I've lived in Scotland for just short of 10 years, and I'm ashamed to say that I'd never actually visited the Fringe before. There really is no excuse considering I live a mere 20 minute train journey away from Edinburgh. But last weekend, I finally got the chance to explore the festival, and I have to say, it was one of the best weekends I've had in a while!
On Friday evening, Jordan and I had plans to go to the cinema (we went see Nerve and absolutely loved it, I'd defintely recommend it), but we had a few hours to kill before the film was due to start, so Jordan suggested checking out the Fringe. We headed to Cowgate as there seemed to plenty happening and we fancied seeing a show. The one that we saw was at The Three Sisters pub, or "The Free Sisters" as it is currently known for the Fringe. I can't remember what the show was called, but it was a comedy with 4 different comedians each taking the stage for around 10 minutes to showcase their talent and to entice us to go and see their individual shows. We sort of just stumbled upon this show, but we actually really enjoyed it and it was surprisingly funnier than I'd expected.
Everywhere we walked there would be someone trying to hand us a flyer and get us into their show, which got a bit crazy in the busier parts of town. I was quite surprised at how many shows there actually were, and the range of different talent available to go and see. We then headed up towards the university as it had been transformed into the Gilded Balloon for the Fringe. There were also lots of food and drinks stalls up at the university where you could get things like crepes and waffles or pizza. I couldn't resist a crepe, so I got one filled with Nutella and strawberries. It was delicious, but Jordan refused to have any since he's on a major health kick, so I couldn't finish it all by myself! But I've been craving one ever since. Everywhere was just so busy, but it was really nice to see so many people appreciating the city and enjoying themselves.
On Sunday, Jordan and I decided to go back through to Edinburgh and explore the Fringe a little more. I'm pretty sure I must've walked about 100 miles over the course of the weekend, as Jordan had me walking from one end of the city to the other! We went for a really nice lunch at Revolution as were given a voucher by a lady stood outside the restaurant, and then Jordan wanted to show me the Pleasance as I'd never been before. It was actually really cool, with loads of string lights hanging from the top of the orange tent, and there was even a Prossecco Bar, but we didn't get anything to drink. There was loads of things for kids to do at the Pleasance so we didn't stay all that long.
On our way back to George Square, we walked through the Meadows and I spotted a fun fair! I turn into such a child when I see the rides, and immediately dragged Jordan over to the fair so I could have a look. We ended up going on one of the rides as it looked like fun, but Jordan wasn't too sure and kept saying the funniest comments as it spun us around. We didn't stop laughing once! I haven't laughed that much in a long time. It sounds a bit lame, but that was one of my favourite moments of the weekend.
Once we made it back to George Square, we headed into the Underbelly. The huge floating purple cow was defintely intriguing. The Underbelly was full of bars and food stalls. The one that intrigued us was a giant tent called the "Hilton Hideaway". On the inside, everyone was sitting on cushions on the floor, and it had loads of Moroccan style lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Jordan and I love to travel, so we found this place really interesting. We only got one drink each, but the tent had a really cool atmosphere so we stayed for a while.
That evening, Jordan had tickets to see The Showhawk Duo. His friend unfortunately couldn't make it, so as Jordan was really looking forward to it, I offered to go with him so he didn't miss out. The show was down in Cowgate again, so we headed down a little bit early to ensure we could get a good view. The Showhawk Duo take acoustic guitar playing to a whole other level by playing of mix of electronic dance music and trance classics. I wasn't sure what to expect of the show, but I have to say, I absolutely loved it! Jordan had showed me videos of the duo before, but they were so much better in person. They're no longer playing at the Fringe, but I'd defintely recommend searching them on YouTube.
My first experience of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival was defintely a good one. I had so much fun wandering around all of the different venues and seeing a few shows. We had plans to see a few more, but plans unfortunately changed, so I'll defintely be going back next year to see a few more. The Fringe still has a few days left, so if you haven't been yet and you live close enough to visit, I'd definitely recommend checking it out whilst you still can. Jordan will be moving into Edinburgh in just over a weeks time, so I'll definitely be spending plenty of time at the Fringe next year! I'm already looking forward to it!
Have you been to the Fringe Festival this year?
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