Why You Should Attend Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Edinburgh, Scotland has been hosting the Fringe Festival since 1947.
Get this, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the second most ticketed event in the world and is the largest arts festival in the world. It holds more shows than any other creative experience you’ll ever see. You can keep your Burning Mans, Coachellas, and Art Basels. For my money, Edinburgh Fringe is where it’s at.
Basically, it’s an arts fest on steroids. This year’s event held 3,535 shows with a total of 52,000 performances! What’s the draw? Tons of street performers, loads of music and theater, but mainly comedy. Lots and lots of comedy.
To put it in perspective, some of the biggest names have either made their name at the Fringe, or are on the cusp of doing so. Consider that Sophie Waller-Bridge, of Fleabag fame, originally launched at show at The Fringe. This year the likes of Mike Birbiglia and Alex Edelman—fresh off his Just for Us Broadway debut, both took time to perform in Edinburgh.
Plus, It’s A Bargain Festival
Tickets to the performances themselves are a steal. We saw two acts for less than $25 a ticket and two more for free. So many performers come to Edinburgh with the hopes of building a following that tickets are kept remarkably reasonable. And because there are so many shows, you can stack them like a Peloton workout, seeing as many as five acts in one day.
It’s A No-Sweat Fest
You know what’s great about Edinburgh in August? It’s not hot.
But…
There’s always a but. You must, MUST I SAY, secure accommodations early. As in a year prior to departure. This was the hot tip provided to me by a close friend and former Edinburgh Fringe annual visitor. As you might image, the population influx from performers alone poses an Airbnb issue. Now add in the three million visitors who come up to see the shows and you have a real lodging situation. We booked our Airbnb in October 2022—10 months before curtain call. Because of that, we were able to secure the Castle Snug right on the Royal Mile.
To get the most out of the Fringe, stay for at least a long weekend, preferably a whole week. Trust me when I say a Saturday and Sunday will not be long enough to see all the incredible performances.
And Meet the Laidback Locals
One of the most fun parts of Fringe for us was seeing all the locals out enjoying the entertainment. There are beer gardens and food vendor sites all over town to let Fringe goers mix and mingle. We even caught one of our fave performers, Daniel Foxx, out for a pint post-show at Pleasance Courtyard. It’s the best place to see Edinburgh at its best, in fine convivial form. And maybe even see a little magic too.
Us with the wildly entertaining slight of hand magician, Mago Esteban Alef.