The Edinburgh International Festival was launched in 1947. It was only a matter of time before a fringe festival followed. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe began with eight performers in five venues. Today, it is the largest arts festival in the entire world and hosts tens of thousands of performers every August. The Fringe is a huge event, with almost 3,000 shows this month. Planning your visit to the festival can help you make the most out of your time and money.
First things first
The Fringe has been the place where many famous writers and performers have found their break. Phoebe Waller Bridge was one of them when her hit show Fleabag debuted in 2013. The tradition of discovering new stars, particularly those who have already won awards, is usually characterized by winning a First.
The comedy award, formerly known as the Perrier Award, is awarded to the best comedians. Steve Coogan and Bridget Christie have won it in the past, along with Dylan Moran and Emma Thompson. It’s hard to predict the next big thing at the Fringe because of its size. Here are my top tips based on years of enjoying the festival.
Do your homework before you travel
It can be almost as intimidating to plan your trip by looking at the program online. Edinburgh in August can seem like an alien planet. You’ll see impromptu performances, colourful characters, and flyers advertising a variety of shows everywhere you look. Choosing what to watch in advance can make the experience more enjoyable.
The Fringe site has a planning tool that helps you schedule your shows so that you are at the right place and time. Now that all tickets are electronic, it is essential to download the Fringe app.
Consider your own preferences before deciding on what to watch. What do you like? It’s tempting to look for what is considered worthy or serious. The world’s best talent can be found within a few square kilometers. As a performance researcher, the Fringe Festival is a chance for me to experience theatre that stimulates my senses. I also get to see a city that’s alive with performers, audiences, and transient residents.
Dive right in
immersive performances, a highly sensual experience for spectators, have grown in popularity over the past few years. The Fringe is no exception. Edinburgh feels like a big immersive show during the festival. The city is awash with sounds, sights, smells, and tastes.
For a start, I would recommend a theatre experience that is immersive. Without Sin is described as “a contemporary confessional for modern sinners” for two people. This show, produced by Unqualified Design Studio puts the audience at the center of the action. Without Sin is a 15-minute show that promises to be a powerful experience.
Eulogy is another immersive show at the Pleasance Dome. It offers “a surreal, otherworldly trip through a dreamlike and labyrinthine, hotel that exists only in your head”. Like other immersive theatre, Eulogy offers a good deal of agency for the participant-spectator. The Darkfield producing company is well-known for its use of technology to create immersive experience, both in person and via an App.
Darkfield’s second Fringe show is seance. This transforms a shipping box into a Victorian-style seance. The audience will be plunged into complete darkness for only a short period of time. However, this should heighten their senses and prepare them to experience the many other Fringe events.
There is something for everyone
There are many other options if you don’t want to experience an immersive theatre show. These include theatre, dance and circus. The Fringe offers a wide range of entertainment, whether you enjoy watching comedians compete for the joke of the Fringe award, or want to watch some world-class physical theatre. Or, you may even be interested in entertaining your children.
A “successful Fringe” experience for a spectator doesn’t mean you have to catch the big zeitgeist comic or get tickets to the latest show by a famous actor. If you have a successful experience at the Fringe, it might be that you have absorbed the atmosphere and seen some interesting performances.
It is possible to see a bad performance. It is part of the Fringe to see something terrible. This can improve our ability to spot the best shows in the future. It’s also possible to see something great with only a few people in the crowd, which can give you bragging rights like “I saw it at a tiny theatre with three people and one dog at the Fringe”, when it produces future stage and comedy stars.
While it is impossible to provide a foolproof guide for navigating the Fringe Festival, some planning and forward-thinking will pay off once you arrive. Booking ahead for two shows can help you focus your day and prevent feeling overwhelmed. Just like immersive theatres, we can sometimes rely on our instincts to guide us.