Edinburgh Festival 2011

Written by Les Davis

Edinburgh has been on my 'list' for about 15 years.  I have heard of the Edinburgh Fringe festival, I have watched snippets of it on TV and heard performers talk about it but I was not prepared for what I found on my first visit…

As you leave Weaverly Station, you are immediately hit by the buzz in the air. To your left, the heart of the city looms over you with pristine gothic reverence and the air positively vibrates with energy.  Every lamppost, wall and fence is covered with images of expectant and irreverent faces imploring slogans and reviews but in a way that just adds to the excitement and buzz.  It was near the end of the festival month and the city still looked fresh and eager to party.

We were there to see one comic writer that we were fans of called David Sedaris. We had made no plans other then to see him and to just take in the city.  I soon realised that this is not how you should really plan a visit.  One look at the program and immediately I wished I had planned ahead more.  There is just so much on and all of it sounds brilliant.  Edinburgh is the Mecca for performing artists – it is their Coliseum. They live and die by the review and for a full month they will kill anybody that stands in their way. 24 hours a day from 7am to 7am, there are shows on – performers from all over the world make the pilgrimage to the city to test their wits and stamina.  If you get a good review, you’re a hit and your show’s sold out and it’s impossible to get a ticket unless you are prepared to cue, cajole and beg.

The flipside of that is the case for performers that have been missed in the crowd.  They could have the best show in the world but if they have no review, they are playing to an empty room.  This is true even for some of the big names.

You feel part of it when you’re there and you can’t help but be swept along – all the artists and big names are just walking the streets too.  You are one with them in this marathon.

The Royal Mile is the place to be and most of the venues (although every building, square, bar, shed, outhouse and corner is converted into a venue for the month) are around that area.  From early in the day, it is rammed with performers performing on any free square bit of space.  I was overwhelmed with people almost throwing flyers at me to advertise their shows.

We only got to see two shows though as we were totally unprepared for the place. On the Saturday, we saw David Sedaris, a Grammy-nominated New Yorker writer. It was wonderful to hear him reading his own words with his strangely right combination of self-deprecation and confidence.

On Sunday, we saw Ed Byne – a great Irish comedian who’s a seasoned professional by now and it’s such a pleasure to see him work.  His show is non-stop for the hour or so he is on, and he weaved us through his observations with the usual poise and ease as you would expect from somebody that has been in the game as long as he has.  As funny as he is, you never feel unsafe and I like edgy comedy most of all – I like to see them dance on the thin line where anything can happen.

Next time (and there will be a next time) I will know to plan ahead.  If you are planning a trip, be sure to study the programs.  If anything looks interesting, just book it.  Tickets are cheap and some people book up to 10 shows a day.  I would say book at least two a day in advance and then try to get into other things, and just enjoy the energy, fine whiskey and the city.