Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, is one of the few cities in the United Kingdom left untouched by the bombs of World War II, making it a beautiful juxtaposition of medieval buildings and modern skyscrapers. At any time of the year in Edinburgh, you can visit Holyroodhouse, one of King Charles’ official residences, climb up the adjacent Arthur’s Seat for a view of the city’s skyline, and learn about the history of the Scottish people at the National Museum of Scotland. August features one of the city’s biggest events of the year, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, aka the Fringe. The schedule at the Fringe is jam-packed, so use this guide to plan and make the most of this unique event and your visit to Edinburgh.
What is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (which is also known as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) celebrates theater in all its forms, offering everything from one-person shows to fully staged classic musicals, from stand-up to opera to spoken word. Begun in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe was conceived as the casual cousin to that prestigious and expensive event. Many cities have Fringe festivals now, but Edinburgh’s was the first. It’s unjuried, meaning that anyone can participate as an artist. In 2023, the Fringe saw a record number of attendees, selling a cool 2.4 million tickets to more than 3,500 shows, with many venues presenting multiple shows throughout the day and into the night. Thousands of people flock to the city to perform, many hoping to be the next Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emma Thompson, Rachel Weisz, or one of the other celebrities who got their start at the Fringe.
Performances take place all over the city—visiting theater companies rent spaces from restaurants and churches, pubs and schools, or even perform outdoors—but the center of the Fringe is along High Street, particularly in front of St. Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile (the Old Town’s main thoroughfare). The Fringe box office is nearby, and theater companies often perform short scenes in the pedestrian area throughout the day to try to draw in theatergoers.
There’s even a Fringe market, the West End Fair, that sells items like woven shawls, watercolor prints of Scotland, handcrafted beauty products, farmers’ produce, and locally made small-batch spirits.
A busy summer evening with crowds of tourists along the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Photo by Stephen Bridger/Shutterstock
When is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
The Fringe takes place every August, running from the first Friday through the next 25 days of the month. In 2024, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival runs August 2 to 26. Plenty of artists arrive before the festival begins to rehearse, and lots stay to enjoy a break after a grueling three weeks of performing, so the feel of the Fringe starts and ends before the festival.
The Fringe now runs concurrently with the festival it was meant to be an alternative to, the Edinburgh International Festival. The Edinburgh International Book Festival also runs during the Fringe.
As you might imagine, the festival takes over Edinburgh, a city of about 500,000 people. The energy, and Fringe fanatics, are everywhere in the heart of the city, so there’s not much point in heading to the Royal Mile during the Fringe if you’re not excited about watching street performers (so many bagpipers!) and enjoying the inescapable cheerful buzz.
How to get tickets
Tickets are available online and, in 2024, were released in batches in February, April, May, and June. Many shows are free; most nonfree shows cost £5 to £15 (US$6.40–$19.20), and Edinburgh Fringe ticket prices top out around £20 (about US$25)—less than half (or even a third) the price of a ticket for most shows on London’s West End and New York City’s Broadway. Half-price tickets are available every day in the Half-Price Hut at the Fringe box office next to St. Giles’.
You can book tickets in person at a Fringe office location in Edinburgh as well, but we recommend checking the official Fringe program in advance. The program is the handbook for the Fringe, listing every single one of the thousands of official shows and performances. Note that not all shows run for the entire length of the festival.
Try to book at least one show at one of the “big four” venues—Assembly Hall, the Gilded Balloon, the Pleasance, or the Underbelly, all of which are within walking distance of each other. They’re the most famous and professional venues, although even there, shows change every 90 minutes or so, keeping the tech elements simple. For a change of pace, wander into a show that’s desperate for an audience; if nothing else, you’ll have a great story to tell.
Don’t overbook yourself, though. One of the joys of the Fringe is stumbling upon a show, buying a last-minute ticket, and eventually bragging about seeing it years later.
Where to stay in Edinburgh during the Fringe
Space is at a premium during the Fringe. But the city is also determined to welcome and house as many people as possible. Most Fringe performers bunk in rented private houses or apartments, so hotel rooms are relatively easy to book, though prices are significantly higher than during the rest of summer. We recommend InterContinental Edinburgh The George, W Edinburgh, and Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel. You can also try Airbnb or the Fringe’s official accommodation partner, Edlets, which lists everything from simple double rooms to three-bedroom apartments.
The Fringe is a casual counterpart to the Edinburgh International Festival.
Photo by Ivica Drusany/Shutterstock
Other things to do while attending the Fringe
Many of Edinburgh’s tourist attractions are centrally located, so it’s easy to see the sights as well as attend shows. Because shows happen in so many venues, you could easily end up catching one very near the castles, the Scottish Parliament, Greyfriars Bobby, the Elephant House, the Princes Street Gardens, and Arthur’s Seat.
Keep in mind that Fringe shows run nearly all day and night. It’s perfectly possible to watch a show at 9 a.m., climb Arthur’s Seat for a lunchtime picnic, visit the Edinburgh Book Festival for a panel discussion in the afternoon, and attend another show in the evening. Bring your walking shoes, and plan to spend time wandering down the Royal Mile and through the city’s many lovely parks.
Where to go from Edinburgh
After the Fringe, consider combining your trip with a visit to Glasgow, Scotland’s other major city, which is only an hour’s high-speed train ride away. Or, up in the Scottish Highlands, two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Edinburgh, hike through Cairngorms National Park and see where The Crown was filmed at Balmoral Castle before spending the night with 14,000 works of art and a glass of whiskey at the Fife Arms.
This article was originally published in 2019 and was updated most recently on June 13, 2024, with current information.
