Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Festival Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Festival Type(s): Fringe Festivals, Arts Festivals, Comedy Festivals

Featured Festival: Edinburgh Festival Fringe

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe

by © Claudia Maran 2009

Priorite A Gauche, A Shut Up Comedy From Japan, Ladyboys of Bangkok, Viva Venezuela or Spank are among the countless shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world's biggest arts festival.

The Fringe is an immense gathering of artists, musicians, dancers and actors coming from over 40 countries to perform in over 250 venues. Search for a show on the Fringe website and you will have to sift through a mere 1,909 shows. It would take five years, three months, and 25 days to see every performance in the Fringe 2005 back to back. From August 6-28 hundred of thousands of people will only have 23 days to squeeze it all in for the 60th annual Fringe Festival.

Once in Edinburgh, what shows they see, how to book them, and ways to spend spare minutes are choices visitors will have to face. The main concentration of the all the festivities is the Royal Mile. This major thoroughfare street in the center of Edinburgh, is used for official festival selections and also features "buskers" (unaffiliated street performers). The Royal Mile gives the "punter" (spectator) an opportunity to preview small bits of shows, and performers the chance to entice visitors to come to their shows. Men in capes mix with backpackers, and the cast of "Midsummer Night's Dream from the East" poses for photos.

The competition for attention is fierce. On one stage Philadelphia Theater students proclaim that ticket sales fund their flights home. Just across the way a pair of Japanese mimes provide a more winning display of talents through non-verbal skill. Korean martial artists flip high above your head by sheer leg strength. A seven-year-old boy, one of the more youthful buskers, calls the crowd to marvel at his juggling.

The Royal Mile can suggest shows to attend, but you can also rely on print in aiding you to pick a performance. Before, during, and after the festival there are thousands of reviews. The List magazine, Edinburgh's main entertainment magazine, comes out with a weekly Fringe version promoting shows and jam-packed reviews. The Scotsman, The Independent, The Times, and free daily Metro are other great sources. Scan the Metro's special daily Fringe listing of the top 10 sellers of the festival.

Word of mouth is another great way to get a heads up on certain shows. Many of the comedy acts return to the fringe over and over again. Past festival enthusiasts can give you their personal picks. I asked one producer of a festival show her personal favorites. I not only learned what shows to see, but even a little synopsis that explained more than just the "Comedy" category. For example, Helen of nofitstate circus suggested, "For outrageously gay humor coming from a man in a leather kilt, Craig Hill is great." She also suggested Priorite A Gauche starring Irish Justin Mc Carron and British Arnold Widdowson posing as two French rock, rap, pop, and roll stars...Jean-Francois and Didier. Both shows made me get stomach cramps from laughter.

Get performer recommendations on the street. Check the various fliers distributed. Outside the exit of one comedy act I was handed a beautifully crafted plastic fan-shaped flier for the show "Jump." The flier described the show, "Where Jackie Chan meets Chaplin." Impressed with the flier, I ran 20 minutes across town to catch the matinee show. It was a fantastic physical comedy by a Korean troupe of brilliant martial artists. Not only was the Jump amazing, it also remained in the top 10 for the following weeks of the festival.

If you are not quite positive a show is right, you can experiment while not breaking the budget. There are various ways to see full-length free and discounted shows. Fringe Sunday, an entirely free event, where you can watch previews and full shows all day long, it is held the 2nd Sunday of the Fringe Festival. Nearly all shows offer special preview prices the first two days at the festival. You and a friend can preview a play, circus act, or comedy show for the price of one.

Just introduced in 2005 the Half-Priced Hut is similar to Manhattan's TKTS tent, which often reduces Broadway musical prices the day of the performance. The half-priced hut functions just as its predecessor. Located next to Prince's Mall above Waverley Station it offers 50% off selected shows, but only for the days' performances; and the selection of shows changes daily. The half-priced hut is open 11am-9pm 7 days a week. Another fresh new alternative for the slowly rising ticket prices is a new entirely Free Fringe festival offered by a small alternative group. Their slogan is "enjoy over 20 shows for the price of none." Midday to midnight at venues scattered throughout the city shows are offered free of charge. The free shows are posted at www.laughinghorse.co.uk/edinburgh2.htm.

If you arrive after the first two days of the festival, miss Fringe Sunday, or your show is not offered at the half-priced-hut, you must resort to full priced tickets. You can use the new centrally located e-ticket tent. It is fully supplied with festival programs and 40 free to access computers 10-9pm, allowing visitors to book ahead and receive tickets at the venue. You can also buy tickets in person at the specific venue, or purchase tickets at the official Metro ticket office. The Metro office sells tickets to all the shows and is located just off the Royal Mile. At this office you can buy and receive the tickets for various venues at one place. The lines can get long at both the Metro ticket office, and half-priced-hut, but, they're are a good spot to catch up on the latest review, peek at the daily top ten, or research the massive festival program.

If you are going to a comedy show, line up early to make sure you are not in the front row, which is the victims' spotlight. When I arrived to a show late I was stuck front and center at Craig Hill. For the first ten minutes of his act every joke was directed at me. However, if you are in a larger venue like the Gilded Balloon you don't want to be so far back that you are unable to hear the jokes.

If eight back-to-back shows wears you out, there is nothing like a sightseeing jaunt to calm festival nerves. Edinburgh Castle, with over 1000 years of history is a popular destination. The Edinburgh Castle is an official Unicef world heritage site. The Castle is open seven days a week 9:30 to 6pm and is 10.30 pounds ($18.90) for adults and 4.50 pounds ($8.25) for children.

Other attractions include the Scottish Parliament Building and Arthur's Seat. Visits are free, but a guided tour costs 3.50 pounds ($6.42). Head straight to the top of Arthur's Seat for the best panoramic view of the city free of charge. The two-hour hike to the top will give you a great perspective on the city and make the thousands of visitors in the city center a distant memory.

After a good hike or slew of shows, finding a bite to eat can need a separate program book in itself. There are an numerable restaurants and cafes serving both international and Scottish cuisine. My personal favorite is the Elephant House on George IV Bridge. It has a great back room with a view of the castle. When in Scotland be sure to try "haggis," a steamed pudding made of mince sheep heart, lungs, and liver in a cleaned stomach bag of sheep. Bars open till 3am and clubs open till 5am; partying till the break of dawn is a possibility.

Some dining and night spot recommendations from a local: Pachuko Cantina (228 2345), 3 Grove Street, for Mexican food; Henderson's Salad Table (225 2131), 94 Hanover St., for healthy food; L'Aquila Biance, 17 Raeburn Place, for fish and chips; Bar Kohl, 54 Geirge IV Bridge, for cocktails; and all the nightclubs on George Street are great for dancing. In general, book accommodations as early as possible. Hotels begin booking one-year in advance for the Fringe, while locals rent out their own flats. Many people have to find a place to crash. I ran into 30 Brazilians in a drumming troupe that found shelter on the floor of a church, with access to only one toilet and shower. Another group of six circus volunteers were sleeping in camping tents placed in the back of a large moving truck.

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by Claudia Maran

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe Dates and Location

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes place in venues all over Edinburgh, Scotland during August/September each year. For exact dates and venue information check out the Official Edinburgh Festival Fringe website.