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Creative Bingo: Kick-Start Your Fringe Art

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Scroll below to get a creative boost

✨ 5 Tips for Making Art at the Edinburgh Fringe

  1. Draw from the City’s Layers – Use Edinburgh’s medieval closes and modern venues as inspiration for shapes, textures, or colour palettes.
  2. Capture Ephemeral Moments – Reflect the festival’s fleeting encounters in quick sketches, time-based pieces, or evolving installations.
  3. Collaborate Across Disciplines – Partner with performers to create set-pieces, backdrops, or playful crossover art that blurs boundaries.
  4. Work with Found Materials – Flyers, posters, and street-market finds can become authentic collage or sculpture elements.
  5. Respond in Real Time – Make something each day inspired by a news headline, a street performance, or a colour in the crowd.

🏛️ 5 Tips for Getting Art Displayed at Festivals

  1. Pitch to Pop-Up Venues Early – Cafés, bars, and shops often host art during festivals — reach out with visuals and a short pitch.
  2. Join Artist-Run Spaces – Many have open calls around Fringe time and welcome emerging, responsive work.
  3. Leverage Social Media Tags – Use official hashtags and geo-tags to get noticed by curators and venues browsing online.
  4. Offer Portable or Interactive Work – Prints, zines, or audience-driven pieces make it easier for venues to say yes.
  5. Network On-Site – Go to openings and late-night bars; spontaneous conversations often lead to display opportunities.

💡 5 Ways to Save Money Making Art in a New City

  1. Tap Local Recycling Spots – Use free cardboard, wood, or packaging as raw materials instead of buying supplies.
  2. Share Studio Corners – Team up with other artists to split the cost of a table, wall, or temporary workshop space.
  3. Swap Skills Instead of Paying – Offer photography, design help, or social media promotion in exchange for space or materials.
  4. Work Small, Show Big – Create small works (sketches, zines, badges) and display them collectively for impact without high costs.
  5. Hunt Free Events & Resources – Libraries, community centres, and festival hubs often provide free Wi-Fi, printers, or walls for posters.

Want to keep your creative spark alive after the festival? Follow this blog for more tips, ideas, and artist spotlights. Every Sunday morning we gather online for #SundayFringe on Twitter — a welcoming space where artists share their work, swap inspiration, and celebrate each other’s creativity. Join us and let your voice be part of the conversation.

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