The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world, with nearly 3,500 shows. This year, Playbill is in Edinburgh for the entire month in August for the festival and we’re taking you with us. Follow along as we cover every single aspect of the Fringe, aka our real-life Brigadoon!
Edinburgh loves a party. The first week Playbill was here for the Fringe, we had a party every single day (along with seeing multiple shows). But aside from meeting other Fringe theatregoers and artists, these invite-only parties were useful in one big area: they let us sample a bunch of different Fringe shows in a couple hours. At these parties, different acts would come onstage with a 5-10-minute snippet of their show. Seeing these sampler platters of work helped the Playbill team figure out what shows we might want to see at the Fringe, and which artists we would want to talk to.
While these parties that Playbill attended were invitation only, there are events at the Edinburgh Fringe that allow Fringe-goers to sample different shows too. Two of them are listed below.
Museum Late: Fringe Fridays
For two Fridays in August, the National Museum of Scotland hosts an event where a number of different acts perform 10-15-minute snippets of their works in the museum itself. The final Fringe Friday is this Friday, August 18, but the museum has booked 13 different shows, so you will be sure to see something you like. The ticket price also includes admission to the museum's Beyond the Little Black Dress exhibition.
Fast Fringe
If you are looking for comedians, then Fast Fringe is the showcase for you. At every performance, 12 comedy and variety acts perform short snippets from their Fringe acts. The itinerary changes every day. If all the Fringe comedy listings are overwhelming, Fast Fringe is a great way to figure out who will make you laugh. Fast Fringe runs every day at the Pleasance Dome until August 26.
Fest on Forth
Every Sunday in August, Fest on Forth invite four comedy/cabaret acts from the Fringe to present snippets from their show. The line-up changes every week, but you'll be able to sample some Fringe acts while taking in fabulous views of Edinburgh from the fourth-floor venue's floor-to-ceiling windows. Plus the ticket price includes one cocktail. What a steal! Fest on Forth occurs Sunday August 20 and 27.
Best of the Fest
Assembly is one of the biggest venues at the Fringe, which means they have many shows under their umbrella. That is why they host three events almost every day called Best of the Fest, where they feature snippets of work that they are presenting. Best of the Fest runs until August 26 and it's an ever-changing line-up of comedians. Best of the Fest: Daytime runs until August 27 and features comedy, cabaret, family entertainment, and circus. Finally, Best of the Fest: the New Class runs until August 26 and is dedicated to up-and-coming comedy talent, as well as Fringe favorites. It's a little old, a little new, and a whole lotta fun.
