The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has launched the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme today. This year’s programme celebrates the diverse range of creativity at the Fringe and includes work from 71 countries – reinforcing the Fringe’s place within the world’s cultural landscape, with performers hailing from around the globe.
The programme features 3,649 shows across 258 venues, making up 53,884 performances, with themes tackling some of the most topical issues being discussed in the world today. Prominent themes include artificial intelligence, cults, the manosphere, identity crisis, social class, Y2K nostalgia, the state of the world and resilience and hope.
Launching the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: 'Programme launch is an exciting moment for everyone involved in making the Festival Fringe happen. Thank you to the artists, venues, producers, technicians, promoters, support staff and audiences that bring their unique creative lens and exceptional energy to Edinburgh each August.
‘Within the number of productions registering this year, we’ve seen a notable increase in artist registrations from overseas. This tells us that, despite the economic and political headwinds the world is facing, the Fringe continues to be relevant and important to our artists, and taking part marks, for them, a significant moment and investment in their careers.
‘This year’s Fringe programme is packed with every kind of performance. So, we’re asking audiences to mix it up and explore the unique, creative performances available at this Fringe. From theatre or circus, or the best of comedy, music, dance, children’s shows, magic or cabaret, there is something for everyone in Edinburgh this August.’
Key themes and sections:
New and interesting venues at Fringe 2026
Thanks to Fringe Society supporters and partners
In Cabaret and Variety at theSpaceUK, Confirmation Sponsor Variety Hour presents 'the best damn talent show ever' that is 'sponsored by God.' Head to artSpace@St Marks for a Piano Recital of Dvořák's Suite, with 'much variety and richness.'show
In Dance and Physical Theatre, Korean Tightrope Walking explores the 'edge of balance and freedom' through the traditional theatrical form of jultagi at Meeting Point at the Meadows.
There are a range of new shows at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. In Children's Shows, Romeo and Juliet for Bairns portrays 'an immersive, theatrical, comical version of the love story of Romeo and Juliet' just for children. Exhibition: Craigmillar Tapestry showcases 'a community initiative to create a series of tapestry panels representing the rich history of Craigmillar.' The Scottish Storytelling Centre also presents Spoken Word performances such as Traditional Tales, which explores 'folk tales, fairie tales, myths and legends, stories which have been handed down to inspire and entertain across generations.'
In theatre, the Scottish Storytelling Centre's Irrational explores the balance between mathematics and storytelling to 'reflect on the role of mathematics in Western culture.' In Marjolein Robertson: Shetland Folklore at Traverse, Robertson takes audiences 'across the sea to the UK’s most northerly isles for an hour of immersive tales.' Meanwhile, over at theSpaceUK, Until Hope Fades Away 'follows Ali, a young man anxiously waiting at an old harbour for the return of his father.'
At Pleasance, Copycat features Fringe First winner Joe Sellman-Leava as he explores whether 'AI spells the end of humanity, or a dawn of a new utopia?' At Hoots, Australian freestyle comedian Stian Macshane challenges a custom-built AI controlled entirely by the audience to a fully improvised rap challenge in RapGPT: Macshane.
Head to Assembly for An Echo in the Void, 'a darkly funny, emotionally charged chamber thriller' about four strangers who must choose between a painful reality and a perfect world designed by AI.
At Just the Tonic, Improbotics Presents: Artificial Reality, letting ‘audiences become producers of a reality show... Because of budget cuts, "celebrities" are recreated using questionable artificial reality methods (deep fakes, video generation and AR glasses to send lines from a chatbot to control the "celebrity").’
‘Can you create a new and exciting innovative business and still be ethical?... The Provocateurs: Ethical Innovators? / Satellites Destroy Privacy at The Stand Comedy Club explores if new ideas and technologies – including AI – can still be ethical and inclusive’. Over at Venue 13, 'step into an intimate, immersive campfire where mythical forces of nature meet in the shadow of a changing world. Once again guided by AI database, Symbiolene, as she conjures figures from her past: The Green Man, Brigid and the Cailleach’ in AI Campfire (return).
At Laughing Horse, The Buddha Wears Prada is 'a dark stand-up comedy hour about Sofia May's experience as a former member of a Buddhist cult's inner circle.' All Religions Explained – The Cabaret Musical is ‘a piano-pounding cabaret musical celebrating faith and the human comedy of belief’ at PBH's Free Fringe.
Taking place at Gilded Balloon, Brit Barron: CHURCH explores stand-up, storytelling and gospel music about Barron's experience as a former megachurch pastor. Meanwhile, Prophets from Fringe First-winning writer Jack MacGregor is at Assembly, travelling to Saint John to research the 'dangerous theology of the cult' that has taken over.
At Laughing Horse, Eat Pray Cult is ' a stand-up comedy about getting divorced and joining a cult' in a 'seasonal, off-grid, techo-futurist protopia and decentralized intentional community’.
Sex, Drugs and Conscious Souls at PBH's Free Fringe explores the unlikely love story built upon polyamorous throuples between a pastor and a prostitute. It focuses upon 'healing from religious trauma and mental illness while exploring society's stigmas around sex, drugs and new age consciousness.'
Audiences can also join Jonas and Sylas, who tell their experiences of escaping a cult in Oh My Jehovah! at Hoots.
At Pleasance, MAN!FEST: The Drag Boyband Musical is the 'riotous drag musical that exposes toxic masculinity and its effect on boybands and fangirls.'
At Monkey Barrel Comedy, Finlay Christie: Champagne Casanova provides an hour of stand-up discussing 'the myths constructed by incels, billionaires and even human people, that mean we don’t have to admit we’re ordinary, rejected or wrong. There’s also a strong section on air fryers.' Alice Fraser: Oh Man! is also at Monkey Barrel Comedy, with some 'stuff to say' about masculinity, featuring ‘a sentient Roomba and some Ancient Greek philosophy’.
In Aideen McQueen: Wo-Manosphere at Gilded Balloon, McQueen 'finally understands dating, boundaries, attachment and the male loneliness epidemic' in a stand-up show exploring masculinity and female delusion.
Explore a single mother's 'real-world encounter with the Manosphere that stokes her rage' in SLAYERS by Corinne Salisbury at Assembly. Also, No Hard Felix follows Felix as his 'chaotic quest to "fix" himself spirals into an accidental journey into vulnerability and the scared parts of himself he's spent a lifetime avoiding' at Just The Tonic.
Over at Greenside, Shinjuku follows a woman’s unfinished business in a 'darkly funny exploration of women’s choices in a man’s world.'
In Extraordinary Alien at Le Monde, a Jewish actress and mum new to New York must prove she’s exceptional in a stand-up about 'ambition, impostor syndrome and never quite fitting in.' In Why English?, an Indian woman ‘questions her life in the post-colonial era’ through physical theatre at Assembly.
At Greenside, Chloe Campbell Bites Back explores Campbell's move from County Down to London and tackles her Irish/British identity. Also at Greenside, Abby tells the story of her 'immaculate-conception-adjacent origin story' featuring 'gay divorce, coming out as straight, OCD, Jewishness and Germans who fetishise it, and career heartache' in Most of My Moms Are Gay.
Former astrophysics researcher Rao explores being 'a brown Australian navigating family expectations, creative work and burnout in a confusing world, whilst clinging to a sense of joy' in How Now Brown Rao at Laughing Horse.
Tap Out! (Or I'll Hit You Again) at Gilded Balloon is a 'dramedy story about violence, masculinity and morality; an examination of identity, purpose and male loneliness.' Lance Mao: The Pig with the Dragon Tattoo at Hoots offers 'a dark confessional hour about racism, mental health, fear, and embracing your crazy' as 'a perpetual foreigner'
'Expect class clashes, romantic disasters and the familiar feeling of trying to do the right thing, and rarely succeeding' in Gareth Mutch Means Well at The Stand Comedy Club. Follow a portrayal of ambition, social mobility and culture shock featuring 'pink shell suits, Playboy garms, and Britpop’s parting cries' in comedy Giro Baby at Greenside.
Drag performance I AM JOHNNY explores the 'fragile power dynamics, performative masculinity and ownership of the female body' at Summerhall.
Irene Cleans Up tells the story of an unlikely partnership between a London cleaner and a successful competitive sommelier, exploring reinvention, friendship and the ‘courage to redefine yourself’ at Paradise Green.
haim. teeth. CLUB. explores the story of a 'working class Scottish young woman at the centre of her own narrative – as a living, breathing, contradictory person' at Underbelly.
At Pleasance, Emmeline Downie: Gail 'gives a voice to the voiceless: vivacious middle-aged women from Milton Keynes’.
A&E at theSpaceUK 'invites the audience to sit in the A&E waiting room and participate in humanity’s favourite activity: voyeurism' while meeting hospital regulars.
At Pleasance, Cecily Hitchcock: Family Recipe dives into '00s Britain where 'Blair and Brown played in her child mind like a Greek tragedy’.
They're Just Small Town (Northern) Lads at Summerhall explores boyhood, masculinity and the moments young boys must decide what kind of men they will become in a Northern UK working-class town in 2000.
At Underbelly, Saving Britney, inspired by the #FreeBritney movement, returns to the Fringe to explore how the princess of pop, Britney Spears, influenced millennials' lives and led to 'an unbelievable moment of self-discovery.' Over at Laughing Horse, 00s Throwback Party explores Noughties' iconography of 'Fad diets. Flip phones. MySpace. MSN.’ through a multimedia performance.
YUCK Circus: Naughties is celebrating a decade not to be forgotten, featuring 'high-flying acrobatics, comedy and absolute bangers' at Assembly. Based on the film, Brassed Off shows 'the value of solidarity and friendship and the power of music' at Inverleith St Serf's Church Centre.
We Were Young is at theSpaceUK, telling 'a powerful and hilarious story about the realities of gang culture and young team mentality in Glasgow during the 90s'.
In Broken Planet Show at Just the Tonic, 'comedy, circus and indie cosmic lunacy collide in an ever-changing nightly riot of world-class weirdos, hellbent on healing our planetary divide.' Also at Just the Tonic, Meka Mo uses New York as a lens to comedically explore the multicultural world in 'an age of political chaos and cultural contradiction’ in New York City Dreams.
Lorraine Hoodless: Mean at PBH's Free Fringe tells Hoodless' account of 'burnout, billionaires, consumer guilt, the myth of meritocracy, and the slow collapse of society.' The Last Funny Woman at PBH's Free Fringe features Kate, who thinks 'it is time to burn [the world] down.'
Political comedian Matt Forde 'embarks on finding joy amid global political turmoil, the rising tide of populism and his own ongoing health challenges' in Matt Forde: Project Holy Moly at Pleasance.
At Paradise Green, The Pod is a comedy play about grief, the state of the world and the importance of human connection, as Kaia and Adam move to a 'doomsday bunker that might jettison into space when the world ends in eight minutes and 19 seconds’.
Will Adamsdale tell his robo-bromance about finally embracing his old enemy technology in Will Adamsdale: AI, AI, Oh... (Or How I Wrote a Hit Sitcom with ChatGPT But We're Not Talking Now) at Underbelly.
Part of the Made in Scotland showcase, FLOWERCORE by Siobhan Wilson at The Gilded Saloon is a celebration of 'preservation, belonging and resilience through music and immersive imagery featuring flower videography and flower art by Scottish artists’.
In his first show in 25 years, Bruce Devlin: Mummy Loves M&S at The Stand Comedy Club explores 'the four Ds: death, dyslexia, divorce and Dundee', as well as the need for resilience and the power of laughter in the face of life’s challenges.
At the Ukrainian Community Centre, the Solo Way Ukrainian Choir 'connects audiences to the passion, resilience and joy of Ukrainian music.' At the Scottish Storytelling Centre, The Dark Pool explores 'disability and resilience in the face of trauma and societal expectations’.
Jessies at theSpaceUK ‘dives into the highs and lows of queer life' between 1980 and 1995 for 'three unforgettable drag queens.' Also at theSpaceUK, A Forgotten Woman: Mrs Oscar Wilde explores Constance Lloyd's life 'told through letter excerpts written in her own hand' which reveal her 'wit to rival Oscar [Wilde's]’.
At The Speakeasy at The Royal Scots Club, Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, a 'multi-generational company of Edinburgh-based women, perform four of Alan Bennett’s iconic Talking Heads monologues' exploring loneliness, desperation and resilience through humour.
New and interesting venues at Fringe 2026
Gilded Balloon Teviot reopens for the Fringe after being closed for renovations since September 2023, featuring Brit Barron: CHURCH, Fab Goualin: Mixed Messages, Aideen McQueen: Wo-Manosphere and many more.
Sauna Theatre @ Summerhall is a working sauna and will feature shows such as Morning Sauna Rave, Mysteries of the Picts and Bubble Schmeisis (Remixed). Sauna Theatre will be a hub for relaxing and recharging, as well as experiencing choreography and storytelling through traditional sauna rituals.
Brown’s of Leith is hosting a ‘site-specific adaption of Andrew O’Hagan’s best-selling novel’ Mayflies, part of the Made in Scotland showcase, within Leith’s unique Victorian engineering works.
Pianodrome’s new, second location at St Oswalds shares ‘the world's first amphitheatre made entirely from disused pianos’ which will feature free shows, evening events and workshops such as Golden Beryl: Special Oblivion, Piano Dismantling Action and Vroni's Streetpiano Party.
Thanks to Fringe Society supporters and partners
The Fringe Society is grateful to the many partners, supporters, funders and sponsors this year. They would like to thank Cheez-It, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, Edinburgh Gin, Baillie Gifford, Cirrus Logic, Apex Bars & Events, Binks Trust, Bloomberg Philanthropies, PPL, EventScotland, VisitScotland, and Young Start – The National Lottery Community Fund.
The Fringe Society would also like to thank the UK Government, Foyle Foundation, SP Energy Networks, and the Changing Places Toilets Scotland Fund for their support of Fringe Central. The Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council for strategic funding support, the Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund support for the Made in Scotland programme; and Screen Scotland for supporting Screen Fringe.
The Fringe Society works with accommodation partners who provide much needed affordable accommodation to artists – they would like to thank Queen Margaret University, the University of Edinburgh and Theatre Digs Booker.
Health in Mind are also returning in 2026 to support the delivery of mental health and wellbeing services within Fringe Central.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe in numbers
- Number of shows: 3,649
- Number of venues: 258
- Number of countries: 71
- Number of premiers: 1,748
- Shows from the UK: 2,516
- International shows: 1,133
- Pay What You Want / Pay What You Can: 691
- Number of performances: 53,884
There are 935 Scottish shows.
- Shows within each section:
- Cabaret and variety – 166 shows (4.5 %)
- Children’s shows – 127 (3.5 %)
- Comedy – 1,401 shows (38.4 %)
- Dance, physical theatre and circus – 115 shows (3.2 %)
- Events – 69 shows (1.9%)
- Exhibitions – 35 shows (1%)
- Music – 388 shows (10.6 %)
- Musicals and opera – 168 shows (4.6 %)
- Spoken word – 155 shows (4.3 %)
- Theatre – 1,025 shows (28.1 %)
This year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from 07 – 31 August 2026. More at edfringe.com
Photocall Photo credit: Jess Shurte Photography for Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, taken at Camera Obscura.
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