Performances by the very best of local and international street artists are a time-honoured and much-loved highlight of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – even if older hands do grumble that it’s all over-regulated nowadays. Besides this annual three-week riot of activity, street-based arts - often on a spectacular scale - have been a growing presence throughout the Scottish arts calendar in recent years. Whether it’s a sign of slowly spreading optimism about our weather, who knows, but Scotland today is staking out a prominent place on the international street arts circuit, with major events including Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and the Big in Falkirk festival.