Calling all theatre lovers and thespians… The air is changing, warm summer evenings are spent sipping cider in pub gardens, and of course, IT’S NEARLY EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL!
That’s right, the time is nigh for the yearly pilgrimage to Edinburgh for the drama and arts festival of your life.
To make sure you have the best experience possible, here is your very own pocket guide of how to survive, how to thrive, and most importantly… to see lots of theatre live! (Poor rhyming I know I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself)
So buckle up, kick back and enjoy these wise words of wisdom from students themselves who have visited, performed, and fallen in love with what this great city has to offer.
Have fun !
‘Edinburgh during the fringe festival is one of my favourite places in the whole world, there is just something so magical about it. The entire city changes and becomes the perfect home for hundreds or even thousands of unique shows and the atmosphere is incredible.’ - KAUSTUBH SAMEER
This may sound like a silly bit of advice, I mean who needs to be told to have fun when you’re surrounded by amazing theatre 24/7?
But this is one of those opportunities that as amazing as it is, could be quite overwhelming. It’s important that you look after yourself and make sure you time manage well enough that you can still have fun and enjoy what’s around you.
‘If you're going for the full month, pace yourself and don't try and cram everything in at the start or you'll burn yourself out.’ – ALEX HEYRE
Make the most out of this experience because it’s truly one of the best things to do with a group of friends.
Get a job giving out flyers
‘If you can, get a flyering job! You'll normally only have to do an hour or two per day and the base rate is generally £10 per hour. Spend what you earn that day and you can still come out of the fringe with a little more money left in your overdraft.’ – CHALRIE RANDALL
Now money is naturally a fairly prominent thought on a student’s brain. We work on a budget and love it when stuff is cheap, cheap, cheap.
Unfortunately Edinburgh Fringe Festival isn’t exactly a student’s bank account’s best friend… I’m not saying it’s impossibly expensive!! It just adds up… a lot.
However fear not my dear friends, one solution could be to get a flyering job!
Over your stay in Edinburgh you will become very well acquainted with flyers. They are everywhere and you’ll probably always have at least 3 in your hands, so why not make a little wonga out of it?
The average rate is £10 per hour, all you’d have to do is give them out to other fellow theatre goers, and it would definitely help with some much needed funds.
Download the Fringe App and use their website
‘The fringe website is as good a place as any to hunt for a show if you’re in a particular mood and I would highly recommend downloading the fringe app before visiting. The app is particularly useful in helping locate venues as well as shows that are happening nearby you at the time.’ – KAUSTUBH SAMEER
Hallelujah. It’s all okay my fellow millennials, there is something we can use on our phones to make life a lot easier.
Downloading the Fringe app is going to allow you to see what’s happening where, and will definitely keep you in the loop.
The thing with the Fringe is that shows are performed everywhere. So as much as google maps can help you to get to a certain place, it won’t necessarily help you find venues that are 30ft bellow your feet...
‘These boots are made for walking…’
‘Take some time to take in Edinburgh. The city itself is absolutely stunning. Potentially the most beautiful place I've ever been. I would recommend walking everywhere so you don't miss a thing! It'll take a while and your legs will be sore, but a month of that is the best exercise you can do all year!’ – CHARLIE RANDALL
Not only will you be walking around during the day, but there is a high chance you’ll be walking a fair distance just to get to the festival; this generally happens because all the accommodation nearby gets booked up super-duper early.
But hey! This isn’t such a bad thing, you’ll enjoy wondering around the stunning city that is Edinburgh.
So no worries about finding a gym whilst you’re there, walking will do that job (and a half…).
‘Bring good, comfortable shoes as you'll be doing a loooot of walking.’ – ALEX HEYRE
Enjoy the smaller stuff
‘Watch the smaller stuff. The largest arts festival in the world is great for all the weird niche stuff you are unlikely to see ever again… it could be hilarious or hilariously bad.’ – CHARLIE RANDALL
One brilliant element about this festival is that there are plenty of free shows (Yes, FREE!)
How it tends to work is that they will have a donation bucket, so if you didn’t enjoy it then save your pennies, but if you loved it – give them your life savings! (or a fiver…) It’s a perfect way to support other budding performers.
‘Embrace the weird! The fringe is FULL of stuff that you will never get a chance to see again so maybe step out of your comfort zone a little and see some stuff you’ve never really considered before.’ – KATHERINE QUINN
Not only this, but talk to people as well. This way you’ll get to know what the performers are enjoying. Usually they would have been in Edinburgh for around a month and would be thoroughly well rehearsed in recommending what they’ve enjoyed.
Support student theatre!
‘The fringe costs loads of money for companies in paid venues, and it's very tiring and stressful taking a show up. But it's one of the most rewarding experiences you could ever do. The only thing that can dampen it is a small audience. Having performed to both sold-out crowds and 3 or 4 people, I know which one I prefer!!!’ – CHARLIE RANDALL
We all know what it’s like to put a ridiculous amount of work into something and to feel so proud of it. This is what it’s like to bring a show to the Fringe. There is so much pride in performing your hard work and to see people enjoying it.
You’re showing people your baby!
So naturally it’s incredibly disheartening when the support is lacking, and you don’t have an audience to share what you have created.
Show your face at student theatre performances, even if it may be the weirdest concept for a piece of theatre, the students will be so grateful.
‘The weirdest smallest shows are often the best’ – ALEX HEYRE
If in doubt, Royal Mile it out
‘The Royal Mile is an experience that you need to have; spend some time walking down it and take flyers from EVERYONE. Lots of people flyer in interesting ways with street theatre and costumes, so it’s always a sight to see.’ – KATHERINE QUINN
This is the heart of the Fringe. The busy, bustling streets filled with street performers, MILLIONS of flyers and shows galore! It’s the place to go if you’re feeling a little lost for where to find out about shows, or simply if you just want an interesting place to go.
Lost? Head to the Royal Mile
Bored? Head to the Royal Mile
Want to discover more about yourself as a human being? Head to the Royal Mile
‘Although the novelty of being flyered for a random show every ten metres will wear off, keep your eye open and go and see random stuff that catches your eye and isn't on your main days game plan’ – ALEX HEYRE
Let’s remember that it’s in Edinburgh, not a Mediterranean island…
‘Walking around it is easy to see the number of tourists who forgot to pack their waterproofs or jumpers, with an average of somewhere around 12 days where it rains in August (depending on the website) it’s pretty safe to assume your trip will not contain only sunshine.’ – KAUSTUBH SAMEER
You’re going to get cold. That’s simply just a fact.
I’d love to sit here and to promise you that the sun will be beaming all day every day, but that’s almost scientifically impossible in Scotland. It’s going to rain, it’s going to be sunny, it’s going to be windy and who knows, you might even get a cheeky storm.
Either way, what I’m trying to say is that you need to prepare yourself for all kinds of weather, even across one day.
My best advice would be to come ready with your jumpers and waterproofs so you can go for the fashion of layering up like it’s 1993.
Bring an appetite
‘Bring your appetite as there are like 30+ gourmet food vans and you WILL want to try them all’ – ALEX HEYRE
Well I never, food and great theatre 24/7?! Don’t mind if I do.
This is an important tip, you must embrace the beautiful food that is on offer throughout your time at the Fringe. When else are you going to be able to wander out of a show about a time travelling dog, grab some Mexican and then wander back into another stand-up comedy show about shoes? (These are painfully random examples… but I’m not going to lie I’m kind of interested…)
This only goes to prove that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has so much more to offer than what you’d expect. It’s a beautiful mosaic of so many forms of art. Food, theatre, comedy, improvisation.
‘The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is a place to see some amazing things which simply could not be performed anywhere else. It is easy to get inspired and that is exactly what happened to me.’ – KAUSTUBH SAMEER
How could you sum it all up?
When it came to writing this article, I asked all my interviewees to sum up the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in one word. What became evident here is that my question really was a tough demand.
This festival is so electric that one word simply wouldn’t cut it for most of them, but my favourites were –
- Justifiably legendary
- A celebration
- Colourful
- Inspiring
- Diverse
- Unpredictable
I hope this article has pointed you in the right direction when it comes to experiencing everything that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has to offer. It truly is an incredible experience and I can promise you that you’ll be hooked.
So, see you there..?
A little about the interviewees –
Kaustubh Sameer is a writer/director taking a show up to the Fringe 2018 called ‘The Time Machine’, he has visited the Fringe seven times.
‘Visit The Space at Venue 45 where you can see ‘The Time Machine’ in all its glory.
I am incredibly excitied to be finally bringing something to the fringe festival. Having visited seven times now it has always been a dream to either be on stage in Edinburgh or bring something of my own there.
It has been a long time coming with the plans for this show starting two years ago, at the fringe in fact… I am certain the performance that we have put together is going to be amazing and fit perfectly into the festival.’
Charlie Randall is a theatre lover who performed in a show ‘The Pitchfork Disney’ in 2017 at the Fringe, and ‘A Number’ in 2016, and a hand at improvisation as well.
Alex Heyre is an aspiring actor and writer and has performed in 2017 in ‘The Pitchfork Disney’ at the Fringe.
Katherine Quinn is a budding actress and she performed in an improvised piece called ‘Improvised Adventures in Time and Space’ in 2016 at the Fringe.
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