Now is great time to see shows before big hits start selling out
Today is our big Press Launch at Gilded Balloon which marks the start of a very exciting time for Katy, myself and our team. With the first day of Fringe previews already under our belts, now is a great time to see shows at lower prices and support the performers by coming to see shows in the first few days before the big hits of the Festival start selling out.
At our Press Launch tonight, we have a wonderful live showcase from across our programme with media, guests and performers all invited to come and have a catch up before the opening weekend. One of our fantastic performers, Darby James, of award-winning show Little Squirt, has written us a special song to celebrate Gilded Balloon’s 40th anniversary.
Darby performs a one-man musical show which has won multiple awards in Australia, and he’s gone through our history to pick out the highs and lows of 40 years of the Gilded Balloon in song and some lyrics describing my personal history!
Caroline Rhea will be hosting our Press Launch show and promises to have everyone in hysterics throughout. Sadly, Caroline is not able to stay for as long as we had hoped as she is rushing back to Hollywood to perform in a new CBS television show.
We also have the inimitable Rosie O’Donnell kicking off her limited run from tomorrow – one of the biggest names at the Festival – as she heads over to Edinburgh from her new home in Ireland. We’re looking forward to welcoming Rosie to Edinburgh and hoping we’ll be able to show her some of the sights while she’s here!
It’s wonderful to welcome back so many people that we only ever see this time of year, including our seasonal staff who work so hard to make sure our venues are ready to greet customers and artists. Every year, we’re lucky to have photographer to the stars Steve Ullathorne at Gilded Balloon for a few weeks. You can see an exhibition of Steve’s best photos from across the comedy world in our concourse on Appleton Tower – featuring beautiful portraits of acts like Miriam Margolyes, Sue Perkins, Alan Davies and more.
As well as preview prices, we also have our annual charity day coming up on Wednesday, August 6. To support our charity partner Waverley Care, we discount thousands of tickets to only £5 with a portion of each ticket sold going to the charity. It’s a great day to come out and see shows across our programme with plenty of big names, new comics, magic, theatre and family shows with a limited number of £5 tickets available. Welcome everyone to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the biggest and best arts festival in the world!