or: Ten Life Lessons from the Fringe Festival
I’m experiencing the Edinburgh Fringe Festival first-hand this year rather than through an ABC Comedy Reporter in Australia or online. I’m having a ball.
The nearest I can explain to the feeling around the place is to draw similarities with the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Most Sydneysiders were high on a happy vibe (aided by transport running on time). Employers provided flexible working hours, we had the opportunity to watch some great sport stars at both free and paid events and to meet total strangers who were all in Sydney for the same thing. We became interested in sports we had never really watched just to see what may happen. People were more helpful than usual and went out of their way to assist visitors in finding locations on maps or a nearby cafe for good coffee rather than the newly opened Starbucks that was just starting around this time.
Edinburgh has the same happy vibe. It is like a Cultural Olympics where streets have mostly foot traffic stamping over the cobblestones. It is tricky for those with prams or wheelchairs as Tim Ferguson from the Doug Anthony Allstars pointed out. There is only friendly jostling for position. Everyone is patient. All the venues for the various shows are fairly near to each other and interspersed with restaurants. Transport is easy because it’s mostly on foot.
Everything thing I’ve seen has been great and there is no reason to think this won’t continue.
I’ve been thinking about what I will take away from the Festival so I’ve distilled it into some life lessons based on my observations so far.
Ten Life Lessons from the Festival
- Allow space in your schedule. Plan but don’t over plan so there is the opportunity to see a random show that happens to catch your eye / ear and it also gives time for a rest (including a stop off in a pub).
- Guitar strings break, things don’t always go according to plan. With a great team behind you, they can pull together something they have never done before while you restring your guitar and take your place in the team again. Thank you Al Flamenco for this one.
- It will rain. There is always a nearby place for shelter. And a beer.
- Many people are around you and you may not know them from a bar of soap but they are all here for the same reason – to have a great time. They will see different shows to you, some will pay for things that you may not understand, yet you will all achieve your outcome.
- Skipping one meal is ok but doing this too can make it difficult to stay standing for as long as you may want to.
- There is always something going on and you won’t be able to do it all. Make choices and move on.
- Being surrounded by people being creative (comedy, music, art) is energy giving.
- Having chats with random strangers can lead to some unexpected outcomes. Mostly good.
- All because something is free doesn’t mean it is is cheap or bad. Some of the paid performers also busk for a variety of reasons including funding their trip and for the love of performing.
- Pack some sort of coat / jacket but make it a light one. It is possible to be prepared yet not burdened by “just in case” scenarios.
I could write about quite a few more but I’ve also been reading that people prefer to read short lists.
Time for me to get moving so I can pick up a few more tips, have some laughs and eat.
* Thanks to Fleetwood Mac for the title to this post.