A Plus-Size Guide To The Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is back! After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, performers of all genres are descending upon the Scottish city in force for the 75th anniversary of the month-long festival, this year spanning from 5 August to 29 August 2022.

Established in 1947, the festival was started by eight theatre troupes that gatecrashed the Edinburgh International Festival and put on their shows on the ‘fringes’, hence the name. More performers came back year after year, and the event eventually became bigger than the International Festival itself!

From theatre, dance, and circus to musicals, opera, and cabaret, there is plenty to see and do at the Fringe, but for me personally? I go for the main event – the comedy.

For three years in a row, I set aside a week in August with my husband to cram in as many comedy acts as we could, running between acts all over Edinburgh to catch the latest and best upcoming talent. We survived on cereal bars and bottles of water in the half hour we left ourselves between shows, and dipped into many a dodgy loo at the speed of lightning to make sure we didn’t miss anything (one set of toilets at The Pleasance is particularly reminscent of a cell block).

And now we’re doing it all over again! After painstakingly crawling through every act, compromising on who we wanted to see with rock-paper-scissors, working out a schedule in Excel (I love a good spreadsheet), and burning out Googlemaps making sure we could actually get to places on time, I finally have it – my Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022 Lineup!

We’re travelling over on Monday 15 August for an intense week of non-stop comedy, finishing up last thing on Saturday 20 August so we can spend Sunday morning enjoying a lazy fry-up (black pudding and haggis included of course) before flying home for a decent night’s sleep.

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Who to see at the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival

If you’re not sure who to go and see this year, why not take a chance on these performers below. While most of the acts I’ve chosen below are performing over multiple nights in August, some are one-night only, so catch them if you can! Some we’ve seen before, some we’re seeing for the first time, but rest assured: we know they’ll all be comedy gold.

Monday 15 August Lineup

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Tuesday 16 August Lineup

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Wednesday 17 August Lineup

Raymond Mearns’ Big Red Bus Tour Around Edinburgh!

⏰ 12:00 👛 £16 🎟️ Buy Tickets
📍 Venue 581 – Red Bus Bistro at Bristo Square Bus Stop, Bristo Square / Potterrow Bus Stop, EH1 1HB

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Thursday 18 August Lineup

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Friday 19 August Lineup

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Saturday 20 August Lineup

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Is Edinburgh Fringe plus-size friendly?

You might have a few questions about attending the Fringe festival if, like me, you’re on the larger side. Questions like will I fit in the seats? Are the shows within reasonable walking distance of each other? How hilly is Ediburgh really?

All I can say is, in the three years I’ve attended, I’ve never personally experienced any problems caused by being overweight.

Getting around Edinburgh

Yes, Edinburgh is hilly, and walking back and forth between shows might mean climbing up and down the same hill two, three, four times in a single day. But the venues are often so close together that you’re generally only walking for 5-10 minutes between them anyway, so it’s not too strenuous. Make sure you have comfortable walking shoes on (I swear by Skechers) and although you’ll be pretty knackered by the end of the day, you should be fine.

And don’t be afraid to take a break to catch your breath! You can watch the many street performers along the High Street after getting to the top of the winding Cockburn St, grab a quick drink in the Pleasance Courtyard after making your way up there, or collapse at the summit of the Playfair Steps that lead up to The Mound alonside the Edinburgh Castle grounds – no judging. I’ve been there.

There’s also plenty of buses to get around the city on, as well as Uber taxi services. You can pay for a single ticket (£1.80) or a day ticket (£4.50) on the bus by using the exact change or contactless card. Just make sure you time it well if you haven’t left yourself a lot of space between shows.

Read more about Lothian bus fares & tickets here.

Seating at the Fringe

As for fitting in seats, again, I’ve never had a problem. The variety of venues means that you’ll be perching on all sorts of furniture, like benches in lecture halls, stools in pubs, foldable chairs in basements, and if you’re lucky, an actual theatre seat. But other than one particularly rickety metal folding chair that sent my heart up into my throat everytime it creaked, every show has had accessible seating for larger butts.

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Where to eat at the Fringe

During the Fringe, lots of street food stalls pop up around the main venues such as George Square Gardens and Bristo Square, which are ideal for a quick bite to eat between shows.

For an excellent cup of coffee, Black Medicine Coffee Co on Nicolson Street is the place to go.

Start the day right with a delicious hangover-curing fry-up at Snax cafe, who can be found both on Buccleuch Street and West Register Street.

For a light lunch, head to Asian food bar Bento, who serve up freshly made sushi, dim sum, and hot bentos like chicken teriyaki rice bowls. They have three shops on South Bridge, Lothian Road and Raeburn Place.

Where to sleep at the Fringe

Unfortunately this close to the festival you’re unlikely to find accommodation for less than €200 a night if you haven’t already booked something, as a lot of people book at least a year in advance – myself included! But keep checking comparison sites like booking.com and you might be lucky and grab a cancellation.

The most affordable accommodation tends to be university housing, like Salisbury Court Campus, which is within walking distance of most venues.

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For more information and to browse all the performances at Edinburgh Fringe this year, head to www.edfringe.com.

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