Fringe by the Sea

Ten days of comedy, music, books and family fun spill across North Berwick's Lodge Grounds, with a free-to-enter hub — street food, a kids' zone, live music on the Lighthouse Live stage and a proper makers market — that's worth the trip even before you've booked a single ticket. Bigger names in this year's programme sell out fast, but the daytime hub is where you can simply turn up.

Good for a family day trip out from Edinburgh: browse the market, let the kids loose in the free zone, then stay on for an evening show if something in the line-up catches your eye.