Edinburgh Fringe Festival tips • Student Wire

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world, making it the ideal destination for actors, writers and directors to show off their latest work. It also makes a great holiday destination for arts lovers, with comedy, drama, musicals and children’s shows ready to entertain from the 5th-31st August.

If you’re heading up to Edinburgh this August, here are a few tips for surviving your festival experience.

1. Research

The Edinburgh Fringe festival website will have all the shows that are playing throughout the month. Look at websites such as the BBC and review sites such as Broadway Baby, all there to help you decide which shows to go and see. Whether you’re into Shakespeare or Musicals, have a quick look, and maybe order some tickets in advance.

2. Take all the flyers

If you dare to head into the city centre and onto the Royal Mile, you will be bombarded with flyers the whole way down. Take them and put them in your bag to have a look at a later date. Interested in a show? Chances are the cast and crew will be on the mile. Go and talk to them, or congratulate someone who you saw perform the night before. It’s a great way to interact with the performers, and it will really make their day too. Who knows, you could discover a hidden gem

3. Money

It can get expensive. Tickets are generally around £7.50-£10, and the money can rack up pretty fast. Pace yourself, and also try out the free fringe if you want to see some cracking shows, but don’t have the funds.

4. Social Media

Enjoyed a show? Find the show on twitter or facebook and send them a quick message. Performers want to get the buzz about their show, and what better to let them know that!

5. Enjoy

Explore all the venues, climb up the Arthur Seat at 5am in the morning, see some incredible, but also some rubbish shows. You honestly will never experience anything like this ever again!

Photo Credit: Tom Brogan via Compfight cc