Your first night in edinburgh - getting settled

The posters and flyers in our Edinburgh flat. Wish we were joking.

You're in Edinburgh! Hell yeah! But wait, you might have to carry your crap to your house, return a rental vehicle, and all sorts of other admin before you can sit down with a nice cup of tea and start panicking about your show.

Don't worry; we got this. Here's a short list of things to think about on your first night in Edinburgh. We'll make it quick so that tea's not far away.

• Get keys from the letting agent/landlord. Usually there's an office to pick them up from; have the details on your phone in advance, so you're not frantically Googling.

• If you're driving, try to get another member of the group to pick up keys - this way you can drop off stuff before stashing your car. Be sure to remove everything remotely stealable if parking, as it's going to be sitting for a month. If you've hired a vehicle, unload it first if humanly possible, then take it to the depot. Make sure you return it on time, or you may get fined.

• Get your housemates involved when bringing stuff in. We had a shit-load of stuff (see below), and it was raining. Doing it on your own is brutal.
• Once you're in, check the house for any issues - is anything broken, any cracks anywhere, questionable smells? Make a note of these AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE, so you can't be charged for anything upon leaving.

Just some of the stuff brought in upon arrival.

Make a list of house items you may need to buy. It may include any or all of:

A drying rack (check local charity shops),
Toilet paper,
Salt & pepper,
Bin bags,
Sponges,
Washing up liquid,
Big pot (for group cooking - more on that later),
Olive oil,
Cling film and tin foil,
Bleach,
Jay cloths
Fabric softener / washing powder

• Locate nearest shops for buying food (and cash machines)
• Get teabags and milk (and coffee)
• Once you're in and settled, unpack and sort your room straight away - you’ll feel much more at home and less cluttered.
• Find the wi-fi password (often on the router, or your landlord will have made a note of it) and make sure you can get connected and online. If not, speak to your landlord ASAP, as it will make Edinburgh a damn sight more fiddly if you don’t have wi-fi at home. Write a big note for the fridge.
• If before 5:30pm, get keys cut! You’ll be grateful of this later, and it allows you all independence to do your own thing.
• Pick up your posters / flyers, etc from their drop-off point and leave them in your house / producer’s house to prep for publicity campaign.
• Make a cooking rota - this is great if you’re living with a few people (esp. if you have similar schedules). Give each person a day of the week (depending on numbers you may have to double up), set a budget (£10-15 should do) and stick to it. This’ll be much healthier, and cheaper too. Ritual is important for the Fringe - sitting down with housemates reminds you why you like them, and will help prep / debrief you during a month of shows.

...and breathe. Use the time to have a shower, get some food, sort your home base out, and relax. You’ve got brilliant, exciting, whirlwind ride of a Fringe in front of you. Enjoy the calm before the storm, and prepare to strap in: it’s going to get messy.