It’s that time of year again when acrobats, foodies and comedians all unite to make the Edinburgh Festivals better than ever.

Any and every festival to tickle your fancy will be playing in various venues all across Edinburgh but what festivals are the best picks? From free festivals to award-winning ones, Edinburgh never fails to live up to its reputation as the second biggest tourist attraction in the United Kingdom.

FOOD FESTIVALS
If you happen to enjoy food followed by theatre or theatre

Dinner is Swevered C Nova (18, 22-25 August) £14.50-£16.50

followed by food, why not look out for Dinner is Swevered? With entertaining sketches in between courses, now there is an event that caters your every need. Edible shrubs anyone?

Oz Cabaret The Hispaniola (17-25 August) £11.00-£13.00

Us Brits always enjoy having a little drink from time to time and dancing to a bit of Buble which makes the Oz Cabaret the perfect choice

to start up the evening. With 5 delicious choices of wine to choose from followed by enjoyable songs, its hard to say no to The Hispaniola.

Only Wolves and Lions ForestCentrePlus (19-23 August) Free

Finally a free festival! Only Wolves and Lions provide smashing conversation and a warm-hearted meal for free provided you bring a raw ingredient to contribute to the group meal. It’s creative to say the least, not to mention tasty!

(ALTERNATIVE) COMEDY FESTIVALS

Jessie Cave and Jenny Bede: Ain’t too Proud to Beg Henry’s Cellar Bar (17-24 August) Free

I know, I know. Your scratching your head thinking where do I know that name? I should know, it happened to me too but eventually I figured it out after a quick Google.

Jessie Cave is best known for playing Lavender Brown in THREE Harry Potter movies.That alone is enough to send me to Henry’s Cellar Bar but then I found out that this was a free festival. Taxi!!

Foil, Arms and Hog- Late Night Irish Comedy Sketch Underbelly (17-25 August) £9.50 – £10.50

High energy performances played by a trio of Irishman spouting off stereotypical language, and yes that does mean POTATO and LEPRECHAUN! With wonderful critics, such as Tommy Tiernan (another Irish comedian) calling them “Pure Brilliant”, and a barrel of laughs wrapped in a 1 hour show, it’s not hard to see why these guys are going on my to-see list.

AAA Batteries (Not Included) Laughing Horse (17-25 August) Free

Fresh (award-winning/nominated) comedians make up this trio and, in my opinion, are the ones to watch out for. Who knows, in a couple of years time, these guys could be headlining Live at the Apollo, following the footsteps of many comedians including Michael McIntyre. Watching these guys first and for free makes popping into the Laughing Horse a no-brainer.

THEATRE FESTIVALS

Can’t Buy Me Love Greenside (16-17 August) £7.00

Hmm.. Very reminiscent of 10 Things I Hate About You. The plot goes something like this: Nate wants Candice but Candice can’t date anyone until her sister Anna does but Anna is a little erm.. How do I say this? Different. Let’s go with Different. Nate still wants Candice and so, pays Dan to date Anna but uh-oh Dan starts to likes Anna despite the fact the only reason he’s dating her is for the money! Is nothing actually simple?! For people who haven’t seen 10 Things I Hate About You (great movie by the way), it is literally the same but with different character names, but.. I don’t know. I think seeing a Swiss cast live could be different. That is if they don’t play the scenes to the very letter of the original movie. Let’s call this one, one to be hesitant of..

8 Storeys Up C venues- C Aquila (17-26 August) £8.50-£10.50

Edinburgh’s theatre festival wouldn’t be the same without at least one show featuring show tunes. One reviewer stated “think Love Actually meets The Notebook”. The musical is by a twice MTM nominated Stephanie Amies. Eight (apartment) stories. Eight characters. Eight interconnected stories. I do love these type of stories! And with only £8.50 to pay, it seems like this is in the top of my to-see list.

The Fanny Hill Project Zoo (17-26 August) £6.00-£8.00

This show is.. Intriguing to say the least. As a wicked satire on the representation of women in the media, it is an entertaining lesson to learn. It is certainly unique, so let’s hope Fanny, with the help of John, finally knows how to tell her story to the world within the 55-minute limit.

ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR (FESTIVALS)

Matt Forde: The Political Party Pleasance Dome (17-25 August) £9.00 – £10.00

I personally find Matt hilarious! Having seen him on Russell Howard’s Good News and Have I Got News For You, I think very highly of him and find him to be my favourite political comedian. He somehow possesses the ability to inform as well as entertain, discussing the latest happenings of the Tory party or the Lib Dems and in fact used to be the former political advisor of the Labour Party. Expect to see more of this guy.

Sarah Pascoe Vs The Truth Assembly George Square (17-26 August) £10.00-£12.00

Having watched Sarah numerous times on Stand up for the Week and Live at the Apollo, I have gained a new favourite female comedian. In this particular show she will be going deep: does she actually exist? Is anything in life certain? Are body cells similar to the Sugababes? Sarah being a clever and funny comedian, I see a bright future for her.

Lee Nelson Assembly George Square (17-24 August) £16.00-£17.50

To quote the man himself, Lee Nelson is well qualityyyyy! Star of Lee Nelson Well Funny People and Lee Nelson Well Good Show, Lee is no stranger to audience interaction and comic spontaneity. Word of warning: be wary, very wary! While Lee may be very, very funny he does tend to go off track when speaking to girls on his show, however all his characters, including premier league football star, Jason Bent and unconventional Dr. Bob, are well above par and I would recommend everyone to watch his show.

COMEDY AWARD(S)

It’s the award everyone is waiting for, or should I say awards. Previous winners include Sarah Millican, Russell Kane and The Mighty Boosh. Nominations has also been given out to Jon Richardson, Jimmy Carr and Russell Howard. The three awards available are the best comedy show, the best newcomer and the panel prize. Winning wins you £10,000, £5,000 and £5,000 respectively, as well as the coveted award itself. I have no idea who will win as the shortlist itself will be announced only on Wednesday 21st August. Every year is a sell out so book early to avoid disappointment- you can find tickets on the Pleasance or Edinburgh Fringe website. The winners of all three awards will be announced on Saturday 24th August.