This summer, I decided to do something either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid: a last minute trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And if that wasn’t brave/stupid enough, I also wanted to do it on a very brave/stupid budget: go for 24 hours and spend only £50!

Why? Well, like other young people, I find myself lacking in two things: time and money. Particularly money, and the cost of EdFringe accommodation can put a lot of people off. £140 per night?! For a room the size of a cupboard?! That’s either one night’s holiday in Edinburgh, or electricity at home for a month!

And that’s how this blog came about.

Having just got back from my #EdFringeBinge, here’s my advice on How to do EdFringe in 24 hours for £50.

Transport:

I recently did a blog comparing the price of transport to/from Edinburgh, and the cheapest option was Megabus at £34 for a return from London. But being the thrifty thinker that I am, I got it even cheaper: £19. Thank you, Tesco Clubcard vouchers! It was such a good plan: a nine hour overnight coach journey so we could sleep to/from the festival, with free wi-fi and charging points, and all for £19. It was too good to be true!

And indeed it was.

On the way out, I slept for 30 minutes. No arm rests, no folding table, plugs which didn’t work, wi-fi which didn’t work, lights which didn’t switch off. And people who didn’t switch off either. The lady next to me was talking on her mobile. For the entire two and a half hours to Newcastle.

Amount spent: £19

Shows:

We only had a day at the Fringe…well, 17 hours to be exact, arriving at 06.00 and leaving at 23.00. With so little time, we’d planned everything to the hour, nay 15 minutes, including shows, dinner, and loo breaks!

Needless to say this schedule went out the window.

We saved on tickets, going on one of the 2-for-1 ticket days. And we made it to the four shows that we’d booked in advance: Mad Hatter’s Potting Tea Party (***), Bismillah! An ISIS Tragicomedy (****), Captain Morgan 2: The Sea of Souls (*****), and Shit-faced Showtime (****). You can read what I thought of them in my reviews later this week on Thrifty Theatre Thinker, but here’s a little taster or warning for Shitfaced Showtime: cracked notes, cracking laughs, and arse cracks!

We were supposed to see some free shows, but because of underestimating walking times and being exhausted, we couldn’t make them.

Amount spent: £21

Free Time:

You know what activity is free? Walking. And we did a lot: Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh Castle, Haymarket, and The Elephant House cafe where Harry Potter was written. The Royal Mile is a must do, and you will literally see anything and everything: bears, magic, and adverts for a show which is Emmerdale mixed with Stephen King!

Food wise, we did well: I spent £3.25 at Contini, the only place open for breakfast at 07.30. This place has the most hallucinogenic toilets ever. The soundtrack playing teaches you Italian phrases, and they’re spoken by the most flirtatious couple. “My stomach hurts, I have diarrhea” has never sounded sexier! We combined lunch and dinner at Biblos, where I spent £6.45. With three signs proudly displaying, “We serve fish and chips”, it came as a bit of a surprise when the waiter had to check if they had any! Go for the hearty grub, stay for the free wi-fi and charging points.

Tip: choose where you eat based on whether they have plug points and wi-fi! Your best bet is the Pleasance: wifi and great atmosphere.

Amount spent: £9.70

Verdict:

I started asking: “How to do EdFringe in 24 hours for £50”. I’m ending asking: “WHY on earth did I do EdFringe in 24 hours for £50?!”

It’s doable: in total, it was only £49.70.

But what you save in money and time, you lose in the experience. You find yourself running around, exhausted, aware of time and money.

My advice: do it on a monetary budget. Book in advance for cheaper fares, go for the 2-for-1 days, and do the Free Fringe. The one thing you shouldn’t skimp on is time: stay for at least one night, so you can get a real feel of the festival.