Edinburgh Fringe can be a really daunting event as there is so much to see and so much to do that sometimes it can be hard to prepare as an audience member as to what you need to take with you or what you should do whilst you are there. I have only been a couple of times with an aim to go many more times in the future. The one thing I have realised is that I really wish there was something I could have read to prepare for the days I was there. So, I thought this year let’s change that!

For all those performing, we will have great advice throughout the month in our Funny At The Fringe interviews for what you should take, prepare etc. This article is for the audience member – newcomer, a regular, there for a day, there for a week – I hope this article will be able to help you over the next month get prepared for fringe. We are starting off the month with something that is pretty important – what to take.

Prepare, prepare, prepare!

Whether you are at the Fringe for a day, a few days or longer, there are always some essential items that you should take with you so that you can be prepared for anything. If you are staying longer than a day, I assume you have somewhere to stay with a suitcase so you will have it all in one place – well this can still be helpful as it can get you prepared for the days ahead.

So here are a few essential tips

+ Take a rucksack / small bag – you will not realise until you are there how helpful it is to have a bag – when I say this I mean a smallish one that you can take around with you easily. With all the tickets you buy, the leaflets you get given, the items you may want to take, you will realise very quickly that a bag is a lifesaver. Also maybe have a plastic bag or canvas bag empty in the bag so you have back up space that you never know you may need.

+ a bottle of water and snacks – I cannot highlight enough how important this can be for a day at the fringe. There will be times (like i did) where you don’t realise how little time you have between shows and will have to rush all over Edinburgh to get to them in time. When this happens you may realise that you do not have time for lunch or to stop and having a few snacks and a bottle of water are incredibly useful. It stops you having to queue for an emergency drink and if you are in a queue and you find yourself hungry you will have an emergency back up snack. These are vitally important on the really hot days.

+ A battery charger – It is important to keep your phone charged for a number of reasons – the obvious is to keep in contact with friends and family but the other is because of the festival itself. You will find buying your tickets on the app the best way to do it as it is quicker, you will also need Google Maps to find some of the venues as well. Also, keep an eye on socials as there is always something fun and spontaneous happening as well.

+ An Umbrella / hat / waterproof – It is Scotland, weather is unpredictable and whilst you may be indoors for a lot of shows, the weather can change in a click of a finger. When I went in 2019 it was really sunny one minute and then it was really scary lightning and torrential rain the next.