SOUTHSIDE CITY GUIDE
SOUTHSIDE of the event, so it’s a good place to find out where your favourite stars will be performing at 3am and book your seat in plenty of time. The Southside forms the northern
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Bar, hosting several events on the Free Fringe, while west of the Meadows is the King’s Theatre. Head further north and you’ll join up with the Grassmarket and the Old Town via the slick architectural lines of the relatively new Quartermile development. The busiest festival venues are mostly to be found to the north east of the Meadows, spread across George IV Bridge, South Bridge (which becomes Nicolson Street and then Clerk Street further down) and Bristo Square, which is packed with shows, temporary venues and outdoor eating and drinking places during the Fringe. Here you’ll find the Gilded Balloon Teviot, Underbelly Bristo Square, Assembly George Square and the Pleasance Dome. Go further east to reach the rest of The Pleasance venue complex, with a buzzing courtyard and bars that are generally pretty reliable for a successful game of spot-thefamous-comedian. The Southside is a great area to walk around while planning which Fringe shows to see later in the day, as several of the big venues erect large chalk boards outside their doors with details of the day’s events, ticket prices, recent reviews and special offers. Some late-night comedy shows won’t reveal their line-up until the day
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upmarket area that’s home to most of Edinburgh’s rich and famous – but it has lots in the way of interesting shops and well-to-do cafes, too. (Charlotte Runcie)
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‘SOUTHSIDE IS HOME TO SOME OF THE BIGGEST FRINGE VENUES OF THE LOT’
edge of Edinburgh’s student district, so explore further south if you’re after some cheap but effective drinking holes. In sharp contrast is Morningside to the south and west, an
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Key venues: (1) Bedlam (2) King’s Theatre (3) Meadows Theatre Big Top (4) Summerhall (5) The Queen’s Hall (6) Assembly @ George Square (7) Gilded Balloon Teviot (8) Underbelly Bristo Square (9) Pleasance Dome (10) Assembly Roxy (11) Pleasance Courtyard For the true Edinburgh Fringe experience, spend a day wandering through the tangle of pop-up bars, venues and food courts that take over the Southside every summer. It’s home to some of the biggest Fringe venues of the lot, as well as a hub of studenty bars, bookstores and charity shops. This isn’t a strictly defined area of Edinburgh, and plenty of locals would probably just describe it as ‘near the Meadows’. The Meadows themselves form a long stretch of grass that is, on sunny days, popular with revising students, picnicking families and anyone with a disposable barbecue and a free afternoon (there are designated barbecueing zones, though, to stop the whole place turning to ashes). At this time of year it’s where the Ladyboys of Bangkok perform their hugely popular shows, too. Nearby venues include Malone’s Irish
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