Fringe stars hit the rails for Caledonian Sleeper

Tens of thousands of people travel to Scotland's capital to see the world's best performers each year. but now the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is joining them on the journey.

Award-winning acts from the festival are taking centre stage on board the Serco Caledonian Sleeper, giving guests the chance to get up close and personal with comedians and variety acts.

UK and international visitors will have a sneak preview of the capital's celebrations as they travel from London to Edinburgh this month with performances from variety duo EastEnd Cabaret, comedian Peter Dillon Trenchard and West End Broadway actor Ralph Bogard.

Acclaimed for their character comedy and innovative audience participation, EastEnd Cabaret will bring a high-powered act to guests. Likewise, Peter Dillon Trenchard will entertain with a fictional personality evoking smart humour and established actor Ralph Bogard will narrate stories full of wit and hilarity.

Ryan Flaherty, Serco's Guest Experience Director at the Caledonian Sleeper, said: "We are extremely excited to bring part of the world's largest arts festival to our guests. These events offer an exclusive preview of some of the festival's most popular acts and highlight just some of the great talent that we can enjoy this year."

Taking place for three weeks from Friday 7 August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will welcome more than 50,459 performances across 313 venues in Edinburgh.

Kath M Mainland, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: "We are delighted to partner with the Caledonian Sleeper as we bring our national and international acts and artists on board for this year's festival.

"This is the time of year when we see many people travel to Scotland's capital to enjoy the world's greatest festival - the buzz, excitement and anticipation is really building. I have no doubt that that the live performances on board the Caledonian Sleeper will give guests a fantastic taste of what is to come."

The partnership with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is part of a calendar of on board events from the Caledonian Sleeper. To date, the service has hosted a number of experiences with Scottish suppliers including a whisky tasting with Balblair and Old Pulteney distilleries, a tasting with Aberdeen-based chocolate maker Cocoa Ooze and collaboration with premium gin brand Caorunn to launch the Edinburgh International Fashion Festival.

Future plans include a celebration of Scotland's natural larder during Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight in September, and a chance to learn more about the Turner Prize which is presented at Glasgow's Tramway this year.

For more information about the Caledonian Sleeper visit sleeper.scot.

For more information on Edinburgh Festival Fringe visit edfringe.com

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