No it's not. Now it's a great time to start planning and take some action if you are thinking of taking your show to the biggest arts festival in the world. Let's start from the basics.
Send an application to venues. Most of the venues have started accepting applications in January, so if you want to increase your chances of getting a slot and you haven't already, send your application as soon as possible. Find a list below of some of the Fringe venues:
Assembly Festival
Summerhall
Underbelly
Pleasance
Gilded Balloon
C Venues
Just the Tonic
The Space
Zoo Venues
It's also worth checking Forest Fringe and Free Fringe
The next most important thing is to start planning your budget, accommodation costs, production and marketing costs. Edfringe provides a lot of useful information and guides, so make sure you visit their website to get yourself familiarised, especially if you are taking a show for the first time to the festival.
Depending on your venue you might have to register your show or the venue will register the show for you. The discounted registration fee deadline is the 16th of March and the printed programme deadline is the 13th of April. You will need to have decided on your show image by that time and have a show blurb that will be included in the printed programme. You can find more information about registration and ticket sales dates on the EdFringe website.
Find below some websites where you can start looking for accommodation costs and options.
Nestival
Edinburgh Festival Rooms
Edinburghfestival.net
Edinburgh Festival Rentals
You can also check AirBnB and accommodation options that the University offers during the festival. Edfringe.com also has a list with accommodation options that you can have a look.
It might take some time for venues to decide on their programme, so in the meantime it's worth start planning your marketing campaign. Get some good production, promotion or rehearsal shots, if you don't have some already, as you will need them for your show's artwork and publicity. Check advertising costs, and decide if you have budget to spend on advertising or your promotion activity will focus on hand to hand flyering.
For outdoor advertising check Out of Hand Scotland. Some options for print adverts areThe List, Fest Magazine, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festivals Magazine, Primary Times, and The Scotsman, most of them offer online advertising options as well. You can also book online ads on edfringe.com and print ads on their programme, but it might be a bit more expensive.
It's also not too early to start thinking about your artwork and creating a trailer or a teaser for your show. Edinburgh Fringe is a highly competitive festival as there are more than 3000 shows every year. Having striking artworks and strong visuals can make a difference. Be aware that most of the venues have templates for artworks, and guidelines in terms of how you present information such as dates, times, and venue. The majority of them will also provide marketing advice and information and can help you on ways to promote the show.
Now it's a good time to start drafting your press release and brainstorm marketing techniques that you could use to engage with audiences. Be creative and don't be afraid to go beyond the traditional promotional strategies. Encouraging word of mouth and creating buzz about your show could be much more efficient than just booking an ad with a publication. The most important thing is to find the best combination of marketing tools that would help in getting audiences in.
On edfringe.com you can find a guide on ways to promote you show, and information about planning your trip, and performing.
We understand how hard it is, especially for smaller productions, to take care of everything prior and during the festival, and the the available funds are limited. We have years of experience working at the festival and have in the past worked with theatre companies at very different levels. If you need marketing advice, a graphic designer, production shots or a videographer, Pulp & Pith offers festival packages taking into consideration the costs involved taking a show to EdFringe. Get in touch to find out how we can help you promote your show info@pulpandpith.com
