Corrine shares with us her first experience of the much anticipated Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The start of the hype

I was told by my Dad that Edinburgh was a world class city with the best festival season in the world. He told me this before my exchange in Edinburgh had begun, knowing full well that I was arriving in Edinburgh after the Fringe had ended. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival was something I always looked forward to, but was only able to experience this past summer – and it was everything my Dad had led me to believe it would be.

The reality

The streets were filled with people, performers, and free street shows (mostly magicians) for everyone to enjoy. Coming from a fairly busy city myself, I was happy to see the influx of people during August that migrated into Edinburgh. I know some of the locals may have disagreed with my view, but I felt like I was home for a short period of time. The city became an engaging, giant spectacle for the entire month. Fringe venues popped up everywhere and people handing out flyers guided the way to exactly where I could find them.

MY Fringe experience

I saw as many shows as my bank account allowed me to, including a cabaret show in a large circus tent and an act from a singer who had previously appeared on The Voice (a British talent show on TV). There were a lot of free shows that, in my opinion, were just as good as those ticketed shows. So much so that my friend and I saw a free comedy show nearly every day. One particular New Zealand born songwriter stood out to me, whose improvisation show combined comedy and music, a definite must see act in my opinion! I attended a lot of music shows as well, including a flamenco guitar show and a blues show.

If only I wasn't spoilt for choice...

I do wish I could have seen more but it might not have been possible, given all the choices available to anyone attending the Fringe festival. All I can say is,  my Dad was certainly right when he told me to expect great things from the Fringe when I moved to Edinburgh.