Assembly Festival has rounded off its Edinburgh Festival Fringe announcements with over 65 new shows added, meaning 2026’s programme will welcome over 200 shows from 5 – 31 August. Comedy legends Frank Skinner, Mark Steel and Julian Clary present solo shows, ‘Afrique en Cirque’ returns for showstopping acrobatics, ‘NDLOVU’ brings global music to Edinburgh,  as well as ‘Superbowl Salsa’ featuring dancers from half-time shows including Bad Bunny, Shakira, plus ‘Scaramouche Jones’ returns for a 25th anniversary celebration reuniting Justin Butcher and Guy Masterson for the first time in 13 years. 

 

Legends of the comedy scene will take up residence, as Frank Skinner, 30 years into his career as one of the UK’s most successful stand-ups, invites audiences to enjoy his success and struggles in his new Work-in-Progress. Comedian and actor Julian Clary premieres ‘Fully Dilated’, a show detailing his traumas and secrets living life as a self-proclaimed ‘renowned homosexual’ whilst festival favourite Vittorio Angelone revives his acclaimed show ‘you can’t Say Nothing anymore’ for three nights only.

 

Lizzy Hoo, winner of the 2026 Pinder Prize in association with Melbourne International Comedy Festival, will be supported to bring her hit show ‘Says Hoo’ to Fringe, plus Melbourne’s winner of Most Outstanding Show Celia Pacquola also joins the bill. Picking up 2025’s Best Newcomer in Melbourne, Noah Szto makes his Edinburgh debut with ‘Med School’ as he guides his audience through the many mishaps he has faced to become a qualified doctor, even featuring a minor medical procedure onstage.  

 

BBC Radio 4’s Mark Steel asks ‘What The F*** Is Going On?’ as he transfers his radio show format to the Fringe, in a stand-up show about the general state of the world whilst Scottish star Gail Porter debuts new show ‘Portergeist’ in her hometown, as the TV star goes full ‘Gail Force’ and explains how her infectious lust for life has kept her going through it all, from fame to homelessness and ghosthunting! 

 

Ben Pope welcomes two all-star comedians to his new book club and as heard on BBC Radio 4, Pierre Novellie will perform his best bits from the last decade of his Fringe stand-up shows. Guaranteed laughs from one of the UK’s most acclaimed live acts.

 

‘Crowd Work’ sees three comedians take on whatever the audience throws at them, following a successful debut at Leicester Square Theatre earlier this year. Also joining the programme, Funny Women’s ‘The Glitter Challenge’ supports The Glitter Project, running events for female and non-binary comedy performers, writers and creators. 

An enchanting fusion of dance, physical theatre, circus, acrobats and storytelling, hit show ‘Afrique en Cirque’ returns to entertain all the family this August. Inspired by life in Guinea, the five-star reviewed show is a guaranteed hit from this multi-talented troupe. 

 

With sold out performances and a number one album in South Africa, ‘NDLOVU’ sees the Edinburgh Fringe debut of the NDLOVU Youth Choir in a high-energy spectacle blending African music, choreography and global hits for a vibrant, family-friendly hour. 

 

‘Superbowl Salsa’ is a high-energy dance spectacular, featuring dancers from the most iconic half-time show in the world as they make their Fringe debut. With a soundtrack from Bad Bunny, Shakira, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce and more – the show will have the audience out of their seats with their stunning acrobatic salsa.

 

In theatre, Ireland’s national sport takes centre stage in the UK premiere of ‘Ham Sandwiches and Discipline’ as GAA fuses with dance, disco and comedy in this exploration of what shapes Irish national identity. With three award nominations at Dublin Fringe, this multi-faceted dance performance encompasses mammies sideline screaming, manic pundits, Taytos in Croke Park and teenage social clubs.  

‘Scaramouche Jones’ celebrates its 25th anniversary by reuniting writer/performer Justin Butcher with acclaimed Olivier award-winning director Guy Masterson. The story follows Centenarian clown Scaramouche and his odyssey through the 20th century’s darkest periods in a timeless tale which feels more relevant than ever today as the clown takes on crumbling empires, comic misadventures, love, brutality and more. 

 

Guy Masterson directs the debut of new comedy play ‘Ludwig: Unfinished Business’ and, coming from the team behind Baby Wants Candy is, ‘Grimm AF’ a dark new musical about victims, villains, and who really gets to write the endings. Plus, Fringe First winners Lynda Radley and Pepperdine Scotland present a new play exploring a future where the few live longer than the many, ‘Lifelong’.

One of Ireland’s most celebrated writers, actors and directors, Seamus O’Rourke adapts ‘Love Hungry Farmer’ in the starring role as the wistful, blundering, romantic character of John Bosco McLaine. Originally written by John B.Keane, ranked amongst the greatest Irish writers, the story follows the protagonist in his quest for a companion and all the laughter and love in between. 

 

Masters of magic ‘Siegfried & Joy’ bring Vegas to the capital for two nights only with sleight-of-hand spectacle and brilliant comedy, plus Australian award-winning cabaret performer Millicent Sarre picked up the Frank Ford Award in Adelaide with her fresh musical comedy. An antidote to the world’s collective weariness, the show examines how hard it is to be a human in 2026 soundtracked by Sarre’s poignant social commentary, powerhouse vocals and original music.

 

Homegrown talent is on full display in ‘Raft of the Crab’, part of the Made in Scotland showcase, as Ninon Noiret performs her striking true story of her experience with Cancer and her journey to recover told through puppetry, contemporary dance and gravity-defying stunts. In new Scottish writing, Corinne Salisbury presents ‘SLAYERS’, a story following a single mother and survivor of abuse trying to protect her daughter from the world.

 

Fringe faves ‘Otto & Astrid’ return with their musical comedy act, whilst Lebanese-Palestinian American Sammy Obeid, known for breaking a world record of performing comedy for 1001 nights in a row, will perform ‘Sammy KO’ in the Gordon Aikman Theatre. 

 

Assembly’s programme will welcome these new acts alongside Stamptown, Susie McCabe, Hot Dub Time Machine, Jason Byrne, David O’Doherty, ‘Krapp’s Last Tale’, ‘Ten Thousand Hours’, ‘Swamplesque’ and more in Assembly’s 2026 Fringe programme. 

 

Marking the Edinburgh company’s 45th season at the world’s biggest arts festival, Assembly will return to six venue hubs with genre-spanning shows featuring international and homegrown acts from 05 – 31 August 2026. Assembly will operate across: George Square Gardens, Assembly Rooms, Assembly Hall, Assembly Roxy and Dance Base, plus Shedinburgh takes over Checkpoint in a new partnership for 2026.