See our moo-vellous Fringe programme for 2025!
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Sophie's Surprise 29th
Get in, losers. This is award-winning circus, comedy and chaos disguised as a house party, featuring world-leading performers from Cirque du Soleil, La Clique, The 7 Fingers and more. Sophie’s Surprise 29th is stumbling back to Circus Hub after a smash-hit season in 2024. Expect Twilight fan fiction, death-defying circus feats and a pumping soundtrack at the craziest party of your life. Get your Walkmans, scrunchies and halter tops ready, and remember... don’t tell Sophie.
BATSU! George Square
Edinburgh, are you ready? Warriors, are you ready? Created in New York and Chicago, BATSU! returns to the Fringe after a wildly successful, sold-out 2024 run. This high-energy, spectacle pits fearless comedians against each other as they compete to avoid hilarious, jaw-dropping punishments. Inspired by Japanese-style game shows, expect the unexpected in this late-night Fringe hit. With visits from Sake Ninjas to shocking twists like paintball guns, electric shocks, and even a giant chicken - don’t miss the chaos, the laughter and the unforgettable madness that is BATSU! - The wildest show at the Fringe! CLICK HERE for more BATSU! shows in Cowgate!
Drunk Women Solving Crime
After sell-out runs in 2019, 2022 and 2023, hosts Hannah George and Taylor Glenn welcome a guest to "solve" a crime over a glass or two, plus invite an audience member to share their own tale for a prize. Past guests include: Katherine Ryan, London Hughes, Rosie Jones and James Acaster. Every show is unique. 10 dates only, book early!
Kate Owens: Cooking with Kathryn
Award-winning comedian Kate Owens presents her smash hit, critically acclaimed comedy show. Meet Kathryn: the "star" of her own community cookin' show, wannabe Nigella Lawson, and down-home southern belle with more wine in her veins than Jesus. She's serving up a wacked-out fricassee of absurd recipes, but the main course will be a reckoning with her troubled past and a chaotic encounter with a member of the congregation (maybe it'll be you!). Arin Sang-urai @photojuice
Killian Sundermann: This Boy is Cracking Up
Killian Sundermann always dreamed of being a rock star. Though his shower renditions of Bohemian Rhapsody haven't quite catapulted him to fame, his comedic talent certainly has. Join him as he takes his sold-out Irish tour show to the Fringe. With rave reviews, Sundermann has gained recognition across platforms, including appearances on RTÉ, Virgin Media Ireland and the Young Hot Guys Podcast. He also boasts a massive following of over half a million online fans.
Su Mi: THISMOTHERPHUCKER
THISMOTHERPHUCKER is a public nuisance. A dysfunctional anti-clown whose only mission is to destroy ego. Award-winning stand-up and drag performance artist Su Mi presents their debut show: an immersive surreal experience resurrecting every nostalgic moment left forgotten, healing the inner child and seeking to destroy archaic stereotypes and challenge the narrative of comedy whilst navigating a predominantly white cis space. BBC New Comedian of the Year nominee, finalist of Funny Women Awards and Musical Comedy Awards, and Top of the Slops drag superstar.
Ways of Knowing
Behold! A council of leeches, a mystic hermit, a Victorian inventor, an economics conference, a dark and dripping cave. Uncovering a mysterious series of visions and omens, Ways of Knowing delves into the ways we predict and prophesy the future. Amidst an intricate system of choreography, found text and live sound, Emergency Chorus wield science and magic to reckon with our precarious present and enter into the unknown. Winner of the Untapped Award, Ways of Knowing follows Emergency Chorus's previous acclaimed shows Landscape (1989) and CELEBRATION.
Adam Kay - A Particularly Nasty Case
Join BAFTA-winning writer Adam Kay for a murderously funny evening as he launches his debut novel A Particularly Nasty Case. Expect: hilarious and horrifying anecdotes, a surgical dissection of the NHS, a Q&A where you get to ask your own questions / show Adam your rash and readings from his brand new, hugely anticipated medical mystery. Hosted by Scottish crime-writing legend Val McDermid. Ticket price includes a signed copy of the book (RRP £20) a week ahead of its release. This is your best chance of seeing a doctor before Christmas.
Vittorio Angelone: you can't Say Nothing any more
Vittorio Angelone has always denied any involvement in the Edinburgh Fringe.
Bennet Kavanagh: Crank Up the Volume!! (To a Reasonable Volume)
As seen and heard on ITV, BBC Radio5Live and BBC Radio 4, multi award-winning musical comedian Bennet Kavanagh brings his 'unique and charmingly chaotic' (TheReviewsHub.com) brand of musical comedy to the Fringe for his debut hour! Expect songs, stand-up and whatever happens when you combine those two things. Winner of Bath Comedy Festival New Act of the Year. Winner of Amused Moose People's Champion. Directed by Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominee Huge Davies.
FLIP Fabrique: Six °
Five individuals who do not know each other receive a mysterious invitation that leads them, on a stormy night, to an old, abandoned building deep in the forest. These visitors will discover that this house has a soul and a personality all of its own. Dive into this astonishing acrobatic comedy by FLIP Fabrique, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and ingenuity is always at play! On this planet, we are within six degrees of separation from knowing everyone. And since there are only five on stage, it makes you wonder: could the missing connection be you?
Holly Spillar: Tall Child
Tall Child is an hour on the impossibilities of being alive right now. In this age of insecurity, in a cost-of-living crisis, we're all stuck in the shit so let's wade through it together. Armed with nothing but a little red loop pedal and her ever-growing rage, Holly Spillar is looking for the catharsis only art (made by low-income people, working two bad jobs on minimum wage) can provide.
Ted Hill: Weird in Progress
Ted Hill is a multimedia comedian who has just found out that he is weird. Come and watch him work out some new material about what sort of weirdo he wants to be. Nominated for Best Show – 2024 ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards. British Comedy Guide Recommended Show 2022 and 2024.
The Flying Bubble Show
Dive into a magical world where dreams and reality blur in a breathtaking fusion of bubble magic and aerial flight. Maxwell the Bubbleologist soars above the stage, creating millions of shimmering bubbles with every leap and twirl. This dazzling spectacle captivates children and adults alike, with interactive moments, joyous laughter and awe-inspiring visuals. It's the perfect family outing – playful, poetic and filled with wonder. After the show, the enchantment continues as children chase and pop bubbles outside, carrying the magic into the air. A heart-opening experience that will leave audiences smiling long after.
The Nose Dive Assembly
In Nose Dive Assembly we meet Pierrot, the distracted mistress of ceremonies, who is meant to be running the show – but she can’t focus. The circus swirls around her, yet something’s holding her back. While the troupe take to the skies, she’s stuck on the ground. She yearns to fly. Featuring a range of large-scale contemporary circus disciplines including teeterboard, highwire and the Wheel of Death – a huge rotating apparatus described as 'hypnotic to watch... when momentum builds, it’s as if the person reaching the summit has a moment of zero gravity' (Guardian).
The Ugly Duckling
It was a bright and sunny day at the circus when the Ugly Duckling waddled up to their trapeze... Wait. Are we really still using the word 'ugly'? Aren't we rewriting this story to be about belonging and celebrating difference? A reimagining of the classic coming-of-age tale with an acrobatic twist! Bringing together the best of circus and storytelling to produce an energetic and hilarious yet heartwarming family-friendly experience focusing on celebrating difference and finding your tribe.
An Evening with Dame Granny Smith
The world's most celebrated apple returns for an intimate on-stage conversation. From her vaudeville debut at age five to her breakthrough role in Disney's Snow White, Dame Smith will take you on a journey through her storied life and career, all told with her trademark candour and wit. Warm, funny, uplifting, absurd and 'a show you'll remember for many years to come' (GlamAdelaide.com.au). Winner – Best Variety, Adelaide Fringe 2025.
DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY
DESPERATE WEE GAY BOY dives headfirst into the whirlwind life of Ollie, a chaotic but lovable Scot navigating London's queer nightlife. From tequila-fuelled dance floors to messy encounters with geezers on Grindr, to the high school crush he ached to get with, to Phil Mitchell in a sauna? How iconic can one gay boy be! Join Ollie on a sexy-ass odyssey of a night out in this not-so one-man show exploring what it means to crave connection in a world of fleeting thrills.
DeliaDelia! The Flat Chested Witch!
'Particularly funny' (Vulture.com), Amando Houser invites you to their unhinged clown hour of self-discovery. Inspired by the "witch hunt" on trans rights in the United States, DeliaDelia happens to be as nasty on the eyes as she is on the basketball court. On a quest to become a "real girl" and also join a human basketball team, will she finally get her shot at greatness or will she be cursed forever? Directed by Kedian Keohan. Produced by Beth Sitek.
Late with Pear
Pear are 6 foot 7 identical twin comedians Hugo and Patrick McPherson. In 2024, their show was named in the Top Ten Best Reviewed Shows of the Edinburgh Fringe, garnering ten five-star reviews while selling out a third consecutive year at the festival. Now, they add Late With Pear: a riotous, out-of-control, late-night extravaganza which promises mayhem, comedy guests and all the jokes they can only tell under the cover of night.
"Be Good!" with Paulette
Paulette stumbles into a theatre full of the most people he's ever seen, and he doesn't know whether to panic or mingle. Sporting a brown sweater and a hot-off-the-fist black eye, he approaches the stage armed with nothing but an arsenal of pleasantries, a pocketful of charm and a monumental fear of rejection. American clown Daniel Maseda makes his solo debut with this evening of small talk madness that can't help but be different every night. One thing's for certain: this show is for anyone who wants to scream at a polite person.
Del Valle: A True Tale of Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll... and Redemption
A drug-addled actor finds himself locked up in Del Valle – a Texas state prison – where the junior Grand Dragon of the Aryan Brotherhood recognizes him from his appearances on All My Children and offers him protection in exchange for acting lessons... A journey of survival, sobriety, and the power of art. You couldn't make this shit up if you tried. Del Valle: A Tale of Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll... and Redemption. Performed and written by Ned Van Zandt. Directed by Amir Arison.
Tim Reeves: Give This A Miss
2024 Malcolm Hardee Award-nominated stand-up Tim Reeves reluctantly brings a new hour of surreal nonsense about hairdresser secrets, ambulances and egg. Runner-Up: Best Alt Act - 2024 Late Stage Leicester Comedy Awards.
Will BF: MOON TEAM IIIV
Hang onto your space hats (technical term) for a surreal sketch comedy odyssey through the best worst film never made. Join award-winning comedian and reigning UK Pun Champion (yes really) Will BF for a 'brilliant, bonkers and totally Fringe' (BruceOnTheFringe.blog), hour of sketches, songs, live video games and sci-fi multimedia havoc. Award-nominated at the Leicester Comedy Festival, Buxton Fringe and Brighton Fringe. The Telegraph Best Jokes of the Fringe 2023 and 2024.