The Edinburgh Festival as a Day Trip

By Kerryn Hurley of Footstompin' Celtic Music

So many shows, so much to see and do and so little time to do it all!

Summertime Edinburgh can be an overwhelming prospect for the uninitiated. The streets overflow with visitors during August and it can be hard to navigate your way around, let alone choose a show to see!

The 'Edinburgh Festival' is actually an umbrella term for a group of independently-organised festivals. As well as enjoying shows at the Fringe in August, you can also check out the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, the Military Tattoo, Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival during the summer months.

There are several things you can do to help prepare yourself:

Plan your time carefully. Research what?s on at what festival and book tickets early to make sure you?ll get to what you want to see. The Edinburgh Festivals website, is a good place to start, as is the Fringe website. Read up the reviews to help you decide what to go to and what not to go to.
Arm yourself with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe official programme. The programme lists over 1500 shows and gives details of when and where shows are on, how to book tickets and how to survive the madness! Order a copy online or call 0907 159 2003. How many shows can you handle?
See as much as you can. At the Fringe alone this year, there are over 200 Fringe venues and they can be found in the most unusual places. You might catch a show in a red Ford Escort, in public toilets, up a stepladder, in a disco mini-cab or in underground caves. The Fringe fills every nook and cranny of Edinburgh and half the entertainment is finding these gems.
If you?re staying outside Edinburgh, a little forward thinking will help make for a hassle?free visit. If you can avoid driving in Edinburgh, it would be wise to do so! Conveniently, most venues are in and around the city centre and can be reached by foot. Finding a parking space is far from a breeze! You may therefore want to make use of one of the many Park and Ride car parks.
Check out the whole city, not just the shows. Whether you?ve come specifically for theatre, comedy, exhibitions or musicals, make sure you are ready for the whole Edinburgh experience. There are many cafes, restaurants and bars to visit, and sights to see.

We?ll see you there!

Kerryn Hurley, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Editors Note ? Kerryn rightly has to promote all shows equally and try as I might she would not be drawn on her own personal highlights! Therefore here are some of the comedy shows on my personal hit list (most of which I am afraid are not entirely suited to children!): Adam Hills, Men in Coats, Boothby Graffoe and Daniel Kitson.

My top tips - When short of research time I resort to looking for shows that are getting good reviews (especially those with four or five star ratings). A drink in the Pleasance courtyard will allow you to soak up some atmosphere and keep your ears open for mention of good shows. As for the Fringe programme Kerryn mentioned, make sure you have a copy at home and work!

This article was originally "printed" in the June 2003 issue of Uniquely Unspoilt, a free monthly e-magazine for those with an interest in rural Scotland.

Cottages relevant to this article

The following holiday cottages are within easy reach of Edinburgh:

Peffermill, Edinburgh - approx. 2 miles from city centre - Sleeps 5-8
Almond Apartment, Cramond, Edinburgh - approx. 4 miles from city centre - Sleeps 2
Cringletie - approx. 22 miles from city centre - Sleeps 4
The Beach House, nr Dunbar, East Lothian - approx. 28 miles from city centre - Sleeps 2