First Time Performing at the Fringe – What to Expect

An Electric Atmosphere in a City completely Alive!

Edinburgh is arty, trendy, cultural, diverse, historic and an outright visual treat of a city, and when Fringe comes to town the whole city becomes a truly rocking spectacle!

There are diverse and varied street performers; scheduled performances from up-and-coming artists and celebrities in an incredibly varied amount of performance venues; bars and restaurants bursting to the brim; a huge bustling audience taking in the sights, the sounds; and the incredible and unforgettable Edinburgh Tattoo.

Fringe’s atmosphere is, quite simply, electric from start to finish, morning until night, and it’s something you must experience to truly believe.

‘There’s so much to do – the choir just soaked up the atmosphere.’

Ruth Bowe, Wellingborough Gospel Choir

A Ready-Made Audience Ready for All Types of Performances

Expect audiences ready to take in everything you have to offer! Fringe’s popularity means the city is absolutely packed with people just looking to take in the next unforgettable performance.

And when we were there recently, we witnessed how Fringe is home to so many talented, fun, varied and diverse performers – and that was just the three choirs which we organised tours for!

There was the fun and lively Fab Choir, the upbeat and energetic Wellingborough Gospel Community Choir (WGC), and the smaller, beautiful vocals of the Voices City of Derby Girls Choir. All brought their own style to the Fringe and all created unforgettable memories.

‘I asked for places that were busy and would be booked out with people and our tour followed the remit completely. It was fun.’

Joanne Griffiths, Fab Choir

Fab Choir were scheduled for gigs at bars and restaurants Brewhemia and Le Monde – at Brewhemia they performed above the bar to a raucous Saturday afternoon audience – and they completely packed out Le Monde!

WGC lifted the lid on the acoustic friendly Greyfriars Kirk, with the church having to stop letting people in because they packed the place out! They got the crowds in at the Mound and temporarily closed the street outside Canongate Kirk because so many people were dancing and singing along to them!

Voices brought the beauty and the captivation to St Vincent’s Chapel, Greyfriars and Canongate Kirk, with truly gorgeous vocals with high quality sections overlapping harmoniously, you just sat there and let the sound wash over you.

Rocking Venues for every Type of Music and Performance!

With performance spaces so varied and versatile, your type of musical group and repertoire genre will definitely be at home. From sacred to secular to a mixed set-list, there’s a concert venue just waiting for you!

‘I liked they were all different venues. It was brilliant.’

Liane, Fab Choir

Back to the choirs above, Fab Choir were at bar and restaurants Brewhemia and Le Monde, both stylish, intimate, fun – making them perfect for a crowd looking to socialise and have a good time.

WGC and the Voices both performed at Greyfriars and Canongate Kirks. Each venue is a historic, visual, acoustic, colourful treat, with many choirs asking to perform at both venues!

Voices also played the intimate and gorgeous St Vincent’s Chapel – a venue perfectly suited for a smaller choir brimming with captivating vocals (just like the Voices!).

The Classic Sightseeing and Shopping of Edinburgh City

Make sure you have some free time to take in the electric festival atmosphere and enjoy each of your performances, but whilst, or after that, experience the Scottish capitals stunning landmarks and many types of stylish shops. It helps make your first time even more special.

Experience the Royal Mile with St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, it’s stunning Gothic architecture and then there’s the vast array of bars, restaurants, souvenirs shops – and that’s just one street!

Other standouts include:

✔ Calton Hill
✔ Arthur’s Seat
✔ Palace of Holyroodhouse
✔ Holyrood Park
✔ Dean Village
✔ Cockburn street
✔ Stockbridge

For some hidden gems from the locals – check out this blog!

New Friends and a Strengthening of Old Friends too!

The Wellingborough Gospel Choir & Fab Choirs haven’t stopped talking about their Fringe experiences, with both saying how friends became practically family on the trip – and they made loads of new friends too!

WGC also made new friends in the form of their coach drivers, who really added an extra layer of warmth to their tour – they were calling them ‘Legends’ by the end!

‘A lot of people really enjoyed getting to know everyone else as well and making new friends with people they’ve probably known for 10 years, but now they’re real friends with unforgettable memories!’

Ruth Bowe, Wellingborough Gospel Choir