Edinburgh Festival (International & Fringe) 2019

Nothing to be terrified about.

I've had a Summerhall binge and can recommend The Desk, Hold On Let Go (a lovely show and fresh-baked bread handed out), Lip Sync, Everything I See I Swallow, Coma and Blind Date. The latter, in which the performer has a date on stage with an audience member, made me want to see it again as it will be different each time.

The Barney's Brewery and Pickerings gin distillery tours (both also at Summerhall) are enjoyable and informative.

I love Summerhall... BUT:

The toilet situation is preposterous. There seem to be about 4 cubicles, all genderless, for the entire complex. Long waits and toilet roll/soap shortages to be expected. And it's a rare instance of a venue favouring smokers. In the courtyard, there are two covered smoking areas including comfortable seats. The non-smoking area is very small and equipped with a mysteriously rapidly dwindling number of uncomfortable stools, outnumbered by the actual tables. And smokers can puff and gasp away right up to the edge of it, making it not very much of a non-smoking area in fact!

Other venues are available of course and I've enjoyed In Loyal Company, Don't Be Terrible, American Justice, Inflatable Space and Self-Check. The last two made me quite emotional. The latter epitomises a lot of what I love about the Fringe in that it's performed by American schoolchildren who aren't brilliant, a bit awkward and sometimes stilted, but their energy, commitment and enthusiasm are heartwarming and carry the whole thing along. There are some extraordinary scenes involving a girl thinking back to her childhood and a key realisation about herself, and they are so beautifully handled it completely transported me and I'm welling up again just typing this now.

The only standups I saw were Stewart Francis and Matt Forde, both very good, Forde especially if you want to revel in someone entertainingly venting on your behalf about Johnson, Corbyn, Trump and brexit.

Old Town and Southside are better for pretty much everything - shows, venues, food, cafés, less crowded but it's all relative!

Have a great time. My first Fringe trip was 2 days and I came away a bit frustrated at not going for longer, subsequently booking my first full week, the first of many. Prepare to be bitten by the bug!