Hello,

With less than 3 weeks to go, this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe will soon be upon us. Everyone has been very busy behind the scenes at Fringe HQ to make sure that this years Fringe is bigger and better than ever. Here is a list of what have we been up to and some useful information to help you plan your Fringe experience:

Box Office
This years sales are breaking records on all previous years with tickets in high demand.
Shows are selling out quickly so get online at edfringe.com or phone the box office on 0131 226 0000 and book yours to avoid disappointment. Box Office hours as follows:

Fringe Box Office Counters opening hours are as follows:
20th July - 2nd Aug        10am - 6pm      - daily
3rd Aug - 31st Aug         10am - 9pm      - daily

Fringe Box Office Phones opening hours are as follows:
20th July - 2nd Aug      10am - 6pm      - daily
3rd Aug - 31st Aug       9am - 9pm        - daily

Fringe Half Price Hut opening hours are as follows:
11th Aug - 31st Aug    10am - 9pm     - daily

Box Office Booking Line: 0131 226 0000
Disablity Booking Line: 0131 226 0002
Friends of the Fringe Booking Line 0131 226 0003

You can also book tickets online 24 hours a day at www.edfringe.com

The Half Price Hut
Back by popular demand, the Half Price Hut will be situated on The Mound precinct and will be open for business from 10.00 am on the 11th August. Tickets will be available to buy from the Hut on a first come first served basis across August so make sure you check daily for availability.

Cool T Shirts
This year we have a great range of official Fringe merchandise for you to wear including a limited edition T-shirt for the 2009 Edinburgh Festival Fringe designed by cult Spanish fashion label Kukuxumusu.
Merchandise including T Shirts, posters, mugs and bags will all be available from the Fringe Shop on the High Street and for the first time down at the Mound precinct, next to the Half Price Hut. If you can't make it to Edinburgh this year you can also order online at edfringe.com   

The Edinburgh Festivals Daily Guide
Look out for the Daily Guide which will be printed in a new tabloid format this year and will include your essential daily guide to what's on in Edinburgh across all of the different Festivals. The Official Edinburgh Festivals Daily Guide and the Fringe Programme will be available throughout August from key venues as well as the Fringe Shop and the Half Price Hut on the Mound precinct. The Daily Guide will also be available online as a PDF at edfringe.com and edinburghfestivals.co.uk.

Friends of the Fringe
Thank you to the many old and new Friends that have signed up this year to support the Festival Fringe Society and take advantage of the many great benefits that are on offer, including priority Box Office, dedicated booking line, great 2 for 1 ticket offers and more. It's not too late to sign up for this year and you can do it online at edfringe.com or drop in to the Fringe Box Office, 180 High Street and sign up when you get to Edinburgh.

Fringe Select
A live show of some of the hottest tickets from this years Fringe at the EICC, venue 150 on August 21. Treat yourself to a fantastic evening of world-class comedy, cabaret and music. Ticket price is £65 and includes a drinks reception and meal. Friends of the Fringe can buy tickets for £60 giving you another great reason to sign up.

Schools Poster Competition
This years coveted poster competition sponsored by St James Shopping was won by Mhairi Sedgwick aged 14 from Peebles High School and her winning design will be available to buy as a poster, mug and T Shirt from the Fringe Shop. An exhibition of all of the short listed posters will be held at the St James Shopping Centre, venue 26 from the 27th July - 31st August.

Map
The Fringe in association with sponsors Magners will be producing a free Festivals map with all of the venues included to help you navigate your way from show to show in and around the city and across Princes Street.  Maps will be available from a variety of venues and from the Fringe Shop and Half Price Hut on the Mound precinct.

Fringe on the Royal Mile
Last but not least the famous Fringe on the Royal Mile event sponsored by RBS will be on daily throughout the Fringe. Come along and enjoy the amazing free spectacle of street performers, buskers and the popular arts and crafts market.

Fringe Online
Well I hope that's got you in the mood for this years Fringe. Have a fantastic time and keep checking our website edfringe.com for further updates and all the latest news and information about this years Fringe as well as the upcoming launch of our exciting new Fringe TV media player. You can also follow the Fringe on Twitter and Facebook. Check out our Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter @EdinburghFringe.

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The List
Holy Smoke! It's the Edinburgh Festival!
That's right. The capital's annual cultural explosion is about to happen.
The List has launched a new website dedicated to the Edinburgh Festival featuring full easy-to-search listings, reviews, previews and more. It can be found at www.list.co.uk/festival.
Here at The List we're seasoned festival veterans, so why not let us do the hard work for you and provide you with top tips on the acts to see? Plus our Festival Newsletter smokes out the hottest shows in town and pipes them straight to your inbox - plus 2 for 1 tickets, freebies and more.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!.

Jenners
Visit the historic Victorian splendour of Jenners store on Princes Street during the Fringe and marvel at a variety of Fringe performances.
Monday - Friday, 11 - 11:30am and 4 - 4:30pm on selected days between 3 - 28 August.

Visit our cosmetics department before attending a show and participate in our Jenners Happy Hour, receive a glass of champagne and have your make-up done free of charge by our beauty experts.
Monday - Friday, 4:30pm - 5:30pm, 3 August - 28 August. Tel 0844 800 3725.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe,
180 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QS, Scotland
tel: +44 (0)131 226 0026