Ali Brice on the best and worst of Edinburgh

Ali Brice is heading back to the Edinburgh Fringe in the guise of his alter-ego Eric Meat with ‘a story of loyalty, nostalgia and knowing when to let go’. Here he shares what he can't get enough of at the festival, his most embarrassing Edinburgh experience and the worst thing about the Fringe. Apart from the cost of accommodation, obviously…

Fringe Binge

A near-constant consumption of comedy notwithstanding, the thing I binge at the fringe is coffee. There are so many great coffee shops in Edinburgh and the older I get, the more coffee I need and at the Fringe it’s CRUCIAL. I am tired just thinking about it.

Also Wings in Edinburgh. I love chicken wings and, well, this restaurant does exactly what it says on the tin. Wings in all the flavours you can imagine - and some you can’t. They also have booths with retro games consoles.

I also have an anti-binge. I refuse to read any reviews and it makes the whole Fringe experience so much nicer. The first few times I went up, I constantly looked for reviews. The first time I was refused it was thrilling.

Nowadays, I want to enjoy the fringe. The fact I get to do it is reward enough. Of course, a good review is great. But if you search for good reviews, you might find a not-so-good review. And they can really ruin your day.

Also, searching your own reviews leads you to find friends’ reviews. And, again, it’s great to see them doing well. But awkward if they’re not.

Ignore them all and enjoy the moment.

Fringe Cringe

A costume malfunction that meant my nuts were on display. I didn’t notice for 10 minutes. Then I realised why the atmosphere had changed. Embarrassing.

I am still not quite sure how my nuts escaped. I was wearing three layers. Boxer shorts, a pair of shorts and a pair of trousers. But they made their bid for freedom and achieved it.

You might think I’d have felt the cool breeze upon my spuds and noticed immediately. However, many venues in Edinburgh have zero windows and get HOT. As such, there was no difference in temperature between in and outside trousers.

Fringe Whinge

The worst thing about the Fringe is going home, although my experience has got less worse since first going home from the fringe in 2010 when I was only able to afford the Megabus. No one wants to be on a Megabus after Fringe. Horrible.

A few years later I was able to upgrade to National Express (la-dee-da!)

I flew home once, but it felt excessive. Also, I was at the peak of my drinking (I am sober now) and drank three-quarters of a bottle of Jägermeister before boarding and had a terrible flight. I was also in the middle seat, which can’t have been fun for the people either side of me.

These days I get the train - this year First Class (la-dee-da-again!). It’s always a big comedown. And while I enjoy going home, I am always sad the Fringe is over. It truly is a wonderful thing to be a part of.

• Ali Brice Presents Eric Meat Gets the Chop is on at PBH's Free Fringe @ Carbon at  5.30pm during the Edinburgh Fringe

Published: 23 Jul 2025