PLANNING THE PRACTICALLY PERFECT FRINGE
For the two of us, the Edinburgh Fringe is the big ticket event of the year. There are many ways to plan for the Fringe. Here we will be lifting the veil and describing our strategy. As we come from out of town, we try to pack in as many shows as we can during our stay; that said, quality is more important to us than quantity. Of course, our number one goal is to have fun (it is the Fringe after all).
GETTING STARTED
One thing is clear when leafing through the 384 pages of the 2025 'Dare to Discover' Fringe programme - with its 3,352 shows - planning for the Fringe is no small task. For us, the key is to plan well in advance (not necessarily everything, of course, spontaneity can be part of the fun!). Our top tip is to fix your dates and book accommodation as soon as possible, while there is still availability (and it is not yet too overpriced). We like to go in the first week of the Fringe, as there are more 2for1 ticket deals available at that time.
STEP 1 - LONGLISTING
We start old school, by picking up paper copies of the Fringe programme from our local Waterstones bookstore. We like to do this on the first day the programme hits the shelves, which this year was June 3rd. Planning with others can be tricky, but also very rewarding. We like to start with the theatre section and methodically work our way through the programme, highlighting anything that takes our fancy. This year, we met in the Waterstone café to read through our programmes. The Sunrise reviewer whizzed through the programme, looking at the pictures and rapidly scanning reviews with a black sharpie in hand. In contrast, the Sunset reviewer meticulously read every single description, not wanting to miss any hidden gems. Every so often, we would pause and discuss what had caught our eye. (It is surprising what you can learn about a person from their comments on Fringe shows.) It took the Sunset reviewer a while to digest the contents of the programme. In the meantime, the Sunrise reviewer went online to check out early reviews and browse the big venue operators' websites (such as theSpaceUK, Pleasance and the Assembly). Sunrise also used the official EdFringe website to search for shows using keywords. (Note: there are alternative Fringe programmes such as PBH's Free Fringe, Free Festival). The aim was for each reviewer to produce their own longlist of shows.
STEP 2 - SHORTLISTING
Once we have the longlists, the next step is narrowing them down. In our first planning discussion, we try to reduce our initial lists to around 10 shows - based on how many shows we realistically expect to see together. If this feels difficult, try prioritising what the other person (if you're attending the Fringe with someone else) might enjoy. It can help shorten the list and make it easier to reach an agreement. After earmarking our personal "must-see" shows, the next step is to combine them into a joint shortlist, trying to maintain a balance between different types of shows (in terms of genre, themes and show times).
STEP 3 - SPREADSHEETING
You might think that once you have agreed on a joint shortlist, most of the work is done, you would be wrong. Often, shows start at similar times, or they are at opposite ends of town, with only a few minutes between the shows. The very best way that we have found to build up a schedule is to use Sunrise reviewer's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious spreadsheets. It does take time and patience to set up, but it is worth it. For each show, we have columns that contain the show's web links, duration, start and end times, as well as the location of the venue and its postcode. We also note who suggested the show, ticket price, and whether any offers apply, such as 'Fringe Friend'. Most of this information can be extracted from the EdFringe website. (Note: knowing the postcodes of the venues is crucial for estimating walking times between venues.)
STEP 4 - SCHEDULING
Once all the data is entered into the spreadsheet, the scheduling can begin. We start by sorting the shows by their start times and then distributing them across the different days. We use Google Maps to estimate walking times between venues. The challenge here is to figure out the most optimal way to order the shows. Oh, and don't forget to factor in time to eat, drink and chat! It inevitably takes several tries to get a schedule that we are finally happy with; we call these iterations "sandboxing". As the photo at the top of the page illustrates, this year we went through seven "sandboxes"!
STEP 5 - BUYING THE TICKETS
In our view, the secret to a successful Fringe plan is a well-ordered spreadsheet. Before locking in your schedule, we recommend checking - and double-checking - show times and the time it takes to walk between venues. After one final sanity check, we reach for the credit card and book the tickets (ouch, this part can put a serious dent in your wallet!)
REPEAT!
Of course, our mantra is Sunrise, Sunset, Repeat - and this is what we're doing. When the planning is done, it never really is. After this, we update our website, fire up our Instagram account, write reviews, reflect on the Fringe, and plan the next Sunrise to Sunset Challenge. But we also return to the Fringe with other friends, our families and our partners - so really, the planning never ends. And since each person has different interests and preferences, the fun never stops.
Click on this link to download our Fringe Challenge spreadsheet:
