Next to the Gilded Balloon and like a little brother to Udderbelly, the Cow Barn is a good place to…read morego for a few drinks when the main venue gets too full. Decorated exactly the same, with fake grass and and outsidey feel to it, there are a lot more seats here than Udderbelly, so you can all have a bit of a sit down, especially on the oversized armchairs that are littered around. There is a full sized bar at the back, with the normal festival drinks - Tennents, Stella, Staropramen, Magners and Udder Ale. The prices are expensive, but they are in all venues at the moment (about £3.50 a pint). There are also bottles of beer, cider and wine available, as well as a full range of spirits. It is similar to the other outside bars at the festival but a little quieter, which makes it a good place to drink.

I only found out about this festival through my work with Fest Mag. Which makes sense since I've…read moreonly spent two festivals here and wasn't here at all last year. The year before that I was working too much outside the festival to keep track of everything that was going on, but this year I plan to attend it as much as I can. The Edge Festival has a combination of big bands such as the Phantom Band, Phoenix and Eels playing this year, as well as many bands I've never heard of, but am looking forward to seeing live. Their gigs will also be held at a variety of venues, from the Wee Red Bar, to Cabaret Voltaire, and the HMV Picturehouse. Prices range all the way to 20 pounds, which considering the Edinburgh International Festival is not too bad.

The Edge Festival has, since 2008, taken over from T on the Fringe and has cemented itself as…read moreEdinburgh's number one music festival! I loved T on the Fringe where I saw one of the best gigs I have ever seen in my life - The Raconteurs at the Corn Exchange! Across August, bands and solo artists play at a number of small and larger venues in Edinburgh. Normally gigs are played at the Corn Exchange, the HMV Picturehouse, the Liquid Room, Cabaret Voltaire and the Queens Hall, but there are other much more intimate venues. Edinburgh is absolutely buzzing in August with the festival season, and the Edge Festival manages to add to the already brilliant festival scene. The festival manages to fill the line up with major chart topping acts, with indie bands and new upcoming bands. A brilliant music festival, however it is sadly probably overlooked currently due to the fact that it does not have the same name recognition as T on the Fringe. But who cares about the name! Good gigs, good venues....good experience! Give it a shot!

Despite a very short working relationship with the Citrus Club ( I worked there for a night) I…read morequite like this club, which is in small cul de sac just off Lothian Road. My interview with the owner was more of a friendly chat than an intimidating interrogation, and I gathered that the club is probably one of the oldest in Edinburgh! Today, the bar area is quite modern looking, and leads to a garage-like dancefloor with dj booth intact. However, it's changed along with the many fads and trends of the decades; at one point all the walls were white; it's difficult to imagine how practical a white walled nightclub could have been! The club is currently only open on Friday and Saturday nights, but they're planning to introduce a dubstep Thursdays theme. I worked there on a Saturday, and sitting on my throne (in the cloak room) I really enjoyed the indies mix of music, which the DJ puts together himself. I'd recommend it for a relaxed/casual night out, as it's quite laid back compared to some of the other clubs in Edinburgh.

I had one truly hilarious night in the Citrus Club. It was one of the most memorable nights in…read moreEdinburgh. Why only 2* then? Well, because it's utter utter s***e. Funny though. A group of four of us went in first year, hearing it was this cool little indie/alternative venue. Basically, us arriving (and it was about half 12, normal club arriving time) doubled the clientèle. Ha, clientèle. Anyway, the bar staff were rude - they didn't want to be there either. But we thought we might as well make a night of it. So we totally dominated the dance floor. You know, like those horrible, awful guys you see in clubs that you instantly hate. That was us. But we were those only ones on there. In fact, my friends got so carried away they were asked to leave. "Really?! There's no one in here!". So we left. And we've never been back. It was a very funny night, but, please, don't ever go.

Bristo Square is one thing during the festival, and a completely different thing outside the…read morefestival. During the festival it houses the Udderbelly. Throughout the rest of the year, be there rain or snow or the kind of wind that bites you to the bone, Bristo Square is where the skaters go, as well as those kids who ride those really small bikes. Possibly BMXs? You also get people doing parcour there. It's really quite fun just to sit around and watch people either a) succeeding in their tricks, or b) falling hilariously (without any ambulances, nae worries, I'm not that sadistic). Bristo Square is smack in the middle of a load of student buildings: McEwan Hall, Teviot, Potterrow and the Dugald Stewart Building. So, even throughout the academic year, you can expect to get flyered around there. And also, if you actually decide to walk through the middle of the square, make sure you're not on anyone's bmx/skate trajectory, 'cause it could end both hilariously and painfully.

Bristo Square is an area I frequently walk past, and is always buzzing with student activity. It is…read morethe one of the main squares within the central campus of the University of Edinburgh. It has McEwan Hall, Teviot Row Union and the Potterrow union all in its vicinity. It is always full of people dotting about to these popular places. During Freshers' Week this square is always busy with fun fairs or acting as meeting points for student guided events or tours. Also, during this time, students create a large slithering queue in Bristo Square for the student nights in Potterrow. Furthermore, Bristo Square is used by many newly graduated students as the place to take photos with their families or just with them posing with their certificates in front of McEwan hall. Also, during the festival the Underbelly is located here and is one of the hot spots of the Festival! During the year the square is frequently visited by skaters and by people with BMX bikes. And sadly also by groups of drinkers as well at times! Bristo Square is always thriving and is a great feature of the University of Edinburgh!

The Adam Smith theatre is one of the best used buildings in the town of Kirkcaldy. Young and old…read morecome to this place to see films, theatre productions and children's plays. Yes, this place offers so much too so many! Inside, the building is warmly decorated making its enormity seem meagre. It has a cafe and the theatre can hold a couple of thousand people. The theatre is like all other traditional theatres but has been updated over the years so more events can be put on. My main memory of this place was when I went to see the Singing Kettle when I was younger! It was sold out, very noisy and I did not particularly enjoy it! Well, maybe theatre would have been better!

The adam smith theatre is avery good thetre but unfortunately the show put on there have gone down…read morehill over the years. I can remember going to the adam smith centre to watch live shows of Rab C Nesbitt and Roy chubby Brown whereas now a days it is more kids and local performances. It still has very good pantomimes at christmas and does show movies from time to time to which tend to be re-runs of classics which I think is a good idea, giving kids and adults alike a chance to see great movies once again on the big screen.

Freebird is a cool little bar in what I'm starting to think of as the "cool little bar part of…read moreFalkirk." From having overheard a conversation at the bar, it sounds like they've recently had a bit of sprucing up which makes it nicer and comfier than it was. Having never visited before it's unclear how extreme the improvements are, but I certainly agree that it's nice and comfy. There's plenty of seating, including booths and sofas. There's free WiFi, a couple of TVs and at least one fruit machine that I saw. It has a vibe that I'd associate with a more modern bar rather than a traditional pub but it's not really hipster either. They have a few good ales on the bar (I was drinking Drygate's Glad Eye) as well as cocktails available. We got served quickly by friendly staff who were happy to chat in spite of it being a Saturday night and relatively busy when we arrived. We were told that a DJ would be starting at 9pm. Normally, this would put me off but when he did get started I actually quite enjoyed his set and it wasn't played so loudly that people were forced to abandon their conversations (pet hate of mine in pubs). It's just a very appealing and relaxed place to hang out. I'll definitely be back. I need to try some of those cocktails.

very busy and popular night spot in centre of town. On two levels with dance floor upstairs. Can be…read morelong queues to get in with bouncers on the doors. Taxi rank outside main door so no need to walk through town at the end of the night. Has been a nightclub for many years under many different names

I remember Lourenzos the first time around. It has changed a lot over the last 10 years or so and…read morewas shut for a few of them before being refurbished into the Lourenzos we know today. Inside has been tastefully redesigned with a trendy VIP section with its own dancefloor. Its split over two levels with a large dance floor on the upper level. The drinks are quite pricey in general and the fact that all drinks are served in plastic tumblers puts me off if I'm honest - I like to drink from a glass! The guest DJ nights are the best nights when DJs come from Edinburgh nightclubs. The atmosphere's great and its always a lively place to be on a Saturday night.

This theatre makes me feel cultured as $%&#. They should put that sentence on a t-shirt and sell it…read moreas merch... I would buy that. But all high brow/low brow t-shirt genius aside, Traverse is a decent theatre in the heart of the city that placates my PASD - Post Art School Disorder. You see, i'm a Fine Arts kid. One of the cheerfully idiotic few who wave their BFA proudly and wax poetic about Russian literature and experimental film at any opportunity. After four years immersed in the world of post secondary fine art education, I require frequent injections of artsy fartsy stuff to keep me balanced and my life long dream of becoming a world famous poet quietly ticking away in the background. Sure, Usher Hall steps in to hoist this burden every so often, but when it comes to pretentious theatre that I unapologetically adore: Traverse wins. The staff are lovely, the drinks are fairly priced, the steps in the theatre space have this "I could go down at any moment" grunge aspect to them and they always have an interesting mix of indie shows throughout the year. From children's magic shows to dance to a one woman show retelling a complete novel in one act (nod to A Girl Is A Half Formed Thing) - you might not always love it, but it will always be something worth talking about. Definitely keep an eye on this space in August for some the the Fringe festival's most unusual work.

The Traverse has quite captured my heart. I've not been there during the year, I'm afraid (not…read morebeing a permanent resident of Edinburgh, sob) but during festival season the Traverse can be trusted to put on the most impressive array of shows, most of which are amazing. Granted, I'm a 'theatre person' so my opinion is probably a bit biased, but I'm usually very impressed by the offerings at the Traverse. Even if I don't like a show, it's never all bad - there's something good to each show, whether it's the writing, the acting, or the technical aspects. The Traverse focuses on new Scottish playwrights, although during the festival many international companies come through as well. It probably hosts the largest concentration of Fringe First winners of all the venues, and each show is on a highly professional level. As for the venue itself, there are two theatres - a bigger, traditional space and a smaller black box theatre, and there's not a bad seat in either house. There's a coffee shop upstairs and a bar downstairs, and one can usually hobnob with the actors in the bar after a given show, which makes theatre that much more accessible. As far as quality goes, the Traverse is hands-down my favorite venue in Edinburgh.