from North Berwick which is about 45 minutes’ drive north, is situated north of the River Tweed – the natural English-Scottish border – but in England. It was once Scotland’s most important port, and was fought over by the two nations, exchanging hands 14 times by the time the then Duke of Gloucester (Richard III) and his army of mercenaries took it for the English in 1482.

This compact town is enclosed by 16th century town walls, has three bridges across the river, river and woodland walks, a quayside, a lighthouse, five beaches, clifftop walks, and multiple independent shops, cafes and bars. Berwick is a life force in itself, so take a trip here at the end of the month, and savour its cultural and historic delights!

The Amped Berwick Fringe takes place on 31st July and 1st August 2026.

So come and join us!

Peace.

John