Are you guilty of faithfully picking up a Fringe programme each year and having a quick flick before deciding to wing it and join the crowds in an aimless wander?

The world's largest arts festival has another packed schedule across 294 venues with 50,266 performances taking place during August.

And that's just the Fringe; we also have the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Edinburgh Art Festival and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo all vying to entertain audiences.

So how do you make sure you make the most of all this on your doorstep?

Like the popular shows, you will quickly realise that tables at good restaurants will be in high demand during August so it is definitely worth getting ahead of the game and getting a table booked if you have a cuisine or budget in mind.

Turning to Edinburgh food reviewers Lunchquest and their creative director, Blythe Robertson offers his insight into what's hot on the Edinburgh foodie scene this August.

Food with a view: Good grub and festival atmosphere

"I tend to be a frequent visitor to Assembly George Square during August, as it offers a really strong range of food stalls and with several performance spaces on-site," Blythe says.

"It's always abuzz with festival atmosphere."

Scottish cuisine: Local and seasonal Scottish food

"The Edinburgh Food Studio is a fantastic purveyor of local Scottish produce," he says. "They are open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with culinary wizards Ben Reade and Sashana Souza Zanella offering a multi-course set menu for £35 which gives you an innovative insight into seasonal ingredients and traditional Scottish recipes.

"On days when the Food Studio isn't open, I really like The Walnut on Croall Place. It has a regularly changing seasonal menu and is BYOB, which is sometimes really handy during the hectic and financially challenging month of August."

Good value: A restaurant that ticks the affordability box

"Edinburgh is packed with really good restaurants and eateries that offer impressive quality and value," Blythe says. "Some of my favourites include The Dogs, Field, Purslane, The Apiary and the Edinburgh Larder."

The food and drink pop-ups of 2016

Grab and go: Fringe street food and quick bites to enjoy

Edinburgh comedian Gareth Waugh is one of the many performers preparing to step into the Fringe limelight for his 2016 show Absolutely Nothing.

Having been on the comedy circuit for six years, the 26-year-old has been through this year's programme with a fine tooth comb to pick out some tips for those visiting the capital with a show genre in mind.

Newcomer comedians worth a watch

Gareth's first pick goes to Glasgow comics Christopher Macarthur-Boyd and Rosco Mclelland.

Both nominated twice for best newcomer at the Scottish Comedy Awards, they take on the Fringe following sell-out show success at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

"They are both very different to each other but both very funny so definitely worth checking out," Gareth says.

Taking on his debut Fringe show Life after Death, Glaswegian Scott Gibson is also on Gareth's watch list, with Frankie Boyle describing the comic as a 'gifted storyteller'.

"Scott Gibson is almost assured to be the next big thing in Scottish Comedy," Gareth says. "It actually doesn't feel right calling him a newcomer, he's that good you forget he hasn't been around long.

"He is a natural, brilliant comedian. "

Fringe classics you don't want to miss

Selling out at eight Edinburgh Fringe stints, Scot Daniel Sloss is already on a good run this year after winning the 2016 Sydney Comedy Festival 'Best of the Fest' International Award.

He is making a return to Edinburgh this August with his new show 'So?'.

"I don't want to wax lyrical about Daniel too much, he doesn't need me to," Gareth says. "He is somehow a Fringe stalwart despite only being in his mid 20s.

"He's been on the Conan O'Brien show in America almost as much as Conan - he's good."

Gareth also singles out another Scot, Mark Nelson, and his show Smiley Face, adding that Mark would be his top pick for the Fringe.

"Mark Nelson is one of the best joke writers around," he says. "He is one of my favourite comics on the circuit. He just seems to do it with ease."

Music matters: A gig worth adding to the list

There is no shortage of music during the month of August although it can be easily overshadowed. Gareth says local band The Rising Souls would be a sound choice for a night out, predicting them as the next big band.

"The Rising souls are an absolutely phenomenal Edinburgh band," he says. "I honestly find it astonishing they haven't hit the big time yet. They are flat out brilliant. This is your chance to see them before they are massive."

The Rising Souls will be playing at Bootleggers Bar on 55 Lothian Street on August 2nd and 13th at 9pm and on August 14th at 8pm.

A curveball choice if you are looking for something a bit different

Sh*** Club - The Downfall of JellyBean Martinez is described by Gareth as "an act like no other", pitching it as a good choice for his curveball option.

"It is utterly engaging, chaotic and brilliant," he says. "Comedy, music, interaction - just go see it."

Free show

Taking part in PBH's Free Fringe programme, Irish comedian Andrew Stanley will be taking time out of his stints on Montreal's Just for Laughs show for the festival.

"He is of the best Irish comedians around just now," Gareth says. "It is absolutely criminal that he's doing a free show - a bargain.

"A master of crowd work, he could get carried away and make that the whole show just that."

Classic Stanley is on every night in August at the Cowgate except for August 19 to August 21.

The capital gets pretty packed during August so working out the best way to travel between shows and how to best dodge the crowds is worth a bit of pre-planning.

If the weather is nice and you have some comfy shoes for the cobbled hills, you can get between most of the central Fringe points on foot as long as you don't mind clocking up the steps.

If you are on a strict Fringe schedule and time is of the essence, a Lothian Bus day pass could be a good bet, with a £4 ticket letting you hop on and off all d ay. It's also worth downloading one of the Edinburgh bus tracker apps to help plan your trip.

If you arrive into the city by train, you can also jump straight onto a bike with Bike & Go bike hire outside Haymarket station and cycle about the city for just £3.80 a day.

If you are looking for something a bit different, you won't have to travel far down the Royal Mile before you come across someone using an ingenious way to promote their show.

But it is not just the people who can pull out the stops with venues vying for some of the attention too.

Show Back of the Bus has turned a double-decker bus into a stage with the audience joining the cast on a bus ride through Edinburgh while dancers propel themselves along the aisles and hang from the roof.

It is a format that seems to be working with the company returning to Edinburgh after sell-out seasons in Australia and New Zealand.

A hairdressers

Functioning as working hairdressers by day, The Ruby Rouge Hair Salon will be turned into a Fringe venue by night with the show Foiled.

Each performance will be played in front of a small audience who will all be seated either in the salon waiting area or in treatment chairs.

A show by the sea

If you want to escape the city for a while, there is another festival called Fringe by the Sea to enjoy in nearby North Berwick. Jump on a bus or train and then watch some shows by the sea between August 8 and 14 .

As soon as the Fringe kicks off, you will be able to get an idea of the shows which are selling out fast on Twitter.

You can also follow the hashtag #pickofthefringe to have a look at people's favourite shows and can never go wrong with a scroll through the #edfringe thread for ideas on the day.

Tickets

There are lots of ways to tackle the Fringe on a budget. Starting with show tickets, the half price hut is always worth a scour if you are passing the Mound Precinct. The offers will start from August 10, with the hut selling half-price tickets on the night before and the day of the performances.

You can also now download the Fringe app and this will tell you what shows to expect on offer that day.

Camping

If you don't mind opting for the outdoors option, Camping Ninja is kitted out for campers at The Royal Highland Centre, with a Fringe venue on site.

As well as the bring your own tent option, you can also choose to travel light if this suits you better with a pre-pitched tent. And this year, they have also introduced a glamping option.

Plan for a picnic

If the unpredictable weather gives way to some summer sunshine, you can save money on food and plan in a picnic to your daily Fringe schedule. The Meadows, Princes Street Gardens and Holyrood Park are all within walking distance of the buzz.

If you have a bit more time, you can always hop on the bus and jump to Portobello Beach.

Marvel at Edinburgh Castle

Following the success of The Harmonium Project, another digital animation will mark the opening of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Called Deep Time, the organisers say a snapshot of 350 million years of Edinburgh history will be projected onto the side of Edinburgh Castle on August 7, with Scottish rock band Mogwai making the soundtrack.

A final grouping of tickets will also be made available on August 6 - worth keeping this in mind if the tickets sell-out fast.

Whatever you do, don't rub Bobby's nose.

Every year, there is a plea to leave the nose of Greyfriars Bobby alone. Every year, the nose of the small statue of the Skye Terrier on George IV Bridge is rubbed, meaning poor Bobby's nose keeps turning to gold.

So if you want to blend in, our advice is to stay clear of this recent tradition.

Watch Edinburgh Festival 2016 weekdays from 5pm on STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh, Freeview 8, Sky 117 and Virgin 159. Or catch-up with the STV Player.