Ah, the Edinburgh Festival. A time of aspiration for budding young thespians, excitement for the tourists of the world, and trepidation for native Edinburghers. No matter – we’ve carefully put together this Ultimate Cyclist’s Guide to the Edinburgh Festival to help you make the most of August.
Just be sure to lock your bike up with a good lock for bicycles
GETTING INTO TOWN
“Where to park during the Edinburgh Festival?” is currently one of the top Festival searches on Google.
The answer is obvious: Parking a car anywhere during the Edinburgh Festival is physically impossible. You’d have better luck trying to get a smile out of a Lothian Bus driver. The solution: Cycle into town, cycle home.
Here’s a map of all the ‘proper’ places to lock up your bike. Click on the blue dots to see how many spaces are at each location.
And below is a map of all the Festival venues, which are of course all accessible by bicycle. Make sure you have a good quality lock (we like these ones) and don’t leave your bike down any quiet alleyways. It can be a bit busy in Edinburgh so make sure you have a working bell to ping at anyone who needs to be alerted to your presence.
ESCAPE FROM THE FESTIVAL BY BIKE
The Edinburgh Festival is also the perfect time to get away from the crowds in the centre of town and enjoy other parts of the city/country.
For quiet cycling routes around Edinburgh you can do a lot worse than these Explore Quiet Routes guides by Edinburgh Council and to go further afield you can check out our these great route guides from our customers . Of course, there are the National Cycle Routes and many routes in and around Edinburgh in handy maps by Spokes.
Take a cycle down the promenade at Portobello Beach, just a few miles from Edinburgh city centre | VisitScotland / Kenny Lam, all rights reserved
SEE FESTIVAL SHOWS ABOUT BICYCLES
With over a billion shows on during the Festival (probably accurate), there’s no way to effectively choose what you want to see. Solution: Pick a random theme and see a bunch of shows loosely connected to it.
Our theme is ‘bicycles’. And there are more than you might think! Everything from family stunt shows with Danny Macaskill to Shakespeare productions!
Disclaimer: We haven’t seen these shows, so if they’re terrible it’s not our fault. But if you loved them we’ll take the credit.
BICYCLES AT THE FRINGE FESTIVAL
CYCLOPATH
STAND-UP/STORYTELLING
“Professional comedian and avid cyclist Dion Owen brings his best stand-up material with an emphasis on his experiences and passion for life on a bike.”
When: 5-25 August
Where: Laughing Horse @ Finnegan’s Wake – The Back Room
How Much: Free
THE HANDLEBARDS: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
THEATRE (FAMILY/COMEDY)
“Join the four-strong, all-male troupe at the Treehouse for a riotous bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s famous comedy, filled with drunkenness, frivolity and cross-dressing a plenty.“
When : 21-25 Aug
Where : Venue 3: Assembly George Square Gardens – The Tree House
How Much : £15
THE HANDLEBARDS: THE TEMPEST
THEATRE (FAMILY/COMEDY)
“They’ve cycled 1500 miles to get to the Fringe, carrying on the back of their bikes all of the set, props and costumes they need for their brand-new show.”
When : 14-18 Aug
Where : Venue 3: Assembly George Square Gardens – The Tree House
How much : £15
BICYCLE BOY
CHILDREN’S SHOWS (MUSICAL THEATRE/FAMILY)
“Bicycle Boy: an interactive, bike-powered eco-musical for children aged five to ten and their families.”
When : 16-18 Aug
Where : Venue 23: Pleasance Dome – Outside
How much : Free
BI-CYCLE
THEATRE (COMEDY/LGBT)
“Whether you’re a die-hard in the gym or an after-work spin class hack. If you’ve ever felt confused about your identity, not enough or attempted to find your soul through fitness to no avail! Come ride with Bi-Cycle, and find it! ”
When : 5-12, 24-26 Aug
Where : Venue 300: Underbelly, George Square – The Wee Coo
How much : FREE
DANNY MACASKILL’S DROP AND ROLL LIVE
DANCE, PHYSICAL THEATRE AND CIRCUS
“Led by world-famous trials rider and YouTube sensation Danny MacAskill, Drop and Roll make their long-awaited Edinburgh Fringe debut with a brand-new show featuring jaw-dropping stunts! Joining Danny will be highly acclaimed trials rider and fellow Scotsman Duncan Shaw, plus more athletes to be announced.”
When : 5-24 Aug
Where : Venue 360: Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows – The Lafayette
How much : £20
ADVENTURES ON THE NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
EXHIBITIONS (PHOTOGRAPHY/FAMILY)
“Visit the Union Canal to experience an array of inspiring and breathtaking images showcasing the best rural, urban and wildlife photography captured on the National Cycle Network in Scotland.”
When : Accessible at all times
Where : Venue 528: Lochrin Basin – Hoardings on the Union Canal
How much : Free
THE GOLDEN PATH
COMEDY (STAND-UP/STORYTELLING)
“Join me as I explore cycling, life, death, pollution and my Dad on my quest to discover The Golden Path.”
When : 5-11, 13-25 Aug
Where : Venue 88: Just the Tonic and The Caves – Just Up the Road
How much : £5
BIKE
THEATRE (NEW WRITING/DRAMA)
“Karen, 17, on her parents: loving and lovable; secret devotees of University Challenge. Oh, and they’re cops. Karen’s parents, on Karen: fearless cycling champion; a sweet natured young lady. Karen’s parents are worried..”
When : 5-10 Aug
Where : Venue 53: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall – Haldane Theatre
How much : £5
BICYCLES AT EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL
GABRIELLE KENT: GAMING GIRLS AND BIKING BESTIES
Meet best friends Nessa and Demelza, two independent, bike-riding heroines uncovering the mysteries of Penfurzy island.
When: 17 Aug
Where: Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab
How much: £5
CHRIS HOY: FLYING FERGUS’S BIG FINALE
Strap on your helmet for a fun and fast-paced event celebrating the final book in Olympic champion cyclist Chris Hoy’s fantastic Flying Fergus series.
When: 13 Aug
Where: The New York Times Main Theatre
How much: £5
WILLIAM FOTHERINGHAM: WONDER WOMAN ON WHEELS
Who’s the greatest rider in British cycling history? Beryl Burton. A dynamo who dominated road racing and time-trialling for three decades, she won 7 world titles and over 90 domestic championships in her career.
When: 23 Aug
Where: Spark Theatre on George Street
How much: £12
GO DRINKING BY BICYCLE
Drinking is a serious part of cycling; until the 1960s, Tour de France cyclists used to drink alcohol during the race. We prefer to do our drinking afterwards, and here are two excellent bicycle-themed pubs in Edinburgh.
VENTOUX
From The List magazine: “The Ventoux is a rare thing in Edinburgh; it’s a pub. It’s not a real ale pub, or a cocktail bar, or a gastropub. It’s just a pub. It doesn’t have a kitchen, or a TV, or a range of artisan bar snacks. It doesn’t even have a Twitter feed or Instagram. It does have a theme of sorts, which, like it’s sister, The Tourmalet in Leith, is borne of owner Murray McKean’s obsession with the Tour de France, so there’s loads of cycling memorabilia and bikes all over the place, but despite this it’s no MAMIL hangout nor a fixie-geeks den.”
Where : 2 Brougham Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9JH –
TOURMALET
“Named after a notoriously difficult Tour de France mountain climb (and sister to The Ventoux in Tollcross), this cycling-themed bar is a friendly, traditional pub, brimming with character.”
Where : 25 Buchanan Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8SQ –
GO BIKE SHOPPING
Once you’re done doing all the other things on the list, we’d love to see you in our Edinburgh Bruntsfield and Canonmills shops. Come round and say hi!
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