The Besties: Week Three Winners

After nearly four weeks of theatre, music, comedy, art, literature, dance and almost any other artform you can think of, this year's Edinburgh Festivals come to an end this weekend. As such, this weekend we handed out 2024's third and final set of The Skinny-Fest Festival Awards (for Festivals) – or The Besties, for short.

The new prizes – a collab between us, our siblings at Fest magazine, Capital Theatres, and Premier Scotland – are the only awards celebrating all of the Edinburgh Festivals. We've been giving out delightful handmade awards to the best of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Here's a look at the winners of our week three Besties, awarded at the Festival Theatre this morning (Sat 24 Aug).

The Heart Award for A Knock on the Roof at Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

The Skinny’s reviewer Ellen Davis-Walker wrote: “A Knock on the Roof will leave you with questions. For example, do you think you’d sing to your child if bombs fell from the sky, like parents in Khan Yunis or Rafah will do tonight? Would you, like Mariam, be brave enough to tell your baby that artillery explosions outside were just fireworks? How fast could you run, really, with eight kilos of possessions on your back, weighed down by the knowledge that your old life had just vanished into dust?” She describes the play as one of the most important pieces of work to emerge from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in years.

The Inclusivity Award to Teatro La Plaza for Hamlet (Edinburgh International Festival)

Nominated by Fest editor Arusa Qureshi, Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza’s take on Hamlet reshapes Shakespeare’s classic text to place the stories of eight actors with Down's syndrome front and centre. Part of this year’s EIF programme, director and writer Chela De Ferrari’s production sees actors performing scenes from Hamlet with humour, heart and passion, their own lives coalescing with the stories of the characters as they navigate what it means to take up space in an ableist world. It’s an interpretation that is full of joy, an important celebratory energy and some hard truths.

The Accessibility Award to The Thera Trust for their Gig Buddies initiative

Gig Buddies enables adults with a learning disability to live an active social life. They operate in the city year-round, working with local arts organisations and venues to make cultural events as accessible as possible. In August, they work with the Fringe, International Festival and Book Festival to take Gig Buddies members to hundreds of performances.

The Fringe Legend Award to John-Luke Roberts

John Luke Roberts has been a staple of the Fringe for a number of years, with his solo shows, late night extravaganzas (ACMS, Terrible Wonderful Adaptations, Cabaret Impedimenta) and general support of alternative comedy in whichever form it can possibly be expressed.

This year, he has performed each of his ten solo shows over consecutive days, calling the run John Luke-a-Palooza. JLR and this series of shows has shown a herculean commitment to the Fringe and to alternative comedy. Polly Glynn, Comedy Editor of The Skinny, said: "It has been a pleasure and a rare opportunity to get to relive some of the best (and most uniquely titled) Fringe shows in recent memory. A particular shout out goes to Stdad-Up, originally performed in 2015 as part of PBH's Free Fringe at the Voodoo Rooms. It is incredible that a show from nine years ago, and perhaps my favourite ever of all Fringe shows, can remain as sharp, funny and poignant as ever in 2024. Congratulations JLR."

The Terrier Award to Eleanor Morton for Haunted House at Monkey Barrel (Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

Radge Media’s canine correspondent Fringe Dog had this to say about his selection for comedy’s top prize: "as a dog with heightened senses it is disappointing i've never seen a ghost, but i can sniff out brilliant comedy !!! in "haunted house," eleanor morton is spooking the real-life ghouls threatening her beloved city and its festivals. haunted house is a whistleblowin' show helpin' us all be good guard dogs - we need to protect the people, the city and the festivals we love !!! eleanor morton wins the terrier award !!! 5stars to all !!! love from your bestie friend, fringe dog x"

The Unsung Award to the bands and musicians featured in Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands (Edinburgh International Film Festival)

Eight years in the making, Carla J Easton and Blair Young’s documentary tells the story of Scottish pop music from the 1960s onwards, talking to some of the visionary women whose musical contributions have been obscured for too long. The film’s premier closed Edinburgh International Film Festival. The Skinny’s Music editor Tallah Brash said: “Genuinely brilliant – it was informative, funny, heartbreaking, full of joy, comedy and heart. I just wish I knew about all of these bands when I was growing up!”

The Stooshie of the Fringe Award to The Scottish Government

The Scottish Government pick this one up for defunding Scotland’s creative industries in the middle of the biggest arts festival in the world. Presented without a physical award due to lack of available funds.

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Winners of The Besties are chosen each week by the editorial teams of The Skinny and Fest, drawing on their cross-festival expertise to celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. The categories will reflect the diversity of the magazines’ coverage and may be different every week. 

A massive thanks to everyone at Premier Scotland PR and Capital Theatres for their support and assistance, and an enormous shout-out to our three hosts – Michelle Brasier, Josephine Lacy and Laura Boyd – as well as all of our award winners. Check out our Week One and Week Two winners lists at the links.