Edinburgh Fringe 2019

[ellemmeo]

Going for the first time this year! Anyone else?

 

[Matt Derrick]

I won't be but I'm curious, what's going on there this year?

 

[ellemmeo]

Who knows?! haha never been before but it looks awesome. I'm a comedian so I'm excited to jump on a bunch of shows

 

[roughdraft]

nice, I'd love to hear about yr time there. I won't be going this year but with a new friend up the road from Edinburgh it's moreso on the radar now. In August isn't it?

 

[ellemmeo]

Yes! I'll be there 8/1 - 8/25. Will keep you updated on the trip.

 

[Tony Pro]

I've never seen such a total transformation of a city; it's a surreal and fantastic time to be there. Unfortunately can't make it this year. Hostels book up months in advance, so figure out accommodation if you don't want to be stealth-camping on Arthur's Seat. Or set up a comfy perma-camp in the Pentlands and commute by thumb or bus.
Check out the cut-price day-of ticket booth adjacent to the National Gallery. Shows that haven't yet sold out give big discounts through them. There are literally hundreds of "free" (by donation) shows of every genre.

 

[RoadFlower33]

Is this in the events / gatherings page? What's it all about?

 

[Tony Pro]

Is this in the events / gatherings page? What's it all about?

It's the biggest performing art festival in the world, and since it takes place in a city of only 450k people, it makes a big splash. You get big name shows in all the theaters, but also every pub, cafe, church, and nail salon in the city converts space for alternative performances. The buskers are the best part; they have free reign in the streets, and you get a lot of incredible talent because they commute from all over the world.

 

[ellemmeo]

I can't wait! Excited to do some shows while I'm out there. I appreciate the tips!

 

[Tony Pro]

I can't wait! Excited to do some shows while I'm out there. I appreciate the tips!

That's awesome; do you know what venues?

 

[ellemmeo]

That's awesome; do you know what venues?

I met a couple comedians while couchsurfing/jumping on gigs in Paris. None of us have been to the festival before so we decided to submit as a group. We landed a 10:50PM spot in The Wee One room at The Caves. A little nervous about making the whole thing work financially but I hear if you put on a good show, the audience is generous with the tip bucket.

Joined a few facebook groups for fringe performers. Waiting to see some listings for the showcases. Hopefully going to try to get on two or three other shows each night!

Working on a place to stay now. Probably going to bite the bullet and share a room with another comedian. Expensive but I've never relied on couchsurfing/figuring it out for this long, this far in advance.

 

[jimi]

Looks like I'm gonna end up there by accident!

 

[jimi]

So, without knowing this was going on, I planned on passing through Edinburgh for a couple days in August. Wasn't really expecting to have too hard a time making friends/hitting up connects to find a couch or squat to pass out at for a few nights, and was prepared for a bit of urban camping if that didn't fly, but maybe it's seeming like I might have to put in a bit more effort than originally planned. Thoughts?

 

[92HPS]

i'm there now, probably will be in August too. Bring a jacket🌧

 

[jimi]

What are yall's thoughts about sleeping rough in the city during this thing? Possible? Safe?

 

[jimi]

What are yall's thoughts about sleeping rough in the city during this thing? Possible? Safe?

Okay I figured I'd make a long ass update for anyone looking this up in the future: I showed not knowing what to expect up and had a fuckin great time. Actually didn't have a single problem. Some people I asked had cautioned against going without any plan or place to stay, and I'm so glad I ignored the shit out of them.

I went up mainly for the Cramond Island of Punk show (I have another post about that) and ended up spending maybe a bit over a week in Edinburgh and wandered around quite a bit. To get there we took a megabus from London to Glasgow, then one of the between-city buses that run every fucking 15 minutes to half hour for like $4 to Edinburgh. Traveling straight to Edinburgh during the fringe is pricier and this is the cheapest way we found. We immediately made friends. People were generally extremely friendly and helpful. If you're friendly and charismatic enough I'm sure you'd not have much trouble getting housed up. The Edinburgh bus station has pay lockers that you can use to store your stuff if you need to. They're not cheap but not too expensive either, I forget the exact price, I used them one day cus my knees were acting up.

The city WAS really crowded and touristy, about what you'd expect, but still enjoyable if you can ignore the cringey bits. A note: people do NOT know how to get out of your way or stick to one side on the sidewalk in this town and I don't know what the fuck is up with that. SO MANY PEOPLE run into you or do 'the dance'. I dunno, it was really wierd. Didn't have anyone get up in our business in any negative way, no one gave us any shit for sitting in coffee shops to charge up for long periods of time, for loitering or not-so-low-key drinking in public, blah blah.

I didn't go to as many of the shows and events as I could have, since that wasn't really my deal, but there were a lot of free ones and the ones I did happen to see were decent. I liked walking around outside looking at stuff and talking to people. Lots of street performers and busking. I'm not sure if you can just show up and busk or not, or if you're supposed to get some kind of permit, but I got the feeling that even if you are, you might be able to just do whatever you want if you play your cards right or set up in the right area. Lots of competition though. Some very impressive stuff.

Hostels and hotels and airb&bs and whatnot seemed pretty full, and I didn't want to spend any money, so we didn't even bother. I had been warned it would be super hard to find a place to stay and that city camping might be difficult/dangerous and I should avoid it, but that was NOT my experience. As far as I understand, there are no squats or anything, but camping in a lot public places seems to be mostly allowed as long as you're not in the way or making a big scene of it, but nearly NO ONE seemed to be doing it. Saw a couple tents set up for what I'm pretty sure was at least a day or two in the middle of the open areas of Calton hill, which is right near downtown and overlooks the city. The campers didn't look too crusty, so packing some scamouflage is recommended just in case to avoid being fucked with. Stealth camping also seemed incredibly easy, noticed tons of spots around downtown. Personally, we spent about half the time camped on an island about a 30min bus ride from the city center, and half the time on a new friend's floor (big shout out to Ben, I know you're on here!).

Just shopped at the Tesco and Sainsbury's and kebab shops and whatnot for food, wasn't expensive for the quality at all really. The UK really does have a lot of cheap, filling, GOOD food, I don't know why anyone talks shit. There's plenty of expensive tourist trap food but don't bother. Didn't have the best luck dumpster diving/white boxing but didn't try hard. The public transportation was certainly not the cheapest, but not the worst, very crowded, and none of the buses we got on had any way of dodging the fares. We caught the firework show the last night and ended up staying for several days after the Fringe when the city was cleared out, and it was fuckin great, I recommend that too. It's personally more of my speed and you can see more of the city for what it is, there is lots of overwhelmingly pretty shit to look at.

Overall, very good. I can't speak for the festival itself as I mostly ignored it, but I was very pleasantly surprised and had one of the best times I've had in a city right off the bat. I'll be going back this Summer.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Okay I figured I'd make a long ass update for anyone looking this up in the future: I showed not knowing what to expect up and had a fuckin great time. Actually didn't have a single problem. Some people I asked had cautioned against going without any plan or place to stay, and I'm so glad I ignored the shit out of them.

I went up mainly for the Cramond Island of Punk show (I have another post about that) and ended up spending maybe a bit over a week in Edinburgh and wandered around quite a bit. To get there we took a megabus from London to Glasgow, then one of the between-city buses that run every fucking 15 minutes to half hour for like $4 to Edinburgh. Traveling straight to Edinburgh during the fringe is pricier and this is the cheapest way we found. We immediately made friends. People were generally extremely friendly and helpful. If you're friendly and charismatic enough I'm sure you'd not have much trouble getting housed up. The Edinburgh bus station has pay lockers that you can use to store your stuff if you need to. They're not cheap but not too expensive either, I forget the exact price, I used them one day cus my knees were acting up.

The city WAS really crowded and touristy, about what you'd expect, but still enjoyable if you can ignore the cringey bits. A note: people do NOT know how to get out of your way or stick to one side on the sidewalk in this town and I don't know what the fuck is up with that. SO MANY PEOPLE run into you or do 'the dance'. I dunno, it was really wierd. Didn't have anyone get up in our business in any negative way, no one gave us any shit for sitting in coffee shops to charge up for long periods of time, for loitering or not-so-low-key drinking in public, blah blah.

I didn't go to as many of the shows and events as I could have, since that wasn't really my deal, but there were a lot of free ones and the ones I did happen to see were decent. I liked walking around outside looking at stuff and talking to people. Lots of street performers and busking. I'm not sure if you can just show up and busk or not, or if you're supposed to get some kind of permit, but I got the feeling that even if you are, you might be able to just do whatever you want if you play your cards right or set up in the right area. Lots of competition though. Some very impressive stuff.

Hostels and hotels and airb&bs and whatnot seemed pretty full, and I didn't want to spend any money, so we didn't even bother. I had been warned it would be super hard to find a place to stay and that city camping might be difficult/dangerous and I should avoid it, but that was NOT my experience. As far as I understand, there are no squats or anything, but camping in a lot public places seems to be mostly allowed as long as you're not in the way or making a big scene of it, but nearly NO ONE seemed to be doing it. Saw a couple tents set up for what I'm pretty sure was at least a day or two in the middle of the open areas of Calton hill, which is right near downtown and overlooks the city. The campers didn't look too crusty, so packing some scamouflage is recommended just in case to avoid being fucked with. Stealth camping also seemed incredibly easy, noticed tons of spots around downtown. Personally, we spent about half the time camped on an island about a 30min bus ride from the city center, and half the time on a new friend's floor (big shout out to Ben, I know you're on here!).

Just shopped at the Tesco and Sainsbury's and kebab shops and whatnot for food, wasn't expensive for the quality at all really. The UK really does have a lot of cheap, filling, GOOD food, I don't know why anyone talks shit. There's plenty of expensive tourist trap food but don't bother. Didn't have the best luck dumpster diving/white boxing but didn't try hard. The public transportation was certainly not the cheapest, but not the worst, very crowded, and none of the buses we got on had any way of dodging the fares. We caught the firework show the last night and ended up staying for several days after the Fringe when the city was cleared out, and it was fuckin great, I recommend that too. It's personally more of my speed and you can see more of the city for what it is, there is lots of overwhelmingly pretty shit to look at.

Overall, very good. I can't speak for the festival itself as I mostly ignored it, but I was very pleasantly surprised and had one of the best times I've had in a city right off the bat. I'll be going back this Summer.

dude, epic report back. this is a perfect example of what i like to see people posting after events. super useful and definitely makes me want to go check this out for myself. thank you!

 

[ellemmeo]

Okay I figured I'd make a long ass update for anyone looking this up in the future: I showed not knowing what to expect up and had a fuckin great time. Actually didn't have a single problem. Some people I asked had cautioned against going without any plan or place to stay, and I'm so glad I ignored the shit out of them.

I went up mainly for the Cramond Island of Punk show (I have another post about that) and ended up spending maybe a bit over a week in Edinburgh and wandered around quite a bit. To get there we took a megabus from London to Glasgow, then one of the between-city buses that run every fucking 15 minutes to half hour for like $4 to Edinburgh. Traveling straight to Edinburgh during the fringe is pricier and this is the cheapest way we found. We immediately made friends. People were generally extremely friendly and helpful. If you're friendly and charismatic enough I'm sure you'd not have much trouble getting housed up. The Edinburgh bus station has pay lockers that you can use to store your stuff if you need to. They're not cheap but not too expensive either, I forget the exact price, I used them one day cus my knees were acting up.

The city WAS really crowded and touristy, about what you'd expect, but still enjoyable if you can ignore the cringey bits. A note: people do NOT know how to get out of your way or stick to one side on the sidewalk in this town and I don't know what the fuck is up with that. SO MANY PEOPLE run into you or do 'the dance'. I dunno, it was really wierd. Didn't have anyone get up in our business in any negative way, no one gave us any shit for sitting in coffee shops to charge up for long periods of time, for loitering or not-so-low-key drinking in public, blah blah.

I didn't go to as many of the shows and events as I could have, since that wasn't really my deal, but there were a lot of free ones and the ones I did happen to see were decent. I liked walking around outside looking at stuff and talking to people. Lots of street performers and busking. I'm not sure if you can just show up and busk or not, or if you're supposed to get some kind of permit, but I got the feeling that even if you are, you might be able to just do whatever you want if you play your cards right or set up in the right area. Lots of competition though. Some very impressive stuff.

Hostels and hotels and airb&bs and whatnot seemed pretty full, and I didn't want to spend any money, so we didn't even bother. I had been warned it would be super hard to find a place to stay and that city camping might be difficult/dangerous and I should avoid it, but that was NOT my experience. As far as I understand, there are no squats or anything, but camping in a lot public places seems to be mostly allowed as long as you're not in the way or making a big scene of it, but nearly NO ONE seemed to be doing it. Saw a couple tents set up for what I'm pretty sure was at least a day or two in the middle of the open areas of Calton hill, which is right near downtown and overlooks the city. The campers didn't look too crusty, so packing some scamouflage is recommended just in case to avoid being fucked with. Stealth camping also seemed incredibly easy, noticed tons of spots around downtown. Personally, we spent about half the time camped on an island about a 30min bus ride from the city center, and half the time on a new friend's floor (big shout out to Ben, I know you're on here!).

Just shopped at the Tesco and Sainsbury's and kebab shops and whatnot for food, wasn't expensive for the quality at all really. The UK really does have a lot of cheap, filling, GOOD food, I don't know why anyone talks shit. There's plenty of expensive tourist trap food but don't bother. Didn't have the best luck dumpster diving/white boxing but didn't try hard. The public transportation was certainly not the cheapest, but not the worst, very crowded, and none of the buses we got on had any way of dodging the fares. We caught the firework show the last night and ended up staying for several days after the Fringe when the city was cleared out, and it was fuckin great, I recommend that too. It's personally more of my speed and you can see more of the city for what it is, there is lots of overwhelmingly pretty shit to look at.

Overall, very good. I can't speak for the festival itself as I mostly ignored it, but I was very pleasantly surprised and had one of the best times I've had in a city right off the bat. I'll be going back this Summer.

Such a great recap! Awesome tip on taking the bus from London to Glasgow to Edinburgh - I took the train and it was too expensive. I was also in the city for a few days before and after the fringe. It's like night and day. Loved how relaxing it was when the crowds left. I'll be back this summer!

 

[jimi]

Such a great recap! Awesome tip on taking the bus from London to Glasgow to Edinburgh - I took the train and it was too expensive. I was also in the city for a few days before and after the fringe. It's like night and day. Loved how relaxing it was when the crowds left. I'll be back this summer!

Nice! Maybe I'll see ya there! Try to make it Cramond Island if ya can, even if not for the punk show, it's BEAUTIFUL and totally worth wandering around and checking out! Yeah, I agree, the city was way easier to explore after everyone left, and you could tell the locals were sooo relieved, hahaha.

 

[jimi]

Also a note on the megabus: London heading north to Glasgow, we had no problems. However, on the way back down was an absolute SHITSHOW. The buses just KEPT breaking down, often in the middle of nowhere. We had to change buses... 4 times I believe? So 5 total buses. It delayed our trip by about half a day, as we had to wait several hours for them to send a new bus out to us every time. Everyone on the completely packed bus got pretty agro and it wasn't a good time. I very much considered just grabbing my pack and attempting to hitch. I have no idea what the problem was, but I was told by a driver that they didn't have many buses in the fleet to begin with and that the majority had broken down within the last few days. We got an immediate refund without even asking, but still, we're very lucky we weren't on a tight schedule. I can't imagine this is a common experience, but I'd try to give yourself a day's worth of wiggle room when planning to travel this way just in case.