Edinburgh fringe - Why all the hype?

[Dog Biscuit]

Admittedly I've never been but each year it gets a lot of coverage.

Everything I've seen from the news bytes etc just seems to be a load of circusy type simpletons pissing about on unicycles, dancing around in daft costumes and 'arty' dance routines.

Is that it?

Edited by Dog Biscuit on Sunday 10th August 20:04

[Davie]

No.

[119]

It’s amaaaaaaaazing what you can find out using the internet.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Festival...

[Condi]

Yep, that's literally all it is.

All of the 25,000 performers across 3700 shows, in 280 venues, over 3 weeks, are just a load of circusy type simpletons pissing about on unicycles, dancing around in daft costumes and 'arty' dance routines.

Amazing how you know it so well, having never been.

[Dog Biscuit]

Well, it seems I'm missing out then!

I'll pack my juggling balls and head up north to join in the fun

[sherman]

Fringe covers all forms of entertainment.
Comedy
Arts
Dance
Etc.
At the same time as the Fringe you have the International Festival which is posher and occupys the main theaters doing proper large scale productions.

At the same time you have the Book Festival

At the same time you have the Film Festival

At the same time you have the Art festival

At the same time you have the Military Tattoo.
10k people at 7 shows a week for 3 weeks in August.

This year we have also thrown in 3 Oasis Concerts in a 70k seat stadium

Its simply put the Worlds largest Arts festival.

[Warhavernet]

There is the official festival with highbrow music, drama and literary events, then the much bigger fringe festival of which the loony element [ The Shining: The Musical ] play a big part, lastly the street theatre artists, who all seem to hail from The Antipodes.

[shtu]

Dog Biscuit said:

Admittedly I've never been.

Clearly.

Dog Biscuit said:

Everything I've seen from the news bytes etc just seems to be a load of circusy type simpletons pissing about on unicycles, dancing around in daft costumes and 'arty' dance routines.

Because lazy TV crews all wander along the same 100m section of the High Street to get their footage.

Dog Biscuit said:

Is that it?

No.

Almost every mainstream comedian takes a step into their career proper at the Fringe. Theatre productions from around the world beat a path there. Pretty much anyone who's anyone in the arts will be there. That major new series on BBC a couple of years from now, that's a Fringe sellout this year that's been scouted. And so on.

Dog Biscuit said:

I've never been.

If you've any interest at all in the performing arts, theatre, comedy, whatever, it's a must. Even if you just enjoy an entire city buzzing with activity almost 24/7, worth it.

[Dog Biscuit]

It would seem there's a lot of love for the Edinburgh Festival here in this forum, and it's certainly clear I've not done my homework!

I'm just a miserable fun sponge aren't I! Haha

[Vsix and Vtec]

I went several times in the 2000's. I don't know what its like now, but my best mate was a judge for the fringe on the comedy acts, so we went to anything up to 10 acts a day. The general routine was that we got up at 10am, into The Standing Order for breakfast, and then hit the first act and first pint of the day shortly after. Imagine a holiday where all you do is see as many comedy shows as you can, drink as many pints as you can handle and sleep on a thin mattress in a hostel because you just need somewhere dry to pass out when you finally roll in at 5am having spent the day moving from one venue to the next, and then get up at 10 and do it all again. Every day of the week. Except Sunday, when you drive back, stopping only at the sight Lindisfarne to appreciate the secluded beauty before carrying on southwards.

Great days, but I don't think I could handle the pace of my younger years, we went 4 in a row I think before my work life got in the way. My mate still judges every year though.

[Dog Biscuit]

Vsix and Vtec said:

I went several times in the 2000's. I don't know what its like now, but my best mate was a judge for the fringe on the comedy acts, so we went to anything up to 10 acts a day. The general routine was that we got up at 10am, into The Standing Order for breakfast, and then hit the first act and first pint of the day shortly after. Imagine a holiday where all you do is see as many comedy shows as you can, drink as many pints as you can handle and sleep on a thin mattress in a hostel because you just need somewhere dry to pass out when you finally roll in at 5am having spent the day moving from one venue to the next, and then get up at 10 and do it all again. Every day of the week. Except Sunday, when you drive back, stopping only at the sight Lindisfarne to appreciate the secluded beauty before carrying on southwards.

Great days, but I don't think I could handle the pace of my younger years, we went 4 in a row I think before my work life got in the way. My mate still judges every year though.

Sounds like a younger lads game that does

[Doofus]

30 years ago I went with a mate. Nothing booked in advance. We slept in my car in a multi-storey.

Saw Bob Downe.

Arthur Smith bought me and Robbie Coltrane a pint and we had a proper laugh.

Saw a university troupe do some tedious bks about fk knows what

Saw another 'comic' who bore a passing resemblance to Terry Scott, and had obviously primed somebody in the audience to shout "Curly Wurly!" at regular intervals, whilst throwing Curly Wurlys onto the stage.

So, on balance, it was rubbish, but thirty years on, I remember much of it.

Edited by Doofus on Sunday 10th August 21:52

[Wacky Racer]

Dog Biscuit said:

It would seem there's a lot of love for the Edinburgh Festival here in this forum, and it's certainly clear I've not done my homework!

I'm just a miserable fun sponge aren't I! Haha

I must admit I thought the same as you.

Never be afraid to admit you are wrong.

[shtu]

Vsix and Vtec said:

The general routine was that we got up at 10am, into The Standing Order for breakfast, and then hit the first act and first pint of the day shortly after. Imagine a holiday where all you do is see as many comedy shows as you can, drink as many pints as you can handle and sleep on a thin mattress in a hostel because you just need somewhere dry to pass out when you finally roll in at 5am having spent the day moving from one venue to the next, and then get up at 10 and do it all again.

When I lived in Edinburgh, that was more-or-less my routine for the opening week each August.

There's nothing quite like watching newbies and old hands alike getting shredded by the crowd in a 2am comedy bearpit, sometimes having been to their "proper" show earlier in the evening.

There is a lot of comedy, but it's not all comedy by any means.

Dog Biscuit said:

I'm just a miserable fun sponge.

Fringe 2026, Dogbiscuit in Miserable Fun Sponge, Pleasance Courtyard @ 7pm.

Edited by shtu on Sunday 10th August 21:59

[Condi]

There is almost no way to describe what you can see at the Fringe. The variety of acts are wider than your imagination. Everything from up and coming stand-ups, school theatre groups, professional musicians, street artists, Japanese comedy game shows, impov shows, burlesque, immersive Trainspotting productions, musical comedy, one man shows with an audience of 3 people. If you can't find something to enjoy then the problem is you, not the variety on offer. It draws acts from all over the world, and every successful comedian of the last 30 years has performed there. If you do go, then do so with an open mind, take a chance of some of the free fringe shows, you never quite know what you're going to see, whether that's at 1pm in a pub basement or in a 500 seat theatre.

If you want a wander down the weirder side of Fringe this could be something to wet your appetite (pun intended).

https://metro.co.uk/2025/08/06/watched-a-woman-org...

[sherman]

shtu said:

Fringe 2026, Dogbiscuit in Miserable Fun Sponge, Pleasance Courtyard @ 7pm.

Edited by shtu on Sunday 10th August 21:59

No chance you get the Pleasance on your first Fringe.
You have to work upto that.
You need to start in a backroom of a non central pub if your lucky. More likely a repurposed meeting room in an obscure business centre proforming on the Free Fringe.
Free fringe the audience pay what they thought the show was worth at the end.

[Warhavernet]

Sadly it has become now a place where comedy has to comply with the current world view, rather than it being actually funny, so venues are careful not to be too edgy when booking acts preferring safe green haired lesbians talking about their cats and Taylor Swift's terrible choice in men.

[5s Alive]

Warhavernet said:

Sadly it has become now a place where comedy has to comply with the current world view, rather than it being actually funny, so venues are careful not to be too edgy when booking acts preferring safe green haired lesbians talking about their cats and Taylor Swift's terrible choice in men.

Pub Landlord was one of the highlights last I was there, too close to the bone these days I suspect. The two chaps racing around the venue (tent) on space hoppers was hilarious, especially when the Norwegian bloke blatantly cheated to win his free pint. "Ya cheetin bd!" "We have a winner, and a whiner!" - all taken in good spirit though, we were all pissed.

[Condi]

5s Alive said:

Pub Landlord was one of the highlights last I was there, too close to the bone these days I suspect.

Doubt it, he's still touring.

The only thing I can remember being censored was Jeremy Sadowitz a few years ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/14/jerr...

He's not someone I've seen so can't comment, but the article made this observation

Grundian said:

Sadowitz has long been known for routines that most people would find grossly offensive.

In general it's a pretty free and open space for comedy. There is plenty of nudity, sexual humour, etc. I'm sure in the right venue even Roy Chubby Brown would find a space.

[Dog Biscuit]

Apologies for the crap pic but this is the type of thing I was referring to in my initial post



Their 'act' consisted of them dicking about squealing and dancing.