Hello lovely people!
August is upon us once more and you know what that means? Festival season. The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) is a three-week festival that brings Edinburgh to life – celebrating the international world of music with a strong focus on performing arts. On top of enjoying the festival ourselves in our free time, we’re excited to announce that we are partnering with the Edinburgh International Festival again after our relationship began with them in 2019!
As if the International Festival wasn’t enough, August in Edinburgh also means that the Fringe is back and better than ever. Unlike the International Festival, the Fringe is not a curated event, meaning that anyone and everyone wanting to make it big in show-biz can sign up. This culminates in many more events, across even more venues and some, potentially questionable, shows. However, as far as we’re concerned, watching an unusual show is a right of passage!
With acts running across hundreds of venues all over the city, we thought we’d share what we’re most looking forward to seeing. We hope this inspires you to go and see a show or two… maybe with a Bon Accord in hand 😋
EIF - FOOD 📍The Studio 📆 3rd-27th August
FOOD is a theatrical experience that takes the audience on a sensory journey about food production and its development over the years. The play encourages the audience to share memories and ideas, creating room for a very personal experience. Available to see at The Studio, Geoff Sobelle’s wit and ability to convey a story creates for an exciting and alluring performance. 🎫 (find tickets here)
Fringe - Jodie Mitchell: Becoming John Travulva 📍Pleasance Courtyard 📆 Aug 10th-15th, 17th-27th August
Non-binary comic Jodie Mitchell uses their drag persona of John Travulva to masterfully tackle themes such as class, gender norms and identity in a truly refreshing manner. And, if that wasn’t enough to convince you, when one of our team went to see the show last week she said ‘I was laughing so hard my jaw hurt’. If this sounds like your cup of tea, we highly suggest giving Jodie a visit at the Pleasance. 🎫 (find tickets here)
EIF - Life is a Dream 📍The Lyceum 📆 23rd Aug
Ready for a Spanish classic reborn? The infamous theatre company Creek by Jowl present Life is a Dream, listed as one of the 40 greatest ever plays. Performed in Spanish, the audience follows a prince who has spent his life imprisoned before being released and having to navigate the world. Will this world live up to his preconceptions? Is what he’s experiencing reality? Or all just a dream? Engrossed in trying to determine what is and isn’t real, spectators can be prepared for an intense, but brilliant performance. 🎫 (find tickets here)
The Edinburgh Free Festival
Running alongside the Edinburgh Fringe is the Free Festival. Here, patrons are not required to pay for a ticket, however they are encouraged to leave a donation of what they think the show is worth. This allows smaller artists access to larger audiences, in addition to allowing those watching their spending to take a chance on a show potentially outside of their comfort zone! Our pick for the Free Festival this year is…
Fringe - Shelf: Teenage Men 📍The Voodoo Rooms 📆10th-15th, 17-27th August
Two childhood friends, often mistaken for teenage boys (hence the name), delve into everything from confronting their own toxicity to the Instagram algorithm. Trust us, if you decide to give this show a look we promise you’ll leave with a soft spot for these comedians (and tiny pots) (it’ll make sense if you see the show). 🎫 (find tickets here)
So, that’s it for our festival recommendations so far this year! If there’s any shows that we must see that’s not on our list, please let us know in the comments section. In the meantime, if all of this festival talk is making you thirsty… as always you can order our juice directly to your door via our website 😉
Until next time, from the folk at Bon Accord 🫧