My Fancy for 48 hrs at the Edinburgh Fringe 2013

After eight years of working in The Arts in education, and six years experience of reviewing stage events, it seems astonishing to me that I have never made the trip to The Edinburgh Festival Fringe.


Then I saw this competition for bloggers:


Premier Inn has a competition running to win £500 to make the Edinburgh Fringe experience a reality for the lucky winner. They ask, what would be your dream 48 hours up in the Scottish capital this 2013 attending the largest open-access Arts Festival in the world?






Premier Inn - Princes Street, Edinburgh City Centre


First things first, myself (and a friend) would need a place to stay, and what better place than the Premier Inn located on one of the city centre’s main thoroughfares, Princes Street.



The hotel faces EdinburghCastle and is only a 2 minute walk to Princes Street Gardens and approximately 1.5 miles from Fringe Central in nearby Crichton Street. Therefore, choosing this hotel premises would be an ideal central base for easy access to the many city centre venues putting on comedy shows or theatre (drama). So, yes, I would definitely book on to as many events of these genres as physically possible, but also take the opportunity to experience different things like storytelling and music in and around Edinburgh’s famous cobbled streets. Visit the What's On page here.

I would enjoy too, discovering the talents of artists and performers, not just from the UK but those visiting from further afield. I may well seize the chance to review a show or two, and catch up with some Midlands based theatre companies known to me, and who will be participating in this year’s festival.

A couple of interesting facts and figures: last year (2012) the Fringe saw 42,096 performances of 2,695 shows, featuring over 22,000 performers; a celebration, indeed, of some of the best performance and entertainment acts from around the world; everything from puppetry to cabaret. This year, as always, there will be wonderful art exhibitions to visit, tea dances to attend and lots of hands-on activities to bring those creative urges to the forefront. I would love to be part of it!


The Fringe is so extensive it has become a legendary event in The Arts calendar. Did you know that many famous artists got their big breaks at the Fringe? Including Eddie Izzard, Graham Norton, Emma Thompson and Derek Jacobi... I wonder who the next big talent arising from the event will be.


‘Not much chance to shop then?’ But who would want to shop with so much sparkle, originality and vibe going down! Princes Street is however, one of the main shopping streets and is another reason that the hotel location brings advantage. I would put the evenings aside to dress up, and to dine in restaurants serving Scotland’s traditional type cuisine and enjoy the buzz of Edinburgh at night, particularly at this time when the spotlight is shining there. Scotland has an abundance of food sources and it would be nice to try some. Taste of Scotland online, features lots of products from Scottish growers and producers, as well as showcasing restaurants.


Lastly, I will not revert to type, because on this occasion (should I win) I will plan the trip from start to finish, with help of the online outlets I have mentioned. Lots of helpful tips given if you click around. Hopefully, then, I’ll finally make it northwards this summer.


Note: Fringe Dates: 2 – 26 August, 2013.