Save the pennies with Fringe deals

Early-bird deals

For a cost-effective Fringe, the key is to get here early. The Fringe officially starts on the first Sunday of August, but most venues offer discounted previews from the preceding Friday - and some even open up from the Wednesday.

Although there are disadvantages of going to the previews - not least that you won't have seen any reviews yet - teething problems are rare, and the visiting companies are normally well-rehearsed. The same can't always be said for the venues' staff, so allow extra time at the box office and between shows.

After the previews, the first Sunday and Monday are given over to 2-for-1 offers on many shows. These deals are heavily promoted, but be warned that there are limited numbers of tickets on 2-for-1 and, as the Monday is a public holiday for many people in Edinburgh, the events are usually fully booked. If you're going to be in Edinburgh on these days, it's worth picking a few shows and ordering the tickets before you leave home.

The Fringe office's literalistic interpretation of the 2-for-1 concept - they simply refuse to sell an odd number of tickets - can be infuriating if your group's the wrong size; a small number of venues will sell single tickets at half price, so it's worth checking with them directly if your group doesn't divide neatly by 2.