New Empire Bingo

Surrounded by cash converters and newsagents, the once glamorous bingo hall may, to some look a little bleak, shining neon rays onto a usually rainy Nicholson Street. To others, it's edgy as hell.

To those who overlook appearances and think it's what's inside that matters, the Bingo Hall is an absolute joy to behold. Why? Because it's the single largest free venue in the Edinburgh Fringe. In a time where often even the fringiest events serve a bit of a blow to the purse strings, the free fringe often fills the void at the lower end of the punter-budget scale - sort of a fringe on the fringe. It's what facilitates the weird and wacky that makes the festival, and the more decent the venue, often the better the experience. There are gloriously clear sightlines of the big old stage from both the stalls and the circle, and the location is situated right in the pumping heart of Edinburgh.

That all in mind, who knows what sort of stuff could go down at a free fringe venue set in a huge bingo hall? Only one way to find out...

[Kate Pasola]