Someone asked about how long everyone stayed at the Fringe and how many shows they saw, but I was thinking that it might be useful for future Fringe goers who might find this via Google to understand the cost of staying in Edinburgh, and the different types of accommodation that are available.

My partner and I spent eight nights at the Premier Inn Hub off the Royal Mile for about £250/night. We booked it at the beginning of February and chose to stay in a "bigger room" with a king bed, though we would have saved a few pounds by taking their standard room. Previously I'd stayed at the Travelodge near the Pleasance, which is a bit cheaper but lacks air conditioning (which might not be necessary to many people anyways but this time around we didn't want to be cranky and annoyed by poor sleep if there was a bit of a heat wave during the Fringe). From my experience at two Fringes, these two hotels are the cheapest in the Old Town during the Fringe and both are in decent condition.

Arguably my favourite of the 20 or so shows I saw this year. An increasingly jaw-dropping story well told. I have to ask though, for anyone else that saw it, have you spent the last month thinking about who the comedian was that was messaging her? She leaves enough enticing breadcrumbs to follow (Taskmaster trophy, old enough to be selling a late 80's Ed Fringe jumper on eBay, friends with Stewart Lee and Phil Jupitus) and rather alarmingly, that it's someone who does this enough that their manager now has to intervene with a 'Sorry he does this...' stock apology. My partner and I still discuss it weeks later and have a couple of people in mind but curious if others left the show feeling like they had been given a detective mission and who they think it might be.

I’m planning for my first trip to fringe next year. i wanted to hear peoples’ thoughts on how many days they spent and average # of shows per day they saw. What did you think of your trip? Too long? Too short?

I'm about as excited at getting to revisit this place as I am doing the Fringe every year. Just off the Mile, this place does the best mash (choose your type) along with the most succulent meat (veggie options available) you could wish for.

Any other fans? Any other restaurants that are must gos for your Edinburgh trip?

I collect photos of posters from the shows I saw each year - despite walking everywhere for a month I didn’t see a poster anywhere for this show - anyone got one they can share with me (could be that they just didn’t have one). It’s the only one I have missing from the 59
shows I saw 🙏🏻

I know Fringe is over, but if you didn't get the chance to see Esther or Shaparak while you were up there, they have a double bill show this month. Here's the details...

Saturday, 19 September, 7pm, The Free Association Theatre, London.

Get tickets here: https://www.thefreeassociation.co.uk/improv-comedy-shows/whats-on/esther-manito-shappi-khorsandi-double-bill

I've wondered if you cut the number of shows to a third of what it is now and gathered the vast majority of shows (maybe excluding the industry showcase stuff, circuses, and top bill comedians) under a kind of day pass at a flat rate if that might not resolve some of the chaos, confusion, and overcharging. It's a festival after all, so what if the city approached it like one?

Let's say somewhere in the wide space of £50 - £80 gives an all-access ticket for one or two days of shows and maybe a steeper but manageable £150 for a full week or maybe even the full slate of the Fringe. You could use it on anything first come first serve, but because people would want to get their value from it, they'd take more chances on actual fringe performances. Venues and performers could have a profit sharing minimum with incentives on number of seats filled. And performers could still gladhand tips at the end of their shows.

Get there early, show them a wristband, see the show. Maybe you even get a modest discount at participating pubs with it.

As it is, every show feels like an expensive risk where you have to decide if it's really worth £20 after fees to see a clown or an alt comic or a one-man play. I found myself even living here several years feeling less motivated than ever to take epdenwice chances and even more just paralyzed by the sheer scope of shows with very little information available on them.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Edinburgh Fringe.

THE Fringe.

It sets my teeth on edge when performers (always from outside Scotland) refer to it as ‘Fringe’ and I’ve recently noticed more locals are now mirroring that language.

Might seem silly but I honestly think more needs to be done to ensure the correct terminology is being used. At best it’s ignorant and at worst disrespectful.