A Guide To Edinburgh Fringe

Fringe is undoubtedly one of the most fun times to visit Edinburgh – the whole of August is buzzing in the city centre, with comedy acts, theatrical groups, musicians and dancers taking to the streets for almost the entire month to promote their shows during the Festival Fringe.

It is, however, overwhelming. There is so much going on that it’s hard to know where to start – with thousands of shows at hundreds of venues, this is one of the biggest events in the world. The Fringe programme this year, with probably on average 20 listings per page, is 360 pages. Some events are one night only or run over the course of a few days, but the majority run for more or less the whole month. That is a lot of shows every day.

Before moving to Edinburgh, I’d stopped in the city for Fringe a handful of times, and since moving here a few years ago, it’s been a staple on our calendar (except for the Year That Must Not Be Named, of course). We’ve learned the best places to go, seen some incredible shows – and a few crap ones too – and sussed out how to really make the most of it.

This post contains affiliate links. Please note if you buy or book anything through my links, I may earn a little commission that helps keep this site running, at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Here’s my ultimate guide to surviving Fringe and having a great time during your visit.

Updated for 2025!

An introduction to Fringe

Fringe was actually never meant to be the main event. It started, and for years existed solely, as an uninvited addendum to the Edinburgh International Festival. Literally, the Festival Fringe, because it was on the fringe of a totally different festival. That’s why it’s actually “Festival Fringe” and not “Fringe Festival”, which is a common misconception, though of course most people just refer to it now as “Fringe”.

Fringe runs through almost all of August every year – this year it’s from the 1st – 25th August, but preview shows start a couple of days earlier.

There’s a massive mix of shows, from free shows to mid-range (£10-15) and higher-end ticket prices (£20+). Most shows last for an hour, so they’re not full nights out and it means you can pack in a variety of shows into a short stay.

Head to the main Fringe areas

If you’re not from Edinburgh, it’s virtually impossible to look at listings and narrow down where you should be headed. I had no idea the first few times I visited for it. In actual fact, there are a handful of main hubs around the city that serve as a fantastic starting point.

I’d recommend the following:

Pleasance. A courtyard in the middle of various venues offering a huge variety of shows all day and all night. The courtyard is full of food and drink to enjoy while you decide what you want to see.

Bristo Square. There are tons of shows around this area, as well as a fantastic range of food options with food trucks lining every inch of sideline space as possible all the way down to George Square Gardens, which is one of the best places to spend a sunny day in August. It’s probably my favourite place to go for Fringe food and just relax with some drinks, and there’s a range of big and small shows to check out.

Underbelly, Cowgate. Cowgate is the main nightlife area of Edinburgh, so it stands to reason that loads of shows would be here. Whether you pop into a pub to see what’s on, or take leaflets from performers, you’re bound to find something along here. Underbelly offers a big complex of venues with a variety of shows, so it’s a good place to start.

Monkey Barrel. This classic venue offers smaller shows, occasionally with big names, and the venue is a comedy institution. It’s just off the Royal Mile which makes it a perfect venue to start off with.

The Stand. Another Edinburgh institution, countless big comedians have started their careers at The Stand.

Just walk around – you’ll find something

Honestly, Fringe can be so overwhelming that it’s sometimes easiest to just walk around. My first experiences of Fringe were walking down the Royal Mile, stopping every few minutes to watch a street performer, and ending the walk with 100 leaflets in my hand. I’d look through them and trot off to one that took my fancy.

Walking through Cowgate, you’ll be ambushed by people trying to sell you their shows, and actually this can give you an idea of whether it could be your thing because you’ve now met the person doing the show. Quite often, it’ll be a case of “my show starts in 15 minutes, you should come!” which is where being open to spontaneity comes in very handy.

The best things to do to get into the swing of things are:

• Look at the posters. They are ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. Posters around Edinburgh are synonymous with Fringe to me, and the massive boards on the Royal Mile just get thicker and thicker with posters as the month goes on.
• Take leaflets. This gives you more of an insight into the shows than just a listing.
• Watch street performers. The best way to experience free Fringe is to stop and watch what’s happening outside. I’ve discovered some AMAZING people out on the streets. (Please look out for Morf, playing a guitar in every way you wouldn’t expect – he’s fabulous!)

Go and sit in a pub

Chances are, if you’re sat in a pub with a drink in August, someone will walk in and go, “hey guys, I’m doing a show out the back in five minutes, it’s free if you fancy popping in”. Yep, free shows are everywhere! And, naturally, they can be very hit and miss. But have you really done Fringe if you haven’t sat in the back room of a pub awkwardly laughing at someone’s bad jokes?

Grab a Fringe programme

The best way to really see what’s on is to grab a programme and highlight all your favourites the old-fashioned way.

For what it’s worth, I actually prefer doing this to browsing the website, because there’s just too much to look through, and it’s easier to sift through a massive magazine than 100 pages of listings on a website. That said, you can save the ones you like the look of on the website, which is handy!

Don’t forget it’s not just comedy

Fringe is famous for being where new comedians cut their teeth and old comedians test their new material. But it’s so much more than comedy! There are tons of kids’ shows, circus shows, drag shows, opera, theatre, politics, talks, musicals, even workshops and cooking classes. It’s a cultural melting pot for the entire arts industry.

Consider something totally different

On the subject of there being a huge variety of acts to discover – why not consider something you wouldn’t normally do? Last year, we went to see… wait for it… Hamlet. A ballet version. With Sir Ian McKellen. Unfortunately we didn’t get Gandalf doing Shakespeare ballet, but really, NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH would you find something like this.

We’ve also been to a circus show, amateur theatre productions, and an epic performance of film music. (Honestly – seeing a live version of Time from Inception… absolutely INSANE.)

Fringe is often about pushing boundaries – push your own boundaries and get out of your comfort zone.

Check out some regular favourites

Still totally stuck? Here are some of my personal favourites from over the years that make regular appearances at Fringe.

Jollyboat. If you’re a bit of a nerd (i.e. you like Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones) then you’ll LOVE Jollyboat. A musical comedy duo full of hilarious references. Best of all, their shows are FREE! Obviously as with all free shows, make sure you donate a bit at the end.

Robin Boot’s Rockomedy. Riotous fun set to rock music. He usually plays in Whistlebinkies too, which is a great pub to check out.

Shit-Faced Shakespeare. Every year they come back with a different Shakespeare play – but there’s a twist. Each night, a different cast member gets drunk and hilarity ensues. If you want a mid-size production (under £20 a ticket) then this is a solid choice.

Foil, Arms & Hog. A fantastic sketch show is always guaranteed with these guys. They’re pretty big now, so they’re on the higher end of ticket prices.

I definitely recommend seeing a mix of shows – choose one or two big ones (perhaps one of the above and a big comedian name) and book these online, then be spontaneous the rest of the time. Try out a £10 one and check out some of the free ones.

Come at the beginning of Fringe

Every year, the first couple of nights are called “preview nights” before Fringe really kicks off. What this means is cheaper shows (often around half price) even for big names, in order for the comedians to warm up. One year we saw Tim Vine for £9.

Not only that, but there’s normally 2-for-1 tickets on a ton of shows for a couple of days near the start – usually the first Monday & Tuesday of the festival. We always try to take advantage of this and have seen some fantastic shows this way that we might not have seen otherwise.

Of course, the risk with coming at the beginning of the month is that nobody will really have reviews yet and there won’t be many word-of-mouth recommendations floating about. There are plenty of acts that will have reviews from other shows they’ve done, though.

Also the box office normally has daily 2-for-1 offers on shows that need a few more bums on seats that day, so it’s always worth checking that out, although you never really know what’s available until the day.

Overall, Fringe is a fabulous time to visit Edinburgh, if you don’t mind crowds, of course! You won’t find anything quite like it anywhere else, and it takes over the entire city for a month.

And if you are coming to Edinburgh for Fringe, hopefully this guide helps to take the stress out of planning.

If you have any more tips for Edinburgh Fringe, do feel free to drop them in the comments below!