How to make the most of the Edinburgh Fringe

Fringe only by name, the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe – or Edinburgh Festival Fringe to give it its proper title – rolls in to the Scottish capital every August, running alongside the main Edinburgh International Festival and bringing with it an eclectic, heady mix of arts, comedy, music and theatre to venues right across the city. With so much to see, do, and experience it pays to be prepared, so make the most of your time with these tips.

Collect your tickets early

Ticket booths can be found at convenient locations right across the city (including the airport!). Whether you’ve booked up your whole itinerary in advance, or are going wherever the wind, your mood, or a particularly persuasive flyerer takes you, collect your tickets early in order to avoid queues and give yourself maximum time to soak up the atmosphere. For the full list of collection points see here

Arrive early

Sensing a theme here? You’ve got your tickets; now it’s showtime. Again, queues will form at venues of all shapes and sizes, so it’s best to arrive around ten minutes before the show is due to start. This will allow you plenty of time to grab a seat and ensure you’re not that inevitable last person in, slightly out of breath and drawing the attention of the razor-sharp wit up on stage…

See what’s free

While tickets for shows at the Fringe typically come in at under £15, seeing five of these in a row on a single day adds up! There are lots of free shows on offer, including a whole Free Festival, so plan out a good mix and make sure your budget lasts the full length of your trip.

Get the app

If your Fringe experience was a camping trip the official Edinburgh Fringe app, available on both iTunes and Android, would be your veritable Swiss army knife of information and services. With everything from ticket booking, your own calendar of events, listings and much more, it takes the hassle out of having a great festival experience.

Plan ahead

While spontaneity and that slight hint of jeopardy can be fun, the reality is that tickets for the most popular acts or shows will likely need to be booked as far in advance as possible. Top tip: on your first day, check out what shows are sold out for that evening. This should give you an indication as to which shows are most popular and therefore act as a useful guide to what you should try and get tickets for before you leave!

With so much to see and do, a fantastic Fringe experience is pretty much guaranteed, whatever happens (weather notwithstanding). Pack a comfy pair of shoes and something waterproof, just in case, and get out there and explore!

Abi Jenkins