This place shows all the big name musicals and it's great because they always have different ones…read moreevery one or two months. This place is huge and the seating arrangement like in other theatre cost a different depending on the view. This time I saw Priscilla the Queen of the Desert and sat on M48 and M49, one costing £29 and the other £38. It was on the left side of the theatre and very close to the stage. Though the view was sometimes limited, it was a really good place to sit. When buying tickets, make sure you check online how limited your view will be. The sound in this building is great and rivals other theatres in bigger cities like London and NYC. They have coat check, but didn't use it cause I preferred to just hold on to my jacket. They sold some drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) as well as some snacks like crisps, ice cream, and chocolates. What I don't like about this place is the small concession stand where you can buy drinks and snacks. They do sell ice cream on the side during intermission. I also don't like that they don't make show booklets and give it for free like other theatres. I think they should, but than again the tickets are a bit cheaper here than in other major cities. I normally loose it anyways... Ha! So if you LOVE musicals and you're in Edinburgh, check out this place cause it's where all the great musicals visit the city. If you don't want to pay the extra £4 for processing your tix online and you have time to stop by at the box office, just buy it there! The hours are from 12-6 from Mondays to Saturdays.

We came to see Chicago the musical and it was so fun! This venue is gorgeous and every seat had a…read moregreat view. The inside was ornate and special and the seats were comfy. They had multiple snack and drink bars that were averagely priced - nothing outrageous. The bathroom lines at intermission were organized, with staff trained to keep everyone moving. The show itself was sooo well done and entertaining. There was awesome dancing, singing, acting, and lots of jokes sprinkled throughout for added entertainment. As of last week, you must show a vaccination card at the entrance and wear a mask during the show unless you're eating or drinking.

Although the original building wasn't designed for it, the Festival Theatre is now the largest…read morestage in Scotland and is the de facto home for opera, ballet and large scale touring musical productions. Seating just a shade under 2,000 people, it also serves as the main showcase venue during the Edinburgh Festival (as you might expect from the name). This location has held a theatre since 1830, and is Edinburgh's oldest theatre site. Resurrected from the old Empire Palace theatre, the restoration involved preservation of the auditorium and not much else. The front of house was replaced by a light, airy glass-fronted façade which, while not exactly sympathetic to the surrounding buildings, is at least an exciting addition to the area. Inside there are spacious foyers, bars, cloakrooms and a cafe area, with a central staircase providing access to all levels. There are plenty of toilets and some function rooms that you can hire for conferences or events.The contrast between this modern structure and the traditional auditorium is quite startling. The backstage area was completely rebuilt from scratch, and the actual stage is enormous - the largest in Scotland - with a side stage and rear scene dock of similar size, enabling it to stage some of the larger European operas that come to the Edinburgh Festival. In 2013 they added a Studio theatre in a new building on Potterrow, providing extra rehearsal space or a smaller performance venue for dance and small companies - a welcome addition and much needed in Edinburgh. Now, a little bit of history for you: The Moss Empires were a chain of theatres around the country, known for their large-capacity wide auditoriums, and many of them still exist, such as the Liverpool and Hackney Empires, and of course there was the infamous (and now sadly vanished) Glasgow Empire. In style they are all quite similar and can seem quite plain architecturally, favouring function over form, compared with some of the smaller more intimate theatres. This particular theatre was originally designed by the renowned (and prolific) theatre architect Frank Matcham; but you would be hard-pressed to recognise any of the characteristic Matcham features, as the building burned to the ground in a disastrous fire in 1911 during a performance by the famous illusionist, The Great Lafayette. Although the safety curtain was lowered, a piece of set prevented it from coming in fully, causing a draught which fanned the fire into an inferno killing Lafayette, ten members of his company, the lion involved in the illusion he was performing, his horse and some stage crew who were unable to escape the stage as Lafayette had ordered all the doors to the stage locked to prevent unwanted interlopers discovering his secrets. His body was soon found in the wreckage and sent to Glasgow for cremation. Two days later however, workers clearing the debris found an identical body, identified as Lafayette by the fancy rings he wore - the original body found was his secret body double, his means of performing many of his illusions. Or was it? Some say that the first body was the correct one, and that his shade haunts the theatre to this day because of the mix-up... His funeral procession through the streets of Edinburgh attracted an estimated crowd of 250,000 people, and he was laid to rest in Piershill cemetery. Because of this tragic accident, legislation was passed requiring all theatres to drop and/or lift the safety curtain at each performance in sight of the audience, just to prove that it is functioning correctly. So the next time you are at the theatre and see the safety curtain being lowered, spare a thought for The Great Lafayette, a real-life tragedy more dramatic than any play.

A great program of both mainstream theatre and more unusual performances such as circus, ballet and…read moreopera. I'm aiming to see at least one new piece of theatre each month this year so I've been here quite a bit because the programme is so good. The building itself is impressive with a glass front so you can people watch from all levels, my favourite is the first floor bar area. Being a relatively modern building there are a good number of ladies toilets so you don't end up spending the whole interval in the queue and still have time to get ice cream. The seats in the theatre are not that comfortable but are OK for most length performances. If you are planning on going to more than two or three shows a year it's worth while becoming a 'friend' of the festival and kings theatre for £39. You get 2 for 1 tickets on most opening nights plus 20% off other performances and discounts in various nearby restaurants. Plus you can book in advance so with some careful planning you can book 18 months of theatre with one year's membership.

I've been to the main Pleasance several times, either as a Festival gig or some other event, but…read morethis was the first time I'd been in the 'Forth' venue. Having collected my tickets and wandered around the packed courtyard for a while looking for it, I eventually found a sign pointing down the back stairs towards the toilet block, where a queue was forming at the basement. Ah, that's handy enough, thought I - until we got in and had to schlep up several flights of stairs to the top floor. I think they mis-spelled the name; it - it should be 'Fourth' for 4th floor!

For eleven months of the year this place is one of the Edinburgh Uni's Student Unions, but during…read morethe Festival in August it's a really popular and well-used venue for comedy and music shows. It's a small venue, I'd say it seats around 20-30 with more room for a standing at the back, so if you're going to see a show here you should get there early! That said, the reason I gave it 3 stars and not 4 is how cramped it is. Even if you do get there early enough to be far enough forward in the queue for a seat, if you're bigger than the average hobbit you'll struggle with the lack of leg room. And this is also where being small is a disadvantage - although you get much more intimate performances here, it'll also be 30oC and really smelly by the time the interval comes around. Which is just as well - there's a bar adjoining the theatre so you can cool down with something cold and alcoholic, and not even have to walk more than a few metres for the privilege. If that bar is full, during the Fringe there's always a beer garden set up in the courtyard outside which is a gorgeous suntrap during August.

The couple that work here are great . Lost my tickets and she got it all sorted for me to get into…read moreconcert

Wow. If you want to buy tickets for a gig, without a doubt Tickets Scotland is the place to go…read more Situated in Rose Street, Tickets Scotland is right in the centre of the city and it is just around the corner from the main shopping street in Edinburgh, Princes Street, and so it is a convenient place to reach. This is the place I always go to every year to buy my T in the Park ticket and I am never disappointed, as one year I left it super late and I phoned up asking for tickets thinking they were going to laugh in my face, but it turns out they had spares - win!! They sell their tickets at the RRP which is good as it means you don't get scammed into buying a ridiculously expensive ticket so it is definitely a safe option to buy your tickets from this store. Tickets Scotland sell a huge range of tickets for concerts and festivals, and I walked past the store the other day and noticed that they are now selling tickets for the Cream Fields Festival. If you want a safe and reliable place to buy concert tickets, Tickets Scotland is without a doubt the best place to go.

Hips Tits Lips…read moreArt Food Drink Cabaret & Conversation As the cheeky title suggests, The Naked Brunch is an Edinburgh Festival Fringe event that includes nudity, art, theatre, circus and dance. Premiered at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2009, it's hosted by performance artist and costume designer Natalie Bak and includes a group of cabaret artists from Oz and Scotland. The event takes place at 11am on Friday 27 August 2010 and is expected to last 2-3 hours. Tickets cost £22 in advance and can be bought through the Fringe box office or venue (Performing Arts Centre at Stewart's Melville College). Clearly aimed at fellow artists, performers and exhibitionists, the catch is that 'the audience' have to leave their clothes at the door too. The only question is, are you brave enough?

WHAT. IS. THIS. MAGIC. ABSURDITY…read more Edinburgh Festival Fringe is everything I have ever wanted to witness in my life and many more things I never have ever pictured in my head. My bus ticket up to Edinburgh was booked long before I even knew "The Fringe' existed. So when my friend told me to look it up and the website had a one time pop-up notified me of what this was I FREAKED out. A festival where anyone and everyone gets to perform? A festival built on the idea of existing on the fringe? A festival that fills over 500 venues (and bars, coffee shops, eateries, or wherever else space can be had) throughout a city with thousands of shows throughout the end of every summer? SO MUCH YES. I attended the 70th anniversary of Fringe for a week and a half this past August. This first review of it, because I damn well expect to be heading back for more, leaves me in a state of writers block. This festival bursts with so much creativity and oddity that it often left me speechless - or laughing, or crying, or questioning life, or just really damn confused. It left me all the things, and with the amount going on it surely throws every attendee on a completely different ride. Here is a fun one - at one point I saw a group of people placed another layer of posters over the pillars of show advertisements, straight up putting a bunch of theirs to cover the other shows. At the time I was talking to a performer, who told me to go touch the pillar. These pillars are so covered in layers of flyers that they are a giant cushion - like you can run into the pillar and it cushions you! Seriously, try it. It is kind of fun. The last day of the event we walked through as the flyers were getting torn down and you could see how the layers had piled two feet wide. Crazy! And seriously, I have NEVER seen so many flyers in my life. SO much paper. You are walking down the street getting handed flyers every 0.5 seconds and then also getting dragged into "world record group banana eating" - everything happening at once. Yes, I ate a banana in unison with 30 strangers. It was awesome. A Russian circus with ping pongs balls thrown across the auditorium, a recently graduate troupe of folks supporting their friends play, the most awkward comedians, free chocolate passed out to audiences, one man stand-up shows, Australian mock yoga retreats that dress the crowd in odd costumes. There are acts that are absolutely terrible, and acts that are absolutely amazing. Fringe is amazing because it is full of options. You want to spend zero dollars and simply embrace the "Free Fringe"? Do it! You want to go to the fancy shows? Do that! You can play every show, or simply walk down the street to find the next thing that catches your eye. And finally one of my favorite aspects of this whole thing is how many of the performers are out on the street promoting their own shows. Fringe does not seem to divide between a backstage, the whole city becomes the theater. Many shows are in small room, makeshift locations where you might be one of the few there to witness. Such a wacky, weird, wonderful thing Fringe is.

Keep an eye out for all sorts of shows by independent performers: comedy, magic, fire, etc.. The…read moreEdinburgh Festival Fringe is a joyous annual event that happens every August. Short street performances are spread throughout the city, particularly centering around the Royal Mile. We were unlucky with the weather in that it was pouring rain the day we visited. And so it was difficult to find shows as well as for the entertainers who had to stall until a large enough crowd had gathered. For the ones that we did stop to watch, they were quite enjoyable.

I've been to the Liquid Rooms more times than I could count, for all sorts of gigs over the years…read more And I still love it. Sure, your feet will always stick to the floor, but that's just part of the charm of this place. It's quite an intimate space, great for smaller acoustic gigs, but also works really well for electronica etc. There's also a balcony, with its own bar, if you fancy a higher view. For anyone from Glasgow, it's like a cross between Oran Mor and the Fruitmarket. And gets just as hot and sweaty as they do!

For a place to just go and boogie, Liquid Rooms is actually pretty good! I'll admit, I had my…read morereservations when I accidentally suggested we go here - the last time I went was probably in my late- teens. However, on a Friday night, the place is filled with all ages - some with top banter- and there's a shisha bar in the back ! At the time, I thought £10 for an hour was a total bargain and it might have been something to do with the jager-bombs, but it tasted just like it does on holiday and was a really nice addition to an otherwise so-so night out. It is a handy location for when you are debating where to go to finish a night out. The music was pretty standard. Can't beat a bit of impromptu karaoke to Bohemian Rhapsody with some randoms!

Until very recently, I had never actually been to the King's. I'd been to the Playhouse, Festival,…read moreLyceum and Traverse theatres, but not the King's. Time to change that. On Wednesday, I came here to see the new touring production of Dracula, and it was fantastic. The cast, costumes, set and lighting design, down to the special effects all felt like the spectacle of a West End production. It did not feel like a touring production at all, and I can assure that if you catch it on tour, you won't be disappointed. The King's itself is a gorgeous theatre, if not slightly dated. The actual auditorium is beautiful, with a glorious domed ceiling and beautiful ornate box seating areas, but I thought the bar and foyer areas seemed a bit pokey. The theatre is due to close for a major refurbishment in 2021, so hopefully they'll do something about the foyer. The prices for programmes, ice creams, drinks etc are the usual for theatres - slightly overpriced. The in-house programmes are £3.50 which I think is quite a good deal, as the programme for Dracula had a gorgeous design and contained lots of information about the show. I'd imagine that the contents will vary between productions. Ice cream is £3 which is a bit of a rip off to be honest, but it's S Luca so you know you're paying for quality. There is a Scotmid across the street if you want to be cheap. Most theatres tend to have a supermarket chain around the corner, I guess to make trade off anyone who doesn't want to pay extortionate bar prices. Overall, I enjoyed my visit to the King's and I can't wait to come back to see some more top notch plays!

I saw a few shows there and I always like to go back for more, not only because I really like this…read moreold theater inside and out. The interior and exterior are both mystic and spooky in its own way. Being one of the last to leave after a show really lets you explore this place. Walk up and down the stairs and take in the presence of old time past. Apparently the theater was founded around 1850 and pretty much still display ,or seem to, all its original features: boisterous chandeliers, large stair cases, red carpets and curtains, amazing architecture and lustrous statues. It is is also true that the seats are not the most comfortable or that it is not always easy to see the screen with people sitting infront of you or that the downstairs hallways are quite tight and could cause claustrophobic feelings. But this should not be a reason to miss out on a spectacular show only because you are not into old places.

Very authentic and had live music too! The service was good and a fun time overall. They don't…read moreserve food unfortunately

Connie is amazing. So helpful, we love her. The music is so nice, first time in. I could rave about…read moreConnie all day. queen.