[AD – PR invite*]
For the past 5 years I have headed to the Edinburgh Fringe for either a week or long weekend in August, returning to the world’s largest arts festival for lots of new shows. After this many consecutive festivals I’d like to say I am becoming quite the event pro, learning more and more about the venues and format every year. But even as a huge Fringe fan, I am conscious that you need to take breaks between performances and make time for something other than theatre. For 2026, my Mum and I decided to take on Grownup Playhouse’s self-guided murder mystery experience Murder on the Mile, which is themed around the Fringe and involves solving puzzles and a murder mystery around the city. On our second day in Edinburgh we headed to The Castle Rock Cafe to see and find out what company founder Tom Rolph has created.
The murder mystery route
Murder on the Mile involves figuring out who killed Fringe street performer Timmy Diggory and in doing so, it takes you to various Fringe venues in the city centre, starting at the cafe location which is located on an alleyway off the Royal Mile. Clues and prompts involve looking at the exterior of Fringe venues in detail, figuring out how the building detail will help you proceed to the next clue. Being totally honest, I’m not the best at puzzles, but the pair of us enjoyed wandering around trying to find the answers. It’s definitely something I’d do with a group, as you can help each other out and chat along the way. Once you’ve completed the tasks, you have a chance to enter your answer for verification on the Grownup Playhouse website. It was hilarious to see how many attempts it took us!
How to make the most of the experience
It goes without saying that Edinburgh is really busy during the Fringe, so you need to choose a time of day for the activity wisely. Mornings are ideal, when it’s quieter and easier to walk along the crowded streets of the city centre. You also don’t need to complete the murder mystery in one session. This might be a little confusing from the bookable time slots on the Fringe website, as this is essentially your puzzle booklet pick-up time and you don’t have to start the game there and then. We started the route at the end of a busy day of shows and continued where we left off a few days later. It’s brilliant that this is a totally flexible activity, that you can work into your schedule.
The only thing to mention is that Edinburgh seems to have really bad data coverage. I spoke to a couple of business owners during the festival and they confirmed that this is a common issue. If you aren’t familiar with the locations of the major Fringe venues, I would recommend downloading some Edinburgh city centre and Fringe venue maps beforehand, as well as pre-scanning some of the hint QR codes. This means you won’t have to keep looking out for free WiFi spots when you are walking and can ensure continuity of the experience.
Try something totally unique at this year’s festival
The Edinburgh Fringe is one of the most exciting festivals in the world, but even the most devoted theatre fans can end up experiencing a little burnout from back to back shows. Murder on the Mile is a great way to soak up the atmosphere of the Fringe, but also take a pause in between performances. Fringe venues can end up being really warm and the fresh air is so appreciated. The self-guided murder mystery tour also really challenged our Fringe venue knowledge, which was a barrel of laughs after five consecutive years at the festival. Time slots for picking up a puzzle booklet are available until 30th August and can be booked via the EdFringe website. The meeting point is The Castle Rock Cafe in Makars’ Court (venue 453).
*My ticket for Murder on the Mile was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review and social media coverage.
Comments