When I announced I was taking my boys, then aged 9 and 11, solo to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the reaction from my friends was “that’s brave” or “are you sure?” Having visited Edinburgh previously with my boys, I was undeterred but decided to break up the shows with doing some tourist stuff as well. The boys loved it. The following year, we went back to Edinburgh for the Fringe, with more time to spend and more shows booked. We had a blast! I would encourage anyone with kids from around 9/10 years or older to give the Fringe a try. These are my tips on how to get the best out of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with children.
1. Choosing and booking your shows
Luckily, the Fringe official website is your friend here. As well as searching via the type of show (magic, comedy etc), you can filter by age suitability as well.
Shows are released in a few tranches, usually from the start of April. Check with the Fringe website in the early part of the year and you should find the key release dates. However, save for the very big names in comedy, the shows don’t sell out that quickly so you do have time to properly plan what you want to do.
There are venues right across the City. Most are easily walkable. However, it is worth plotting your potential shows on the venues map (on the Fringe website). You can then make sure you have enough time to get between venues (and to eat and drink when you need).
Once you have your tickets, you can use these through a QR code on your phone. Alternatively, you can download them to the Apple wallet.
2. Shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which might appeal to older kids (and you)
If you are going to see a few shows, I would recommend a mix of types. I would suggest one circus-type performance, a few comedy shows (maybes a mix of improv, stand-up and themed shows), a magician and a drama to get you started. You can use the filters on the website, then narrow down the possibilities in each category based on what you think your kids might like. I then run through the shortlist with my boys. We look on the performers’ you-tube channels / websites to see if we can find some videos of them in action.
Most well-known comedians will have a 16 or 18 age restriction. However, you can find the odd household name that has a lower age recommendation / restriction. I saw Milton Jones with my boys in 2024. This show just had an age recommendation of 10 years plus. While we were queuing, one of the Fringe staff did ask how old my younger boy was . She didn’t ask for any proof of age (and commented that 10 was just a recommendation anyway).
Magicians are far less likely to have age restrictions. We have seen Kevin Quantum, James Phelan and Richard Jones – a bit of a Britain’s Got Talent hall of fame but all were fantastic!
It’s also worth looking for shows which might match particular interests of your kids. My younger boy is weirdly obsessed with Greek mythology so his highlight of the 2024 festival was a comedy show about what happened in the Trojan horse! My older one wanted to see some “not too serious” Shakespeare. We settled on Shakespeare for Breakfast doing a modern take on the Tempest, accompanied, as the name might suggest, with croissants and coffee!
3. Seating
All Fringe shows have unreserved seating. This makes it quicker getting everyone in and into a seat (the shows often have quick turnarounds). However, you do run the risk that your small 9-year old ends up sat the back row with only a view of the guy’s head in front.
There are 2 ways to get around this. Firstly, get there early and get in the queue – first come, first served!
Otherwise, if it looks like you are getting seats in the gods, just tell one of the Fringe volunteer staff that your child won’t be able to see and can you sit somewhere else. This often works because most venues keep chunks of reserved seats at the front and the back. These are not VIPs or disabled access. Their purpose is to allow late-comers to be sat down quickly and together. The Fringe staff can, and will (usually), let you sit in reserved seats if they know your child can’t see otherwise.
You might also want to purchase inflatable booster seats and take them with you. Unlike regular theatres, Fringe venues don’t have boosters available. You can order these cheaply from Amazon or similar retailers, for example, you could try this one.
4. Check out the street performers
Edinburgh has street performers all year round but performers come from all over the world to the streets of Edinburgh during August. The best spots to catch street performers are along (and just off) the Royal Mile (from North Bridge up to the Castle), in Princes’ Street Gardens and outside the National Galleries of Scotland.
This is a bit of a case of the good, the bad and the frankly terrifying but you can see some real talent. Your kids will love it! We have seen magic, stilt walking, juggling, bike tricks, football skills, and just a random semi-naked guy! Be warned that kids standing near the front may get pulled into the performance (and adults too!)
Street performers aren’t paid so you should tip if you watch and enjoy an act. I would suggest £5 is a reasonable donation. If you have cash, this is the easiest. If not, most performers take card (either through an app on their phone or via a QR code).
5. Stay out of the City centre
This is one of my top tips. Staying in the City centre during the Fringe is both horrendously expensive and annoyingly busy / noisy. Hotel rooms and apartments treble in price at least in the centre during August.
We like to stay out in Leith. Accommodation prices are far more sensible and there are lots of nice restaurants and cafes (which aren’t super busy!) along and around the Shore. You can also walk to the Ocean Terminal shopping / leisure centre, home to the Royal Yacht Britannia and a Vue Cinema (if you fancy a change from the Fringe!)
We have stayed in this apartment in Leith twice and would recommend it for 3-4 people. It would however feel a little cramped (in the bedrooms at least) for more than 2 adults and 2 kids.
The bus stop into town is 1 minute down the road, outside Mimi’s Bakehouse. Mimi’s is one of my recommended places to eat in Edinburgh, see my post here. On the way back, it stops opposite the entrance to the apartment block. You can take either the No. 16 or the No. 35 into the centre. The 16 is best for the New Town / Princes’ Street . The 35 goes along the bottom half of the Royal Mile and then turns off past the National Museum of Scotland (stopping outside it). Tickets can be bought onboard from the driver and you can pay by cash or card.
6. Refuelling!
Edinburgh is busy (very) during the Fringe. If you are on a tight schedule between shows, it is worth having a table for dinner booked in advance. You may struggle to find somewhere taking walk-ins.
Have a look at my post on the best places to eat in Edinburgh and Leith.
7. Break up shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with other activities
Agree in advance with your kids, the max number of shows they think they would want to see in a day. On our last 6 day trip, we had some days with just one show, a few with 2 (but spaced out) and one day with 3 (2 in the day and one in the evening – Milton Jones). I wouldn’t recommend trying to cram any more shows into a day, even though most only last for an hour.
In between, and particularly if you haven’t visited Edinburgh before, you can enjoy the many attractions of this beautiful city. Have a look at my post on the top things to do in Edinburgh with older children.
8. Getting around during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
I’ve already mentioned it a few times but the city centre will be very busy during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The key thoroughfares of the Royal Mile and Princes’ Street are wall to wall people and that can be a bit overwhelming for kids. Happily, you don’t need to step far off the main drag to find things considerably quieter. For example, Holyrood Road runs broadly parallel to the Royal Mile (with lots of side streets to cut between the two) and is far less busy.
If you are staying out of the City centre (which I would recommend) and using buses to travel in and out, please be aware that the timetables go to pot in August. As we were waiting for a bus back to Leith from South Bridge, an older Lady told us to just stay put and wait (even though the bus hadn’t arrived by its due time and Google Directions was telling us to walk to another stop) and the bus would turn up eventually. It did!
So there you have it, those are my tips for surviving / enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with children!
