Pre-Fringe in Edinburgh

It's August and that means FRINGE in Edinburgh. Don't know what FRINGE is? The official website says

" The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and takes place every August for three weeks in Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city.
      Every year thousands of performers take to hundreds of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions and events.
      In 2015 there were 50,459 performances of 3,314 shows in 313 venues, making it the largest ever arts festival in the world.

     It also includes the Edinburgh International Book Festival and a whole host of street performers.
     You may recall, Stan and I went flat hunting in the middle of FRINGE last August, so this marks our one-year anniversary here. (And how we found our wonderful flat when nearly everything in the city was rented-out is beyond me!) While the festivals may be the bane to long-term residents of Edinburgh (who often use this time to rent out their homes and go on holiday), we are still enthralled by this magical event that brings over 2 million people to our humble home for one month.
     That said, the crowds will be daunting and overwhelming, so it was lovely to enjoy the new venue at St. Andrews Square before it gets crazy.One of our fave local musicians, DaveBeMac was playing at the pop-up gin joint surrounding the monument. Click the image to hear him play slap guitar on YouTube. Truly, we're looking forward to a month full of energy and entertainment when one of the best things to do in Edinburgh is just walk around and enjoy the sights, the sounds, the food, etc., etc., etc.!