With the majority of Covid restrictions now lifted, a night out in Edinburgh has become a far simpler proposition.

There’s no longer the need to book a table in advance, you can simply pop up to the bar to get a drink, and there’s no time limit on how long you can stay.

It’s come just in time for the peak of the Edinburgh festivals – with the International Festival, Fringe Festival, International Festival and International Book Festival all in full swing this weekend.

And it means that if you want to go out for a few drinks and catch a show there’s little in the way of planning needed.

In fact you don’t even need to leave the pub, with many of the Capital’s most famous hostelries acting as Fringe venues during the month of August.

Even better, most of the shows are free or ask for a small donation to secure a seat.

Here are 10 where you can catch up with friends before catching some comedy – all without leaving the building.

Read more:

Edinburgh Fringe venue map: this is where all of the Fringe 2021 venues are at this year's Edinburgh Festival

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