Artsy Edinburgh, laid low by the virus, hopes for recovery

Shona McCarthy Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on a normally busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, Friday Aug. 21, 2020. McCarthy said cancelling the Fringe festival for the first time since 1947 was “profoundly sad” but artists and organizers are determined the festivals will return, even if it's in a smaller, more digital form. (AP Photo/David Cheskin)

Tourists roam the normally busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, Friday Aug. 21, 2020. One of the biggest casualties of the coronavirus has been the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a sprawling theatre and comedy arts and street festival that last year sold more than 3 million tickets, but this year's events are canceled, leaving artists adrift and many businesses struggling to make a living without the usual throng of tourists. (AP Photo/David Cheskin)

A woman scans her smartphone outside the Fringe Shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland Friday Aug. 21, 2020. One of the biggest casualties of the coronavirus has been the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a sprawling theatre and comedy arts and street festival that last year sold more than 3 million tickets, but this year's events are canceled, leaving artists adrift and many businesses struggling to make a living without the usual throng of tourists. (AP Photo/David Cheskin)

Performer Adam Kashmiry gets ready for his online performance at the Traverse theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland, Friday Aug. 21, 2020. Edinburgh normally packed with festival tourists is now deserted due to the Coronavirus outbreak but artists and organizers are determined the festivals will return, even if it's in a smaller, more digital form. (AP Photo/David Cheskin)

Performer Adam Kashmiry gets ready for his online performance at the Traverse theatre Edinburgh, Scotland, Friday Aug. 21, 2020. Edinburgh is renowned for its summer arts festivals, which draw hundreds of thousands of people to the Scottish capital each August. But this year's events have been canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, leaving artists adrift and many businesses struggling to make a living without the usual throng of tourists. (AP Photo/David Cheskin)