Behind the Scenes at Edinburgh Festival Fringe: A Where Now Tour

Edinburgh’s cultural landscape was forever changed when a small group of performers crashed the city’s prestigious International Festival in 1947. On this walking tour, you’ll discover how this act of artistic rebellion started as a handful of shows performed in church halls and grew into a sprawling celebration of comedy, theatre, and creative expression that takes over the city each August.

The tour starts at the old heart of the city’s high society and one of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s legendary venues, the Assembly Rooms. As you walk through the Old Town, I’ll tell you about the festival’s evolution, and how student theatre companies, alternative comedians, and innovative venue operators shaped the Fringe’s anarchic spirit.

You’ll also discover how political and cultural shifts influenced the festival, from post-war idealism to Thatcher-era alternative comedy and the rise of the ‘Free Fringe’ movement. The tour ends in the Grassmarket, where you can reflect on how a tiny theatrical rebellion has grown into the world’s largest arts festival.

During this 60-minute tour you’ll also:

• See the Assembly Rooms, where stars like Alan Rickman and Rik Mayall made their Fringe debuts, and where the percussion phenomenon STOMP! first captivated audiences
• Find out how shows like Beyond the Fringe and The League of Gentlemen became international sensations after humble Fringe beginnings
• Walk the Royal Mile, the bustling heart of the modern Fringe festival where thousands of performers compete for attention each August
• Explore Pleasance Courtyard, the historic university venue that became a career-making Fringe institution
• Discover how Cambridge Footlights alumni like Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson helped establish the Perrier Award as comedy’s most prestigious prize
• Learn about the birth of alternative comedy in the 1980s and how it transformed the Fringe from an eclectic arts festival into a comedy powerhouse
• See the underground warren of Underbelly Cowgate, where Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag premiered before becoming a global sensation

By the end of this tour, you’ll understand how a series of fringe events became the main attraction, and why Edinburgh in August continues to be the world’s greatest showcase for theatrical innovation, comedic talent, and creative risk-taking.

There are also some jokes. Good ones. You’ll enjoy it.