1. Tam Dean Burn, actor

Anyone who is having a festival moment and wants a relaxing and contemplative interlude should do their best to grab the table outside Henricks Bar on Barclay Place. It's a gorgeous little spot, 50 yards from the King's Theatre and 15 minutes' walk from Princes Street. It used to be the Belfry Bar, but has been refurbished. Get yourself a bottle of wine and enjoy. Just down the road in Leven St is a butcher's shop called John Saunderson, which does free samples of Scottish strawberry wine at 13.5% proof, which is beautiful (you can buy a bottle for £5.95). And when the sun is shining, head over to The Meadows and grab a seat outside the homespun café there called The Pavillion, which has great coffee and toys for the kids.

· Tam Dean Burn stars in Venus As A Boy at Traverse 2

2. Jarkko Lehmus, Scottish Ballet

After pounding the stage of the Playhouse or Edinburgh Festival Theatre, my colleagues and I head down to Broughton St, where the glowing purple and neon lights of Cafe Piccante attract the best after-party crowd in the city. This is the funkiest chippie in Scotland, and the menu is as strange and wonderful as the venue, with such house specialities as fried Snickers and Mars Bars - the latter of which I always opt for - served with a portion of the best chips in Scotland, and a cold beer.

Come a certain point of the night, the owners have been known to crack open the decks, with DJs, glitter balls and even smoke machines, making it a truly surreal but must-do experience. My only complaint is that the tables are not quite big enough to dance on!"

· The Scottish Ballet is performing at The Playhouse on August 18, 19 and 20, featuring the world premiere of Stephen Petronio's Ride The Beast, set to a Radiohead soundtrack

3. Martin Cousin, pianist

Oloroso at 33 Castle Street is a great place to chill out after a show. Inside has a light, contemporary feel, but the best place to be is on its roof terrace, which provides incredible views over the Firth of Forth and Edinburgh Castle. The menu is international and varied, although there's usually a curry of the day as the place is owned by a local Sikh. If the restaurant is busy during the festival period, the bar also does great food, plus you can order a to-die-for cocktail while you wait.

· Martin Cousin is performing at Over-Seas House, Princes St, August 21, 22 and 23

4. Emma Pollock, singer, songwriter and guitarist

The Jolly Judge on James Court, Lawnmarket, is a beautiful old place, with an oak-beam ceiling, log fire and board games behind the bar. I'm a board game fanatic, even though I always lose, so this is the place for a perfect evening out for me. Also, walking from the Scottish Parliament through Holyrood Park to Arthur's Seat is the ideal way for any visitor to appreciate the city and its architecture.

· Emma is performing at Cabaret Voltaire on August 10 for the Fringe festival

5. Craig Grant, singer in Union of Knives

Getting good food on tour is not always an easy thing but luckily Cabaret Voltaire is across the street from the City Café (19 Blair St), which I think of fondly as "the Nice 'n Sleazy of Edinburgh". It has gourmet burgers, excellent service, cheap, good-quality beers, a nice atmosphere and hot bar staff - if it had a killer jukebox, it'd be THE bar and diner in Scotland.

The Basement on Broughton St offers novelty Hawaiian shirts, great decor, and almost has a Big Lebowski vibe going for it. I was drawn to the tuna steak with lime and chillied sweet potato, and it did not disappoint - it was incredible, and very reasonably priced.

· Union of Knives play Cabaret Voltaire for the Fringe on August 18

6. Madeline and Tina Warren, Twinset & Twirls

We'll be visiting our favourite little food take-away this August - The Baked Potato. It serves healthy, tasty, cheap and interesting food (not just baked potatoes), and it just happens to be vegetarian and vegan. It is also bang in the middle of all the Fringe excitement at the top of Cockburn St, which is full of other interesting independent shops. It is well worth waiting in the inevitably long queues that form outside this friendly place.

· Twinset & Twirls, are performing at Club Noir on Saturday 18 August

7. Sarah Stevenson, book keeper, Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Sheep Heid is probably one of Edinburgh's best-kept secrets. It's a good walk round – or over – Arthur's Seat (unless you prefer to catch the No 42 bus from Hanover St) and is located in the village of Duddingston. The atmosphere is fabulous and they serve up great food. Folk have been playing skittles here since the 16th century, and it is reputed to be the oldest working skittle alley in the world. The current alley was built in 1882 on the site of the old stable block.

8. Gemma Arrowsmith, starring in Field Study

Elephant House on George IV Bridge has the best bagels in town. They do super cakes and excellent coffee. You are surrounded by elephant images in the form of hundreds of ornaments, along with many additional drawings people have added along the wall.

9. Jess Ransom, starring in Field Study

I love going to Favorit on Teviot Place to drink milkshakes and eat cake into the night. When it's 2am and you can't face another bag of chips, Favorit can dish up gourmet sandwiches, a pint of Stella or even a bowl of ice-cream. It is a cool place to round off the night and is usually free of the chaos which has swamped most places post-midnight.

· Field Study, a comedy sketch, is showing at Pleasance Courtyard, until August 27 (except 13th)

10. Brendan Hunt, comedian, Five Years in Amsterdam

There's nothing better than dancing at Late 'n' Live at the Teviot, especially as it usually hosts great bands you have never heard of. A few years ago, I saw The Cat Empire who is now the biggest band in Australia, for what that's worth. It goes until 5am and it is just the best release for festival tension there is. On past visits, I always used to love a kebab shop called Marmaris on Clerk Street. It has now been expanded into a kebab emporium. For a Yank a kebab shop is never boring, it is a fascinating piece of local culture.

·Five Years in Amsterdam is on at the Pleasance Dome, until August 27

· For more information on the Edinburgh summer festivals log on to visitscotland.com/liveit