Edinburgh Fringe 2016

Charlie C is right about the tickets, you can pick them up from the shop on the mile at any time - book shows with different cards so you aint getting the Tom Baker scarf all at once. Book monday on one card, tuesday on another card etc.

I'd only be booking the things that are likely to sell out at this point, the likes of Stuart Lee if that floats your boat, as until the full catalogue comes out in about 5 weeks or so you dont know who or what will be on.

I tend to do a show then leave an hour/45 minutes/30 minutes gap until my next show depending on how far there is between venues, unless you are out in the suburbs at a venue you'll be fine to get between venues within 30 to 45 minutes - that way you can still fit in around 6 or 7 shows in a day. Remember most shows are unreserved seating so if you want a good seat get there early. Bring a pack-a-mack as well, you'll be doing a lot of standing around outside so something that breaths but which also keeps you dry is good to have with you just in case. 2 years ago the Sunday I went was horrendous for rain.

Also leave gaps for the free fringe as there will be plenty of free shows dotted around town.

And most importantly - spend a day at shows about which you know nothing in advance, just book things at random. That can be far more satisfying (or annoying!!) than planning months in advance to see favourites.

Most shows I've ever managed in one day is 13. If you want to do lots in a day it's totally possible.

The majority of shows haven't been announced yet. I'm from Edinburgh so allows me to see a lot of work but I tend not to book until full schedule is released in case it rules me out of something.

To answer your question all official fringe venue shows will be listed on edfringe, even the small ones. It's only the non official that wouldn't be. I would not that they only get partial allocations so if showing as sold out there doesn't mean it necessarily is.

I'll be considering the same thing. Decided that one thing I wanted to do before I turn 30 (weep) was go to Fringe, so booked accommodation last August for this year.

Need to get a plan together (thinking detailed spreadsheet) of things I definitely want to see and start to semi plan my days once the full schedule comes out.

Yes definitely take a mac. Have fun.

Ha! It truly is a beautiful thing!

Laminated theatre spreadsheets are the future!

I usually head up to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first ten days of the festival (Friday to Sunday) and then return for 4-5 days in the final week. From the 224 shows already on sale for this year, however, there’s a few things I want to see in the middle week so I’m planning on going for the first ten days as usual, returning home for a few days, then heading back to Edinburgh on Friday 20th and staying there until some point in the final week, maybe even having another nine or ten days in total if there’s enough things I want to see.

The way I approach the planning is to read through the shows as they’re announced on the website and draw up a shortlist (long list) of things I want to see, grading (and, yes, colour coding) them at three levels – (1) being a must-see, (2) something that looks promising, and (3) shows that I want to keep on my radar but which aren’t a top priority. The latter group are useful fillers when you inevitably end up with too much to choose from at certain time slots and large gaps in your schedule at others!

By the time the programme is published in early June, when the final batch of productions go on sale, I’ll generally have 250-300 shows in total on this initial list so can then build a schedule relatively quickly from there. There’s a filter on the fringe ticketing site that allows you to show results added in the last seven days, two weeks or month so this is great when each batch of productions are announced, particularly when used alongside filtering by show type.

It’s definitely worth leaving some free time in your schedule rather than booking everything before you arrive at the festival. I find a spare day or a free day and a half towards the end of each stay at the fringe strikes the right balance between planning in advance and choosing things on the spare of the moment. It’s interesting to read the reviews of shows I’ve seen or will be seeing but generally I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on letting them determine what you go to see – a very positive review might persuade me to see a show not previously on my shortlist but I wouldn’t not see something that had otherwise looked appealing just because of a terrible review. There have been a couple of times though when I’ve seen the cast from productions out on the Royal Mile and thought better of watching something after seeing an excerpt on one of the Virgin Money stages!

No matter how much planning ahead you do, within half an hour of being on the Royal Mile or browsing the fliers at fringe venues, you’ll have additional things you want to see. It’s also nice to make sure there’s time to simply wander the Royal Mile, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the street performances. A trio called Affordable Chocolate, led by a female violinist, are the pick of the acts I’ve seen there.

As far as deciding how many shows to see each day, this is probably the area that’s most subjective. For me, there’s a balance to be struck between cramming in as many shows as physically possible and actually still being able to enjoy everything – I’ve seen eight productions in a single day before but I think six is a nice amount, seven a maximum, before tiredness starts to take its toll. You reach a point where less is more I think so it’s about finding what works best for you.

Roll on August!

The more shows you see in a day the more important it is to have variety within them, seeing standup after standup won't be anywhere near as interesting as standup-circus-play-etc.

Also, the programme for the International Festival is announced on Wednesday, if you like international theatre then there's usually something interesting there along with some of the prime Scottish theatremakers.

Make sure you plan in rest days! It's actually incredibly tiring, especially if you're not eating or sleeping as well as you normally do.

Talk to the people flyering - often they're in the show (unusual in London) and are happy to have a chat.

Remember that if you're planning on walking between venues that it takes FAR longer than it looks on a map... Edinburgh has hills! If you're from London like me, this'll throw inner speed aproximation off and as for your inner GPS? Edinburgh is multi-level so you'll be on top of a bridge and the theatre will be under it! A wrong turning is very tiring so plan carefully. Think about getting a bike.

Get comfortable shoes and blister packs!

As a organisation - it's worth registering for an industry pass - it gets you into networkers and you get special invites to launches, talks and so forth which is actually a great way of seeing shows you would never normally consider. Make sure you offer those who are comping you in something free in return though because there is usually a set number of comps a company can give away.

It's also very easy to get 'stuck' in one part of the Fringe because there are little hubs with many theatres on them, so make sure you go outside the main strip.

Make friends with theatre makers and find out what they like - they will recommend their friends, but hopefully do so critically - this is a great way of getting an 'insider' view because it's incredibly difficult to market a show amid the noise and a good theatre makers doesn't necessarily mean a great marketeer - so do take risks on people with bad flyers.

Also, be happy going to see bad shows. I like the risk element in attending theatre because it highlights what I like a why. Also, free (PBH Free Fringe is the most established) doesn't equate to bad. It just means that the venue doesn't charge the theatre makers thousands and thousands of £££ upfront which means theatre makers can actually bring their show to the fringe if they are strapped for cash. If you go to these shows - make sure you bring some change (or notes) because it is polite to put something in the bucket.

Find reviewers you like before you go - often in small publications. Rather than just looking to see who the Big critics are, find one or two people who have the same likes as you do and sign up to their twitter before you go - twitter is a WONDERFUL way of discovering shows. Also, if you're umming and ahhhing about a show - tweet the company - they'll usually have a twitter account and will be thrilled to try and 'sell' their show to you - this way you can find out who the passionate theatre makers are and who can't be bothered - which is usually a good indicator of how good a show will be.

Best tip of all? Ask the ushers. If you really want an unbiased opinion of what shows are good or not, ushers are usually theatre students who know their sh*t and guess what? They see each show a billion times - they know what's good in their venue, and because they don't care who's show you get tickets for so long as it's in their venue, you get a really honest opinion. Reviewers may only go to shows they get comps for or for whom they have already picked out as being appropriate for their magazine - theatre staff have no such bribery. Tech teams are fantastic too, and at many smaller venues, you can usually talk to them as their booth is just behind the audience.

Hope that helps!

I have to admit to being very impressed at the amount of work everyone puts into the planning of an Edinburgh trip. Starting to appreciate how lucky I am to only be a 25 minute train journey away and able to (mostly) just decide to take a trip to see a show on a whim

Just noticed that Radio Active have got their frequency back and will be at the Pleasance!

Anna Daptor, Mike Stand, Mike Flex, Mike Hunt!

....and maybe the opportunity to do the Hospital OB that 4Extra post Savile cut to ribbons.

They'll sadly be one man down but I'm hopeful the 4 remaining members can do his memory proud.