The Edinburgh Festival Fringe: a student’s guide

Last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe boasted an unprecedented 2,871 shows, in an uncoordinated compilation of genres and styles: think comedy, theatre, music, spoken word, all practically falling out of any room that can hold more than two people (up to and not excluding basements, bathrooms and honest-to-God caves).

The line-up in 2013 had a cappella groups rubbing shoulders with world-premiering dramas, writers such as Terry Pratchett and Steven Moffat entertaining ad-lib, roughly a thousand different variety shows (an excellent way to sample headlining acts on the cheap), and the very promisingly titled Shitfaced Shakespeare. This entailed the performance of ‘an entirely serious Shakespeare play’ with one of the actors drunk stupid from the start, and proceeding to continue drinking on the whim of the audience.

The first performance of this particular theatre group came to an untimely end after ten minutes when the nominated actress passed out (the second night saw the show’s venue at almost twice its capacity. Word spreads fast). The biggest culture festival in the world, ladies and gentlemen.

But in all seriousness, the Fringe is a fantastic experience. Nowhere else in the world would even the most dedicated art enthusiast be able to attend three shows a day, seven days a week, and with such an incredible diversity. Not only is there something for everyone, but multiple somethings; if drunken Shakespeare isn’t up your street, there are invariably other, more traditional productions.

If you like these higher brow performances, then there are other shows in that flavour; performances of the Canterbury Tales and Arthur Miller plays, or, for those branching out, a retelling of Arthurian legends in a First World War setting. The Fringe is a delicious juxtaposition of the serious and the ridiculous, the political and the irreverent, the dignified and the full-frontally naked.

Many of the acts at the Fringe are just starting out, and desperate to succeed in a festival infamous in the business of entertainment, so if nothing else you’re guaranteed dedicated performance. Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be any good. Starting acts are often free, so you can sometimes get what you pay for, but you can equally spend £25 on a ticket and be severely disappointed.

For example, my favourite show last year was an hour-long production called Bench Bites. It took place in a basement bar, and followed a day in the life of a bench. Six students acted out the parts of something like thirty characters in a performance that was not only free, but funny, clever and interesting; a combination of mockery and empathy.

Compare this to Omega, a ‘hoochie coochie carnival for the end of time’. This astonishingly awful production was hosted by the Assembly Rooms, a two hundred year old theatre in the centre of Edinburgh’s shopping district, tickets cost £15 and the majority of its audience walked out half way through; presumably because of a combination of its grating music, inaudible narrative and apparently non-existent plot.

But seeing the awful shows is part of the experience of going to the Fringe. That’s why there’s a certain advantage in going as a young student; you’re more likely to go to the cheap stuff, so when performances fall flat it’s not such a disappointment. The average student is also more likely to think getting by on three hours sleep and forgetting to eat is acceptable behaviour; this is good, because it gives you more time to see shows.

But if you need further encouragement to attend, there’s yet more to entice the student. The festival takes place in Scotland’s capital, which comes with several advantages. Chief among them is the number of clubs, bars and pubs around the city, with names such as the Standing Order and the Hive in the common vernacular of a student in Edinburgh.

The latter in particular will be of interest to the partying Fringe-goer, known familiarly as ‘Hive until Five’ because it stays open and serving until 5am, which brings me on to an important related matter: many establishments around the city apply for a two-hour extension to opening hours during the four weeks in August the Fringe runs. This includes the bars (Hive is usually only open until 3am) and, happily enough, Subway.

For those with a different set of priorities, Edinburgh has the added advantage of being a gorgeous city. The attractions are unending: from Edinburgh castle to the winding streets of the Old Town; the shopping facilities in the New Town; views of the Firth of Forth and Arthur’s Seat; free museums exploring the culture of the city and its famous writers; and The Elephant House where J.K. Rowling is said to have penned the first Harry Potter book. To name but a few.

The diversity of Fringe venues is also useful in providing an unofficial tour of the university buildings, many of which are used to host shows, while university accommodation (empty during the summer holidays) is rented out to Fringe-goers. If you fancy sampling the University of Edinburgh in an infinitely more dynamic manner than your average Open Day, this is an excellent option.

The greatest obstacle for the would-be Fringe-goer is the usual thing which stops a student from doing something: money. The greatest dent to the budget tends to be accommodation costs, which can be anything above £500 for the month. There are ways to circumvent this though, the best way being to find a friend or family member on whose floor you can shamelessly set up camp.

The term ‘friend or family member’ can be used very loosely; I stayed with my mum’s friend’s boyfriend’s brother’s ex-girlfriend. I kid you not. If you are not as well connected as I, there are other cheapish options to go for. CouchSurfing is a good site to try for the brave, hostels can be economic if you book early (right now), and potentially even renting out a room or flat if you have a large group. If you have access to a car, living outside Edinburgh in one of the nearby towns or campsites also works.

But I’ve saved the best till last as regards your finances. It is not only possible, but very likely that you will be able to find a job at the Fringe. Again, it’s best if you start hunting early (like now), but because there’s such a huge influx of people to Edinburgh during the festival, not only are all the different venues and performers looking for employees, but the regular shops and cafés are too.

The venues want box office workers, front of house staff, cleaners, bar tenders and all the rest, the performers often employ flierers (technical term) to promote their shows, and Edinburgh’s usual shops just look for extra staff. The Fringe website is a good place to see advertised jobs, but just searching ‘Fringe jobs’ in Google will find you results. Underbelly, the Assembly Rooms and the C Venues are all big employers, so looking specifically at their websites can also be a good idea. Last year, after paying for living costs (including accommodation), I came away from the Fringe £600 the richer.

So there you have it, the student guide to the Edinburgh Fringe; you too can go to the biggest arts festival in the world and come back having both culturally and financially profited!