Every year during three weeks in August, the entire city of Edinburgh transforms into an explosion of artistic flair and the city seems to overflow with colour and creativity. Known globally for its quality, it is the world’ largest arts festival. The festival shines a light on fresh and up-and-coming talent on the global arts and cultural scene. Anyone may participate, in any capacity and present any kind of performance. The programme is generally composed of a myriad of different performances including but not limited to theatre, dance, spoken word, musicals, cabaret, circus and exhibitions. A majority of performances have consistently been comedy.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who premiered her show Fleabag at Fringe in 2013 was named president of the Festival in 2021. In 2023, Edinburgh Fringe will run from August 4-23.
A band plays on a closed off street in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival.
- © Neil Bussey / Shutterstock
There’s so much to see while at Edinburgh Fringe, you will unfortunately not be able to see everything and will have to pick and choose what shows you want to attend. You need to be selective as prioritisation is everything when it comes to planning your time at Fringe!
The Fringe calendar is released chunk by chunk so make sure you check the website for any updates. You’ll find the programme page here. Take some time to look through the various acts and see what you wouldn’t want to miss.
There are hundreds of venues that host performances that form the festival, we highly advise you familiarise yourself with the overall layout of them ahead of time. You’ll find most of the action gravitates around the city centre, towards George Square and the Royal Mile. Some renowned venue promoters include Gilded Balloon, Underbelly, Assembly and Pleasance, often referred to as the “Big Four” of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival . We’ve included more official information about the venues here.
Crowds at Edinburgh Fringe.
- © James Heatlie / ShutterstockIt is tradition for the Royal Mile to transform into somewhat of a “Fringe Street'' during the festival. The cobbled street that leads up to the majestic Edinburgh castle becomes an open air venue for various street performances and shows. Be sure to go back throughout your visit because the shows change all the time and the diversity of talent on display is always astonishing.
Don’t forget to also keep an eye out for Free Fringe, an initiative which programs hundreds of free shows visitors can attend as part of the festival.
Tickets can sell out, especially for larger or more popular shows, so be sure to keep an eye on the Festival’s online box-office. A booking fee of £1.25 is placed on all ticket bookings. You can also get tickets straight at the Festival’s physical box office, located on 180 High Street. All fringe shows use e-ticketing.
That said, some shows will be free and some will have a pay-what-you-like policy so make sure you check what that looks like for the performances you want to attend.
Most shows cost around £5-10 but ticket prices go anywhere from nothing at all to £35.
You will undoubtedly want to stay somewhere central, making it easy to get from different shows and back during your time at the festival. We’ve compiled a variety of our favourite central Edinburgh hotels in all ranges, but bare in mind prices tend to skyrocket during the festival period.
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There is an immense variety of food stalls and pop up restaurants visitors can head to when feeling a little peckish in between two shows. Clusters tend to appear close to big venues or central gathering areas such as George Square Gardens.
The city’s fantastic selection of restaurants is also an option, read more about it in our Edinburgh guide.
Pleasance Dome at Edinburgh Fringe.
- © Edinburghcitymom / ShutterstockWhile like any festival, the Edinburgh Fringe can feel overwhelming at times, remember why you’re there in the first place: to enjoy yourself and take in an incredible amount of culture. What a joy to get the chance to not only explore one of Europe’s most vibrant cities, but do it during such an exciting and cheerful event. Make the most of it and if it gets a little overwhelming, then take a moment to breathe, that’s also okay.
No matter how you plan on getting to Edinburgh, make sure your transportation is booked or sorted well in advance. The festival is synonymous with Edinburgh’s busiest weeks and many people will be trying to get to the city at the same time you are.
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