galmc2Report

Let’s get the easy part out of the way up front. Edinburgh is all it’s cracked up to be. Being there , especially in the old town/Royal Mile area, is akin to being in a medieval Disneyland. So much history wherever you look, and as we discovered, also some nice hikes that will give you the payoff of a fantastic 360’ view of the area (I’m talking about you “Arthur’s Seat”).

But I know what you want to know. What was it like to be there during the world famous Edinburgh Fringe (ok, they don’t seem to use the word Fringe) Festival?

The funny part is we didn’t set out in our planning to be there so we could attend the Festival. We knew that Scotland would be our last country to explore together on the trip, and thought that wrapping up in August with a few days in Edinburgh would be a good finale (note: then we realized that we should probably come visit Glasgow too, so Edinburgh was not our final city). Heather did her AirBnB/Booking.com thing, and proceeded to get increasingly frustrated at the costs for accommodation. Our niece Tegan had previously visited Edinburgh, and recommended a hostel so we decided to bite the bullet and book there.

It was then that we realized that the reason for the costly accommodation was because of the Festival! This year it ran/runs(depending on if/when you are reading this) from August 4th to the 27th. Now our thinking adjusted somewhat to “cool, we’ll be there for the Fringe”!

So what does that mean? What does one experience? How does one navigate the scene with a modicum of success?

I’m sure that many who attend the Festival come with a plan on what they want to see and maybe even have pre-bought show tickets. Not us. We made it up as we went, which was very easy given the information available on the Edfringe app, the copious amounts of promotional posters for each show, and of course the performers themselves who are on the streets passing out flyers and inquiring if you would be interested. At various points around town there were ticket booths too (or you could just use the app).

Now on the subject of tickets, sometimes you don’t actually need one to see a show. Many Fringe shows have a “pay what you can” policy, which you can do after the show is finished. Even if you pre-order tickets, you don’t need to actually pay until after the show(if you want). But, if you can pre-order your ticket it is nice for the performers, as they get a sense of how big (or small) the audience may be. We were told by one performer that the average size of a crowd at a Fringe show was 3 people. Now, I’m not saying that is inaccurate, but thankfully we never experienced it. We even just showed up to a show (our first show) and learned that if there is space you will be able to get a seat.

In terms of shows, there is literally more here than you can take in. The number is shows put on each day is staggering (I tried to count on the app but threw in the towel). Comedy, music, dance, drama…there is something for every taste.

And it’s not just in the venues. Wander the Royal Mile, especially in the afternoon, and you will see street performers galore. Musicians, acrobats, statues, and whatever category the people who play with fire fall into. They are all there.

We took in 9 shows over the 3+ days we were here. A Canadian comic talking about life in a van, an Aussie doing shows on both travel and doing the Camino, another Aussie doing a show on top 10 things that bring you joy (take amount and think about what your own list would be, it’s time we’ll spent), and Gunther describing life as the 7th “Friend” were among what we caught. All were very enjoyable (except perhaps the Irish comedians. I think some of that humour was lost on us).

Now, the one caution I offer is if crowds are not your thing then be cautious. There is an astounding amount of people here. The volume of people, combined with all the performers and show promoters handing out leaflets, especially on the Royal Mile, makes for a lot of congestion. But I think that’s part of what gives the Festival the cache it has.

I actually went back today (August 23rd) to wander around. Still the same very cool, creative craziness all around!