The Edinburgh Fringe festival is every theatre-goers' dream. That's what I kept repeating to myself during the first show I saw, a 'one-man cabaret' at 1am in which a middle aged man unexpectedly disrobed amid strobe lighting and white noise. It was a disaster, and consequently we chose shows a little more conservatively and with a lot more trepidation.

The weird and wonderful is a defining feature of the Fringe festival. Its popularity has for years sidelined the official Festival - there are around 2,500 shows (excluding the free fringe, which is free for good reason). Such is the disparate array of the fare on offer that you can throw any adjective at the Fringe and it will stick to something: enthralling, rapturous, cheesy, terrible, everything's on offer – if you can find it.

There were some particular highlights. In After The End by British playwright Dennis Kelly, two actors struggle with the new realities of what appears to be life in a post-apocalyptic bunker, providing a dark exploration of power and sexual relations when everything has changed.There was a highly visible Cantabrigian presence as Cambridge shows blockaded the Royal Mile and Footlights President Phil Wang's face was plastered over seemingly every bill board. It was impossible to see many of the pieces, but some merit a special mention – The Curse of Macbeth was superbly directed and visually striking with a horror film aesthetic. Footlight Ahir Shah showcased his skills, delivering a highly-honed and hilariously confrontational set about his identity. Babushka was beautiful and affecting.

During the festival the city overflows with people, leaflets overspill from bins to clog the drains and street performers defy gravity on every corner. A restless, energizing atmosphere arises from being in a city where there's always something to see and not enough time to see it in; while you're there you can ignore the rain and not sleep.

And of course there are disappointments: Abi Titmuss delivering drivel in an accent so stilted it was ten foot high, a few dodgy kebabs and some racist sub-comedians. But the overwhelming feeling Edinburgh left me with was deep appreciation for the many dedicated creatives who set up shop for a few weeks each year knowing they'll lose money, hoping only to entertain, amuse or inspire. And perhaps for a job on TV.