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Ultimate guide to planning an Edinburgh Fringe trip

Has following this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe got you looking forward to next year? Will this be the first time that you travel up to Scotland to experience the world’s largest international festival? As requested via Instagram, I am finally sharing my ultimate guide to planning an Edinburgh Fringe trip. From accommodation options to how many shows to book in per day, I walk you through the knowledge I have picked up during my recent Fringe experiences, visiting as both a spectator and a reviewer. This piece will complement my first timer’s guide, which features everything I learnt at my first Edinburgh Fringe and covers the daily festival experience. Something to note is planning a Fringe trip is all about personal preferences, so whilst these are my recommendations, what you individually choose to prioritise will ultimately be different to others. Naturally you will find your feet when you arrive, but hopefully these tips should help get you started. So without further ado, let’s start planning a festival visit!

When to start planning

This is the million dollar question and even after three festivals, I still feel as if I have not quite got the timing right. The first questions you need to ask yourself are; when are you looking to travel to Edinburgh, for how long and for how many people? This has a huge impact on your accommodation options, with the midweek dates being a little quieter and offering more availability. The earlier you decide the better, as you benefit from having more time to review accommodation and transport options. I personally start looking at accommodation for the next year in mid-August when the current year’s festival is in full swing. It is usually an early indication of how much prices are likely to go up for the next year and gives me plenty of time to research our options.

Views of Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

One approach is to book early and make a free cancellation accommodation booking before the festival dates have been announced and accommodation prices have shot up. However, like everything, prices go up and down throughout the year and when the festival buzz has calmed down a little, you may find some more reasonable room rates available. My biggest advice is to start planning when you feel ready and always book with flexibility, in case a more affordable option crops up.

Accommodation

Finding somewhere to stay is the trickiest part of festival planning, with accommodation prices inflated throughout the month of August. Unfortunately, there is not really a ‘cheap’ option, with city-based hostel dormitories and rooms in self-catered accommodation still costing guests a lot during this 3-week period. That being said, some of the universities also open up to Fringe visitors in the Summer, providing space in the halls of residences. Keep an eye out nearer the time for availability, but please be mindful that the performers themselves really need to secure any affordable accommodation, with the rising costs of putting on a show. If you can pay a little more, please go ahead and leave this space for the artists.

Streets of Edinburgh Old Town during the Fringe

There is something to say about ‘power in numbers’, with per person prices proving more affordable if you can club together with friends or family and book shared accommodation. Filling a place to maximum occupancy allows groups to optimise the space available and share the burden of the accommodation costs. Before ruling out staying in the Edinburgh vicinity, I would recommend pricing up a shared option. If the per person total remains high, you could always look to nearby Glasgow or Stirling, which both offer direct trains to Edinburgh Waverley and as of right now, much lower nightly rates. The only thing to remember with staying outside of the Scottish capital is that you will need to be mindful of the last trains or buses home, which in turn rules out being able to watch some of the late night shows.

Travelling to Edinburgh

If you are travelling from anywhere in the UK, you have the option to catch the train, drive or fly to Scotland. A large factor in decision making will ultimately be price and proximity to transport hubs, but my top tip would be to think about luggage allowances and the overall travel time from door to door. Living in Kent, the train is by far the most convenient option for me, but the overall travel time is longer than travelling to the airport, catching a flight (1h 20m) and getting the direct tram into the city centre. Flights also go on sale approximately 11 months to 1 year in advance, whilst train tickets are typically available far later at 12 weeks before.

George Street during the Edinburgh Fringe

The direct service from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley takes approximately 4 hours 20 minutes. If you book on one of the first days that train fares become available, you can make the most of opening prices too, which are usually a lot lower than standard fares nearer to the festival start dates. There are also fantastic discounts available with railcards, which allow you to save up to 1/3 of the fare. In 2024 my Mum and I each paid £100.90 for our return journey from London to Edinburgh, both benefiting from the Railcard discounts.

Budgeting for show tickets and when to book

Tickets to Fringe shows are a lot cheaper than the West End or touring theatre, with tickets typically ranging from PWYW/C (Pay What You Want/Can) up to just over £20 per person. There are concession rates available, which also provide a little discount, but on the whole, you can see multiple productions for the price of a West End premium ticket. Additionally, the ‘Free Fringe’ is an accessible scheme for both performers and spectators on a budget, with artists able to put on a show without a venue fee and the audience not purchasing a ticket in advance. Instead, you have the option to contribute to a bucket at the end of the performance if you enjoyed it.

Pleasance Courtyard during the Edinburgh Fringe

In terms of when to start booking tickets, there is not a single on-sale date, with the Edinburgh Fringe Society instead actually announcing the shows in batches, starting approximately 5-6 months before the festival begins. Tickets are available for purchase from the EdFringe website and signing up to the Fringe Society mailing list is a brilliant way to keep on top of the ticket release dates. If you are looking to see a big name, definitely book their shows as soon as they become available, as there is a chance they may sell out. Outside of this, purchasing early really helps the performers, as they will have guaranteed some ticket sales before they get to Edinburgh. That being said, I would always hold back some space in your schedule for productions that you hear about when you get to the city. Flyering is such an important part of the Fringe and allows audiences to come across acts and performers that they had no idea about until they started walking the streets of the Scottish capital. It also makes for some really fun interactions, as you see the lengths that performers will go to in an attempt to capture your attention!

Advice for curating a schedule

Outside of the hardcore theatre or comedy fan, the majority of spectators will only ever have watched one performance per day before arriving in Scotland. At the Edinburgh Fringe some people see as many shows as they can possibly fit into a day, known as a “fringe binge” which is very impressive, but overwhelming even to the biggest champions of the arts. I am the biggest advocate of supporting as many performers and companies as you can, but if it is your first time, I encourage you to really think about how many 50-60 minute performances you can comfortably watch, given that venues can be far apart and Edinburgh is brimming with lovely restaurants and exciting tourist attractions.

From my experience as a spectator, 3 shows is my optimum, providing room for meals and reducing the time pressure when navigating the city centre streets between performances, but most people find their optimum after a couple of days of being there. It is also wise to book shows at nearby venues on the same day, so that you can limit travel time and enjoy the festival at a slower place. Contrary to what you might think, venues with similar names are rarely next door to each other, so Google Maps will be a really valuable resource when you are planning.

Transport around Edinburgh

If you stay in the city centre, walking between venues is definitely an option, with most of the performance spaces being located in the Old Town or over at the Edinburgh University campus. This year, we stayed in the New Town, footsteps from Assembly Rooms and Greenside @ George Street, frequently walking back and forth to the historic part of the city for venues. Please just bear in mind that the Royal Mile and the surrounding streets are very busy, hilly and graced with cobbles, which means walking between venues takes longer than expected. There is always Uber available if you want to skip a long, late night walk home though!

'Unleash your Fringe' banner on the Royal Mile | Edinburgh Fringe

Staying further out, you can make the most of the tram and bus connections. The tram line goes from the airport all the way to the Ocean Terminal at Leith, which makes the latter an option for accommodation if you are happy to commute each day. I actually stayed at the Leith Holiday Inn Express in 2023 and if it wasn’t for the fact that I was completing a marathon of reviews each day and kept needing to be in the centre, it was quite convenient. The buses service the entire city and a day ticket for the city zone is really reasonably priced (£5.00 as of September 2024). It is perfect if you need to get over to Chambers Street, Surgeons’ Hall or George Square and want to save your step count. I remember leaving Paradise in Augustines late one evening last year and being grateful for the direct bus back to where we were staying.

Food and drink

With shows starting at various times each day, I often find that regular mealtimes are non-existent during the festival. Fortunately lots of the venues serve snacks and drinks in their bars and cafes and there are also various street food kiosks at some of the plaza locations like Assembly George Square, Underbelly George Square and Bristo Square. My top tip is to prepare for snacking and randomly timed meals during your Fringe visit. Fortunately, plenty of restaurants accept walk-ins throughout the afternoon and evening, so you are bound to find somewhere for a sit down meal. A friend raves about ‘Mosque Kitchen’, describing it as “the best place to eat in Edinburgh”. I haven’t been yet, but it is certainly now on my list for a future visit.

Assembly Rooms - Bijou on George Street, Edinburgh | Edinburgh Fringe

Something to note is that during the festival, restaurants sometimes don’t accept their regular offers and discounts. If you are booking with the intention of using a voucher, please ask the host when you arrive what their current policy is, so that you aren’t surprised if they decline it at the point of paying for your meal. We have learned this from experience, so I now always check when I plan to visit a restaurant.

Most importantly, enjoy every moment!

No matter how much planning you do, honestly there is nothing quite like just getting to Edinburgh and soaking up the incredible atmosphere. Take the planning at your own pace, but also be mindful of the fact that there are only so many rooms in the city, with performers, spectators and the arts industry all flocking to the festival. Once your accommodation is sorted, everything else gets a lot easier, so I recommend prioritising this. I hope my exhaustive guide has been helpful if you are considering a future Fringe trip. It really is the most amazing experience and there is nowhere quite like Edinburgh during the festival.

Thanks for reading my blog today.

Love Kat xxxx

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#theatre

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