I am headed to Edinburgh again this August to attend the Fringe Festival and I am super excited about it! This is an amazing event and environment, buzzing with creative energy and interesting people.
Went last year with a group of friends and we are going again. The composition of our group has changed, but I am excited to go with two stalwart returning compatriots, a couple of friends this will provide an opportunity to get to know better, and a few friends of friends who are new to me. We’ll share an AirBnB.
We attend some shows together but I also enjoy striking out on my own, having some different experiences and the opportunity to meet new people – other attendees and performers provide unexpected and delightful encounters. If I might bump into you there or you want to meet up for a sausage roll – let me know!
I am scheduled to attend about 40 shows / events this year. I have a ticket to see the castle and plan to get a thistle flower added to my calf tattoo, one to mark each year I attend. We learned from last year to optimize our schedule by geographic location of the venues, so while this is an ambitious plan, the time between events should be less of a mad scramble than last year. Also tried to leave more time for just wandering and people watching, seeing street performers, and eating.
One of the most challenging things for me will be eating on the run while staying on my diabetes diet. I’ve got some protein snack bars and shakes and experimentation has showed that a sausage roll or piece of pizza with meat on it don’t spike my blook sugar too much. Gotta make sure I have electrolytes to add without sugar and I should be all set.
I have some ambition to be reflecting on these events here on this blog as I attend them. I go this year equipped with a sturdy disposable chrome book computer, a power pack, and bigger lighter backpack. I have also allowed more time. I’d still like to write about performances from last year’s Fringe, I have extensive notes. Perhaps I can do that as practice and to complement and contrast this year’s experience. I’m considering back-dating to the dates I actually attended those shows. Stay tuned here for more of that.
Here is this year’s line up in order of attendance! More in a few weeks.
| SHOW / EVENT | AUGUST 2024 DATE | TYPE OF EVENT |
| Burnout Paradise | 10th | Theater |
| RTFM (Read The F***ing Manual) | 10th | Theatre (physical theatre, immersive) |
| Rogues So Banished | 10th | Theatre (storytelling, horror) |
| Thank You So Much for Coming | 10th | Comedy (immersive, clown) |
| 1.295 Reframing Autistic Success (Kitten Steps) | 11th | Comedy (stand-up, neurodiversity-led) |
| Odin’s Eye and the Art of Seeing | 11th | Theatre (storytelling) |
| 5 Mistakes That Changed History | 11th | Comedy (historical, storytelling) |
| Edinburgh Castle Tour | 12th | Historical |
| Orchestra of Sound | 12th | Music (theatre, multimedia) |
| Lobster Bisque | 12th | Theatre, puppetry, farce |
| John Robertson’s The Dark Room | 12th | Comedy (game show, improv) |
| 300 Paintings | 13th | Theatre (visual art, comedy) |
| Bark Bark | 13th | Theatre, multimedia, puppetry |
| Remythed | 13th | Theatre (storytelling, comedy) |
| AI: The Waiting Room – An Immersive Theatrical Experience | 13th | Theatre (immersive, experimental) |
| Anatomy for Accountants | 13th | Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (theatre, live music) |
| Werewolf | 13th | Interactive theatre, thriller |
| ARCADE | 13th | Theatre (immersive, interactive) |
| The Ceremony | 13th | Theatre (comedy, immersive) |
| Dancefloor Conversion Therapy | 13th | Comedy (music, lgbtq+) |
| Squires | 14th | Theatre |
| In the Lady Garden | 14th | Theatre (solo show) |
| Táin | 14th | Theatre (storytelling, lgbtq+) |
| HALF MAN HALF BULL || PART ONE: THESEUS | 14th | Theatre |
| Elf Lyons: Horses | 14th | Aburdist Clown, Phyiscal theater |
| Andrew Doherty: Gay Witch Sex Cult | 14th | Comedy (lgbtq+, horror) |
| Flight | 15th | Theatre (immersive, site-specific) |
| Character Flaw | 15th | Theatre (comedy, lgbtq+) |
| Let’s Start a Cult! | 15th | Comedy (improv, devised) |
| MILF and the Mistress | 15th | Theatre (new writing, lgbtq+) |
| The Freemartin | 15th | Theatre (new writing, lgbtq+) |
| L’Addition – Here & Now Showcase | 16th | Theatre, contemporary, devised |
| Bellringers | 16th | Theatre (drama, new writing) |
| Lessons on Revolution | 16th | Theatre (political, lgbtq+) |
| A Brief History of Difference | 16th | Theatre (solo show, contemporary) |
| Temping | 16th | Theatre (interactive, immersive) |
| The Court | 17th | Theatre (drama, interactive) |
| Stories from the Office of a Sex Dungeon | 17th | Comedy (storytelling, international) |
| Mark Nicholas: This Is Not the Autistic You Are Looking For | 17th | Comedy (disabled-led) |
| A Brief Case of Crazy | 17th | Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus (character comedy, mime) |
Note: Once Fringe is over the links to these shows won’t work anymore, but in 2024 they are super convenient to have.