Have you ever been in a place where the population triples for 30 days and no one can walk anywhere faster than a trendy grandmother?
Have you ever had countless performers get in your face with flyers and pitches to see their shows?
Have you heard of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival?
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Edinburgh Fringe Festival takes over the city for the month of August. There are street musicians, buskers, open beer gardens, food trucks, DJs, dancers, acrobats, and living statues galore.
Despite the chaos, the Fringe is an experience everyone should have. So, whether you’re in Edinburgh or wishing you could be, here is the LiveCode Team’s list of recommended Fringe Shows (in no particular order).
1. Cirque Le Roux – The Elephant in the Room
Picked by: Georgia
The Elephant in the Room – is a circus act that will have you on the very edge of your seat by the end of the show.
In the Underbelly’s circus hub, take in this slow burner that will leave you holding your breath. Combining the three Cs – comedy, crime, and circus – this act will entertain you with a mixture of acrobatic stunts, dance, and some good old-fashioned slapstick. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but the show delivered and my friends and I left thrilled and amazed.
2. Just for Graphs
Picked by: Elanor
Performed by Spoken Nerd, Just for Graphs has songs, Euler diagrams, magic squares, human speaker cables, and flaming parabolas. What more could anyone want?
3. Jason Byrne: 20 Years a Clown
Picked by: Mildred
It’s his 20th anniversary at the Fringe and Jason Byrne is hilarious. He is one of my Fringe highlights and a must see every year! While the queue to get in is is exponentially long, it’s well worth the wait. The laughter that follows is non-stop!
4. Henning Wehn, with: “Eins, Zwei, DIY!”
Picked by: Hanson
This is a win/win show. You will either have the stereotypical view of German humor and expect to see a pretty drab performance or you will crack up over the German view on British culture. Either way, you will get what you expect.
I fell into the latter category and so did the rest of the audience. This sell out show offers a humorous comparison between British and German culture and does not let political correctness get in the way. Must admit, I didn’t really have to see the show. The Germans I know who live over here in Scotland have exactly the same views as Henning, but they also offer you a glass of beer.
5. Breakfast at Piffany’s
Picked by: JoJo
Piff the Magic Dragon and Mr. Piffles star in Breakfast at Piffany’s. We’re talking a Dragon, Magic, and a Chihuahua in one show = #NuffSaid!
6. Colin Cloud: Kills
Picked by: Ben
Colin Cloud will read your mind. Literally! Highly entertaining – it’s fun being a cynic and trying to work out how he does it.
7. We’re All In The Gutter, But Some Of Us Are Looking at David O’Doherty
Picked by: Ali
David O’Doherty delivers stand-up and songs as the most consistently funny act at the Fringe.
8. Titus Andronicus
Picked by: Elanor
Performed by Smooth Faced Gentlemen, Titus is gloriously funny, bloody, and creative. The best use of paint I’ve seen this year. Next up? Othello.
9. Rosie Wilby – The Science of Sex
Picked by: Georgia
A free show that will have you laughing and learning. Includes some excellent drawings of hands.
I had no expectations for this act – just decided to pop into Sneaky Pete’s for a cheeky free show before seeing the next one I had planned. Having seen a total of 12 shows now, this was definitely one of my favourites and I would highly recommend it. If you weren’t laughing, you were learning – but mainly I was laughing. Rosie is very charismatic and has incomparable hand drawing skills.
10. Carl Donnelly: Jive Ass Honky
Picked by: Jana
Must see Carl Donnelly’s comedy about stalkers, man nipples, spitty yawns, and blueberries! 5 stars: he reads vampire books by candlelight!
Are any of you at the Fringe this year? What would you recommend seeing? What do you wish you could see if you’re reading this from afar? Share in the comments below!
7 comments
Join the conversationSean - August 18, 2015
I’ve been to the Fringe before and I can very highly recommend it. Even some of the more outlandish, minor events are well worth a look. I can’t make it up there this year unfortunately. I am up to the dizzy heights of Edinburgh twice in September though. First for the Foo Fighters (which we missed at Wembley so rebooked for that one as it has Royal Blood) and then a couple of weeks later for a few days work up there. It’s a 7hr, 450mile journey for me. It’s lovely up there though.
Jana Doughty - August 19, 2015
We’re so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the Fringe in the past, Sean! There is so much to see and do! The Foo Fighters sound like a great alternative this year! Please let us know how you find them! And enjoy this gorgeous city we love!
MaxV - August 24, 2015
Why did you post this? Isn’t it ablog about livecode? I don’t see any code line or example.
Jana Doughty - August 24, 2015
Hi Max, Thanks for writing. We posted it to give our community an idea of where we’re based. We’re proud of all that Edinburgh has to offer: including tech, art, and business. We will, of course, continue to post more blogs with code samples for your enjoyment. In the meantime, we thought we’d mix it up!
Mark Smith - September 3, 2015
Just got back from visiting my daughter in Edinburgh. While there took in a rather cheeky show with the title of Shit-faced Shakespeare. Definitely one of those things you don’t want to miss in life. Really well done, and of course, so far off Broadway it was absurd. The whole city is like one big entertainment venue there is so much to see and do. Also got a chance to run over to Millport for a day and biked around the island. Splendid time.
Jana Doughty - September 4, 2015
Hi Mark, So glad to hear you had a nice time at the Fringe! We heard that show you saw was really funny – we’ll have to catch it next year! Thrilled you had such a great time in our favorite city! Next time you’ll have to swing by and say “hi” to us!
Mark Wieder - August 20, 2016
Best way to see the Fringe: plop down 30 pounds for a Friends of the Fringe membership. It’ll get you 2-for-1 ticket prices for up to 15 shows (we made our money back in a couple of days), and the best part is being able to get tickets at the Friends of the Fringe office and not having to wait in the regular line.