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.

Timing Is Key

Before I went to the Fringe I would spend ages looking at all the shows that were going to be at the festival, i booked a lot of shows and I made a schedule to make sure that I knew what I was doing, where I was going and if it was possible to run that far between shows. I am glad that I booked shows before I went up because i managed to go to ones that I really wanted to see, however I will say that in some ways it was a bit of a mistake that a rookie like me would make. I booked a load of shows to make sure that I was going to see comedians that were on my list to see live and do not regret it for a second.

However, when I got to the Fringe, the shows that were available started to feel intense and the more leaflets I took or the more research I did I realised there was a lot more shows I wanted to see that I hadn’t even realised. I know it is hard (take it from me) to not fully book every day but do try and leave a few gaps free and there are a few reasons as to why I say this:

+ miss out shows – if you fully book yourself you may miss out on a show that you didn’t even realise existed. I booked a lot of shows but I was lucky to fit in a few shows that I hadn’t booked and I had so much fun. They were not shows I would normally go to but the spirit of the festival wrapped it up for me to try them

+ hunger – this may sound a bit pathetic but hunger really creeps up on you and when it strikes you will be really sad if you do not have time to eat. Another thing about the Fringe is that there is some fantastic food on offer and I really urge you to try and have a bit of time trying it.

+ tired – a couple of the days that I was at the Fringe I completely booked myself up from 10am to 10pm and I became absolutely exhausted. It is not the fact you are sitting down at venues, it is the running around to the next location, trying to keep on top of the time, staying organised, the whole atmosphere.