Katie Norris shares the best and worst of the Edinburgh Fringe

Katie Norris is back at the Edinburgh Fringe with her second solo show, Go West, Old Maid. Here she shares what he can't get enough of at the festival, her most embarrassing Edinburgh experience and the worst thing about the Fringe. Apart from the cost of accommodation, obviously…

Edinburgh binge

The breakfasts at Kilimanjaro Coffee, the early morning hikes up Arthur’s Seat and whisky sours at The Voodoo Rooms’ late night mixed bills that feel like stepping into a smoky 1970s time capsule where time doesn’t quite work properly and nothing makes sense. 

I’m looking forward to the moment I get to watch a nervous male stand-up have to follow a burlesque dancer who’s just confidently straddled an upright piano. Perfect Fringe chaos.

Edinburgh cringe

Opening night at the Pleasance last year. I was buzzing with adrenaline and several Blue Moons deep when I somehow managed to order an Uber not back to my flat in Edinburgh, but to my flat in London. For £600. 

Thankfully, I clocked it when I got a notification saying my driver was three minutes away. I got my money back in the end but I was dangerously close to waking up halfway to Birmingham wondering if I’d been abducted.  

Edinburgh whinge

Every year I forget that I can actually cook. I have the best intentions, but it’s just a diet of fried eggs, super noodle sandwiches and bagels for four weeks straight. 

This year’s nemesis is going to be my velvet costume, which looks fantastic on stage but has zero toilet access. Which, when you have specific pre-show poo-and-wee rituals, becomes a logistical nightmare. I’m anticipating a lot of panic and praying that no one else is in the queue. 

• Katie Norris: Go West, Old Maid is on at the Pleasance Courtyard, at 7.40pm throughout the Edinburgh Fringe.

Published: 27 Jul 2025