The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, which takes place in the Scottish capital every summer. This year it runs from 3-27 August. It began in 1947 and has grown to become a major cultural event that attracts performers and tourists alike from around the world. The Edinburgh Fringe has become something of a rite of passage for young performers in the UK, and increasingly for international acts too.

This year, people are being encouraged to carry out small acts of kindness during the festival season in Edinburgh. The Deedit app is aimed at tackling issues such as plastic pollution, litter and homelessness during August.

It encourages people to share photos of good deeds such as picking up litter, buying a sandwich for a stranger or giving directions. The aim is to show how a single act of kindness can contribute to larger positive social change.

Edinburgh University and Tesco Bank created the app. The online platform will also support social enterprise Social Bite, with several good deeds contributing to their work to end homelessness.

The university’s Centre of Design Informatics has been working with Tesco Bank on Project Mercury, a collaboration exploring financial technology (FinTech). Chris Speed, director of the centre, said: “One of the challenges we face is helping people understand the impact new data technologies will have on their lives.

“The partnership with Tesco Bank has been a fantastic help. “Co-designing imaginative, human-centred experiences with the financial sector here in Edinburgh demonstrates that the city is becoming a world leader in FinTech design.”

The Edinburgh Fringe often incorporates as many as 4,000 shows across 300 venues. While some of the main locations include Assembly, Gilded Balloon, The Pleasance and Underbelly, many other paid and free venues are employed throughout the festival.

One of the charms of the event is how the festival seeps out into various parts of Edinburgh, with bars and rooms being used for shows, as well as tents and pop up venues. Whether you’re a fan of theatre, music, dance, comedy, or something entirely different, you’re bound to find something to fit your niche in Edinburgh.