Tomorrow marks the start of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with the city already filling up with performers and tourists looking to take in a variety of arts and entertainment shows over the next few weeks.
For the first time since 2019, the Fringe returns in full, after covid severely impacted the 2020 and 2021 editions.
And it's a big year for the Fringe as this year marks its 75th anniversary, meaning we're set for an extra special festival this time round.
READ MORE: An Edinburgh local’s guide to the Fringe and our top tips for festival season
In the run-up the much-loved and much-talked about Edinburgh event, we've brought you everything you need to know, from shows you should be seeking out, info on the various venues, ticket advice, food and drink recommendations and how best to enjoy the festival for those visiting for the first time - and for locals too.
We've put as much of that info as possible in our handy little guide here, your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022.
When does this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe start and end?
This year's festival kicks off on Friday August 5, with the final day on Monday August 29, meaning there's over three weeks of performances and events for the people of Edinburgh - and its visitors - to enjoy this time round.
For more about the timings of this year's Fringe, click here.
What shows are taking place this year?
The official website of this year's Festival, edfringe.com has an incredibly useful search function which you can easily access to prevent you trawling through the internet to form a plan of performances you want to take in.
But we've put together our suggestions of recommended shows in recent weeks too.
For the more quirky and weird shows at this year's Fringe, see our article here.
For free shows and ones that don't break the bank, our list is here.
For kid-friendly shows, you'll find our guide here. Parents might also want to check out our round-up of family-friendly activities during the Fringe here.
Furthermore, there will be some coverage of the Fringe online if you're not able to make along to the festival this year. Here's all you need to know about the schedule.
How much do tickets cost and how can I get them?
That depends on the show you're going to take in, with all performances priced individually.
Although you might pay well into the double figures for an individual ticket for some shows, you don't have to break the bank to enjoy the Fringe. There's set to be dozens of free events and discounted performances - as per our recommendations above - where you can benefit from the likes of 2 for 1 offers.
You can purchase tickets via the official website of this year's Festival, edfringe.com, which lists all this year's performances. Simply search for and click on a show that takes your fancy, and there you'll find a link to where you buy your tickets.
For more on ticket prices, you can read our article here.
Where should you collect your tickets?
To make it a little easier, this year all tickets are e-tickets, meaning those with a smart phone will be emailed a QR code that will be scanned at the venue and you don't have to worry about a last-minute mad scramble to get the tickets before taking your seat.
For more information about booking tickets, read our article here.
Where are the shows taking place?
According to the official edfringe.com website, there are a grand total of 239 different venues hosting performances across the city.
These range from theatres to libraries, basement bars to hotels and shopping centres.
To see where the venues are located and for a map of all the locations, we've put together all the info here.
Meanwhile, we've also produced everything you need to know guides about some of the capital's most popular Fringe venues.
For Underbelly, the info is here.
For the Gilded Ballon, you'll find the details here.
For information about the Assembly Rooms, it's here.
What else is going on in Edinburgh just now?
As well as the main Fringe Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is taking place this August, and we've compiled a guide on this year's event here.
Meanwhile, it's also time for the Edinburgh International Art Festival, which you can read more about here.
And of course the world famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo will get underway shortly, on Friday, August 5. For all the info about the shows at the Castle, click here.
Food and drink
Although the shows rightly steal the limelight this August, you're going to need some good food before the performances and a place to soak up the festival atmosphere with a drink after it.
We've recently put together our recommendations of the best capital food and drink spots you should be heading to during the festival.
For a list of all the newly-opened restaurants and bars worth checking out, you can read our article here.
Edinburgh prides itself on its excellent street food scene, if that's more your thing. Here's our round-up of some of the very best.
If you enjoy a good cocktail, here are some of our recommended cocktail bars here.
But if you prefer a traditional pub that just pours good pints well, there's a list for you too, here.
Should the sun decide to say hello, the city has some excellent beer gardens. You'll find the best ones here.
Or perhaps you prefer to perch up high with sweeping view of the city - our best capital bars with roof terraces article is here.
Travel advice
With the volume of people in the city - which is set to undergo a temporary population boom - disruption is inevitable.
That includes road closures, the latest of which we've reported on here, as well as warnings of traffic delays on motorways into the city, as explained in our article here.
For those due to travel to and from the shows by tram, there'll be an updated timetable in place too, the details of which you'll find here.
Furthermore, if you're coming from outside the city into the capital for the Fringe - particularly from Glasgow - more trains have been put on late at night to accommodate this. For information on the latest train timetable, click here.
Meanwhile, for tourists travelling from across the UK or abroad, perhaps flying in to Edinburgh, we've put a handy guide together on how best to get from the airport to your accommodation in the city centre, here.
How expensive is accommodation in Edinburgh just now?
If you've still to book a hotel for the next couple of weeks, you've probably left it a little late. There is still accommodation available, but you'll likely have to splash the cash on it.
However, thankfully we've recently published our round-ups of the top-rated and best value hotels in the city, here, while we've also uncovered a number of hotels you can stay in for under £100 a night, here.
What's the weather looking?
If you're travelling in to Edinburgh, you'd be best advised to check the latest weather forecast before you head out and even then, you might want to pack a backup rainjacket.
Thankfully, the weather looks quite reasonable for the first weekend of the Fringe. You'll find our latest weather update here.
What else can you do in the city?
If you're visiting Edinburgh for the first time, there's way more than the Fringe Festival itself to enjoy.
You'll find our city's top-rated tourist attractions here, with the likes of Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh Zoo being the most popular.
For what you can expect at the Castle and how much it costs, we've recently published a guide on visiting the landmark here. For all you need to know about the Zoo, it's here.
If you're looking for panoramic views of the castle and across Edinburgh, here's our list of the best destinations for postcard perfect capital vista.
Perhaps you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city - which we understand - and the beautiful East Lothian coastline is just a short trip away. Our article tells you about the top 10 East Lothian attractions you might want to visit.
And if you fancy a splash in the sea, East Lothian has some of the best beaches in the UK, which you can find out more about here.
There's more places to avoid the Fringe madness too, throughout the Lothian region. Our reporter recently published their guide on the five spots you should flock to escape the crowds this summer, here.
Anything else you should know?
For a good overview of what you can expect during the Fringe, our reporter produced their local's guide to the festival and what you're likely to see across the city in the coming weeks.
Here's what they had to say and their top tips for how to enjoy Edinburgh this August.
We'll be providing updates about everything Edinburgh Fringe Festival on the Edinburgh Live website, our main Facebook page and on our dedicated Fringe Festival Facebook page throughout August.
READ NEXT:
*The quirky and weird shows worth a watch at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe
*Edinburgh rooftop bar with stunning view named as one of the best in Europe
*Edinburgh Fringe: Free festival shows and non-ticketed events for 2022 Fringe Festival
*Top Edinburgh restaurant is introducing an exclusive morning tea experience
*Edinburgh Fringe: Top capital cocktail bars to visit during the festival
