Collective Gala is a free family-friendly day of celebration with creative activities for all ages. Explore newly commissioned artworks and performance by Scottish artists, join behind-the-scenes tours, shop with local makers, and enjoy creative play sessions for children.
The day will culminate in a celebratory procession inspired by Gala traditions. Saturday, 5th of September, from 11 am to 4.30 pm. FREE ENTRY! 
Where? At Collective Gallery on Calton Hill
Princes Street is set to fully reopen on Saturday (29 August), following a major fire at the former Debenham’s building last month.
Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are working to resume services, with pedestrian access restored between Castle and Frederick Street for the first time since 9 July.
Subject to successful testing overnight on Friday, trams will run to their full route from the Airport to Newhaven and all city centre bus diversions will end.
Passengers are being encouraged to continue planning ahead and checking for the latest travel updates and information on the Council’s website. Operators will publish updated timetabling information ahead of the weekend.
The three eastbound bus stops between Castle Street and Frederick Street will remain closed, with westbound bus stops unaffected.
Remedial work on the site will continue, which requires the pavement on the north side of Princes Street to remain closed. One lane of the eastbound carriageway will be used as a temporary pedestrian walkway.
Significant work has been carried out over the past seven weeks to make the building safe, including:
The closure has had a significant effect on the city, particularly on businesses on the northern section of the tram route, including Newhaven, Leith and The Shore. Ongoing work to support these businesses includes:
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “The reopening of Princes Street is a significant step in the city’s recovery from, what was, a devastating fire – and I’m sure it will come as a great relief to many.
“This has been an incredibly difficult few weeks for the city, not least given the timing, and I’m pleased that we can now turn our attention to getting Edinburgh back to normal as well as helping those businesses most affected to get back on their feet.
“A great deal of effort has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible – and my thanks go to our council teams and engineers who have carried out painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible.
“I also want to thank Lothian Buses, and their drivers, for keeping the city moving and our residents and visitors for their patience.
“I think it’s fair to say that this period has further underlined the critical importance and popularity of our tram network, not just to the north of the city but to the whole of Edinburgh.
With that in mind, I’m pleased that our business support campaign ‘More by the Shore’ is taking shape – and will soon be encouraging more residents and visitors to explore Leith, the Shore and Newhaven, and visit the fantastic local businesses there. This activity is planned to run well beyond the reopening of Princes Street, over the festive period and into the new year.”
Sarah Boyd, Chief Executive for Lothian and Edinburgh Trams said: “We welcome the news that Princes Street is due to reopen on Saturday 29 August.
“Our teams are now focused on reinstating bus and tram services along one of the city’s most important transport corridors and we encourage customers to check the latest service updates and allow extra time for travel.
“I would like to thank our customers for their patience, understanding and support throughout this period of continued disruption. We are also grateful to our colleagues, whose professionalism, flexibility and commitment continued to keep Edinburgh moving during a particularly challenging time.
“Finally, we would like to acknowledge the close collaboration of our partners, including the emergency services, the City of Edinburgh Council and other agencies involved in responding to this incident.
“Their collective efforts have helped ensure services can begin to return safely and efficiently for the benefit of Edinburgh’s residents, visitors and businesses.”
The latest updates, information and advice will continue to be posted on the Council’s dedicated webpage.
For a one-week, special engagement, the award-winning, off-Broadway, country rock musical, OIL & WHISKEY, will make its way to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe ahead of a 3-week Off West End London run.
OIL & WHISKEY will perform at The Nightclub at The Street as part of PBH’s Free Fringe, Sunday 23 – Sunday 30 August.
‘The Last Five Years’ meets Nashville Honky Tonk; Oil & Whiskey is a dramedy about two ex-lovers who meet for a drink and relive their entire relationship over a couple of rounds of whiskey.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and by the end you will remember why: you don’t text your ex. At the forefront of the recent Americana resurgence in Edinburgh and NYC, this toe-stomping musical written in Nashville, Tennessee, will immerse audiences in an authentic country rock cabaret concert akin to an evening at the Grand Ole Opry.
Oil & Whiskey is the debut musical for producer, musician, and songwriter Kit Nolan. The Nashville based multi-instrumentalist who has toured the world performing for millions as the Music Director for Lindsey Stirling, and as a session musician for Robbie Williams and One Direction.
He is joined by award-winning playwright and storyteller Dax Wiley. Wiley has written and produced musicals across the U.S.A. such as New York’s first immersive musical, The Limbo Lounge, and Good Fishermen Know A Lot About Sex, a powerful drama performed on theatre row in Los Angeles about the dangers of opioid abuse in America.
First debuted at the New York City Fringe Festival 2025 where it won the SOLD-OUT Award, Oil & Whiskey has big plans for 2026; beginning in June as one of two shows performing in New Musical Theater Nashville’s First Stage Showcase, and touring to popular Honky Tonk and off-Broadway venues in NYC, including iconic venues such as The Bitter End; home to where artists like Bob Dylan got their start in Greenwich Village, NYC.
Oil & Whiskey comes to the Edinburgh Fringe for a one-week special engagement, Sunday 23 – Sunday 30 August, 19:45 at The Nightclub at PBH’s Free Fringe @ The Street.
Oil & Whiskey
Kit Nolan | Dax Wiley | Alexa Karas | AK INK
19:45 23 – 30 Aug | The Nightclub at PBH’s Free Fringe @ The Street
The Qatari Police Band, currently performing at this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, stepped into one of the capital’s most remarkable landmarks as they visited the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s newly restored Palm Houses, offering a rare glimpse inside the spectacular space before it officially reopens to the public on the 2nd of October.
The band’s captivating presence created a striking visual within the towering heritage structure, described as the world’s tallest traditional stone-built Palm House, as two distinct worlds came together beneath its newly renovated glass roof.
The Qatari Police Band are among more than 800 performers taking part in this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, bringing together musicians and performers from across the world for A Call To Gather.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo runs until 29 August on Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been in town for over two weeks now but there’s still plenty of new acts kicking off the latter half!
Assembly Festival today showcase their line-up of part-run gems, with everything from club bangers to experimental circus and hilarious Aussie comedy – the circus is well and truly still in town.
‘Yes Person’ from experimental circus company based on kimberley take on radical yes-saying, killing your darlings and allowing discarded ideas to flourish on stage. Premiering in Helsinki, and following a successful run across Sweden, Denmark, Spain and beyond, the Berlin-based company will debut ‘Yes Person’ at Edinburgh Fringe at Assembly Roxy from 25-31 Aug. A circus show that celebrates ideas too peculiar to live…but too fabulous to die.
Elsewhere in the programme, absurd comedy and the rise of right-wing populism takes centre stage in ‘The Terribly Credible Definitely Edible Tale of the Town of Cropshire’, at Assembly Roxy. A farcical town of welly-wearing farmers and perpetually confused politicians deal with a nationwide ban on vegetables in this Shedload of Future Fund winning show.
Aussie Comic, and host of Australian Bake-Off, Claire Hooper is doing what it takes to become fun in ‘Claire Hooper: Fun Show xx’. A rollercoaster of jokes from an adult who hates rollercoasters, the host of Claire Hooper’s House of Games does her best to become fun again, with the show running from 20-30 Aug at Assembly Roxy.
Other comics with short runs at this year’s festival include star of Taskmaster NZ ‘Guy Williams: Rich people are stealing from you and blaming brown people and trans people and some people believe them aaahhhhhh!’and award-winning dancer and comedian Sam Burkett’s improv and experimental dance show ‘GOSS’.
Brian Bilston: How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside sees one of the UK’S most beloved poets take audiences through the hows, whys and whats of enjoying poetry every day.
‘Hot Dub Time Machine Presents House Party’ takes over Assembly Hall for ten days of bangers from 1970-2026, and Australia’s best tribute act dazzle audiences with the ultimate 70s party in ‘70s Jukebox by The 60 Four’.
Hailing from Austin, Texas, the internationally acclaimed ‘Movin’ Melvin Brown: Hit The Road Jack! The Music and Story of Ray Charles’ is an unforgettable journey through rhythm, blues and soul.
There’s the BAFTA award winning Kimberley Nixon’s new play about motherhood, postpartum psychosis and stand up in ‘Baby Brain’, immersive Afrofuturism in in ‘Arcana’ from writer-composer Fay Guiffo, and a celebration of Ireland’s national sports in ‘Ham Sandwiches and Discipline’.
Ariana and The Rose debut ‘The Breakup Variety Hour’ with soaring synth-pop anthems and razor-sharp wit, Primal Scream blends opera and psychodrama, and ‘Divas: From Stage to Screen’ sing everything from Carole King to Cher, Sabrina Carpenter to Shirley Bassey.
The full Assembly Festival programme continues to receive rave reviews across the board. Alaa Shehada’s ‘The Bridge’, which won a Fringe First last week, will return for a special run of extra shows in Assembly George Square Studios from 28-30 Aug.
‘Scaramouche Jones’, Justin Butcher’s timely tragic clown, continues to dazzle audiences at Assembly St Andrew Square, and the lives and legacies of beloved rock musicians are celebrated in ‘27 Club’.
Tickets for the full Assembly Festival programme are now available at:
You may have made it to the final week of the Fringe, but the curtains haven’t come down just yet. Here at theSpaceUK, we’ve got a whole host of shows about to begin their Fringe runs.
So, as the festival enters its final week, it’s time for Act 3:
Musicals & Operas
Who We Are Now
(theSpace @ Niddry St, 24-29 August)
Part rock concert, part coming-of-age drama, this gripping new musical follows young musicians haunted by their past. With a bold, genre-blending score, this electrifying show explores ambition, identity and the struggle to move forward.
The Tears of Nerakhis
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
Written, composed and staged from scratch: this original epic fantasy musical brings a modern myth to life, telling the extraordinary love story between a human girl and the daughter of the God of the Night.
Swing Gum
(theSpace @ Niddry St, 24-29 August)
A true story of love separated by war and reunited 75 years later. Swing Gum blends tap, swing, Lindy hop and archival broadcasts into a toe-tapping, heart-stopping musical. Experience the UK premiere of this unforgettable wartime love story.
Nuns of Fury!
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August)
The nuns are back in town! The Nuns of Fury must battle both vice and virtue in this rock-gospel extravaganza. A comedy for fans of sisterhood and having faith in yourself!
Music
To Be Arranged…
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August)
University of Exeter’s Illuminations A Cappella presents ‘To Be Arranged…’. Their Fringe show is about to begin, but they are yet to decide on a theme. Come and listen to see if they figure it out!
Cabaret
Judy Garland Is Fat at Carnegie Hall
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August)
Sixty-five years after Judy Garland’s iconic concert, two NYC drag artists resurrect her performance via messy, virtuosic experiment. Through impressions, lip sync, monologue and rainbow cake, this show interrogates societal expectations around fatness.
Comedy
Got Mushroom For Sketch Comedy?
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
Got Mushroom for Sketch Comedy? The students of Exeter Comedy Society are back with their latest sketch show!
Outlaugh: Edinburgh
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
A comedy and social strategy competition show using the rules of the reality show Survivor. Twelve comedians compete in comedic challenges for immunity, while the losers have to vote each other out at tribal council.
Silly Goose!
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
We’re on the hunt for the Silliest Goose in town! Join us and three comics as we discuss your silliest stories, whether it’s saucy scandals, funny first dates or office outrages.
Theatre
Dust: The Sixth Sense
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August)
A baptism in the blood of life. Salty stains of prayer and memory. You are complicit in a sensory-led, psyche-bending world where all the angels on Earth have fallen because their mother couldn’t fall with them.
My Beautiful Brain!
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
Winner of Creative Corner Festival 2026! If you can read this, you’re ahead of Hannah! With a mix of humour and heart, this autobiographical play sheds light on the misunderstood world of dyslexia.
The Last Days of Liz Truss?
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
Join Liz, on her last morning at Number 10, in an exploration, comic and tragic, of the tensions in politics: between ambition and ability, vision and reality, going short and playing it long.
Dregs
(theSpace @ Niddry Street, 24-29 August)
Fisch and Neck are two lost souls picking for what’s left in the Trashcan of Spirit. Dregs is a dark, absurdist comedy exploring the ugly underbelly of capitalism and greed through a series of hilarious clownish hijinks.
SQUAT!
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August)
Join the Squat as they stumble through loss with too much alcohol, too many bad decisions, and absolutely no filter. SQUAT! is a dark comedy about masculine vulnerability, friendship and the f*cking weird ways men say “I love you”!
Is This Your First Crime?
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August) A new comedy set within a police interrogation, showcasing the corruption and ineptitude of the force. When Tim’s brought in for questioning nothing can prepare him for what the desperate detectives have in store!
Come As You Are
(theSpace Triplex, 24-29 August)
Katherine turns 45 today! A warm, joyful celebratory dinner with all the family awaits her – until an uninvited guest sours the festivities.
It Couldn’t Get Worse; or, The Margarita Boat Tour Incident
(theSpace @ Venue 45, 24-29 August) Locked in a lighthouse, Claire and Judy form a reluctant alliance to save Maggie, Judy’s daughter and Claire’s fiancée. It couldn’t get worse. Probably.
What’s Rotting in the Office Fridge?
(theSpace on the Mile, 24-29 August)
A seemingly regular office prepares for a retirement party, but something’s amiss. As characters unravel, they find themselves trapped by capitalism, the stages of grief and their own ambition.
I Killed My Father
(theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 24-29 August)
This darkly comedic excavation dissects a lineage of absentee fathers, explores what we inherit, and reveals the high cost of a graceful exit. A bitingly funny autopsy on masculinity.
Can You Teach Me How To Breathe?
(theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 24-29 August) Four people wake up on a sinking submarine with no idea what’s going on. There’s nothing to do but wait. And the empty feelings they’ve long ignored creep in.
Fringe magician Elliot Bibby took to the streets of Edinburgh on Thursday in a bespoke Walker’s Shortbread ‘Magic Taxi’ to surprise festival-goers with free rides, close-up magic, and buttery shortbread.
Serving as an on-the-move venue with a difference, the tartan-clad cab – which features brand ambassador Sir Andy Murray – transported busy Fringe-goers across the city between venues while keeping them entertained and fuelled with shortbread.
The Skinny and Fest, Capital Theatres and Premier Scotland are delighted to announce the week two winners of The Besties:
The Good Immigrant – The Truth to Power Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “We wanted to call this the Fuck the Government Award but then we thought the award name should probably come from a more positive place, so we’re putting it in the copy instead. It’s been ten years since essay anthology The Good Immigrant was released and in those intervening ten years, everything has gotten a lot worse.
“We are giving this award in recognition of the seminal work The Good Immigrant has done in reframing conversations around immigration in this country, and to recognise how much work we all still have to do in the next ten years, and the next and the next. Congratulations to the team behind The Good Immigrant, winners of The Truth to Power Award! Here to collect the award is Nikesh Shukla, who edited the anthology.”
Dracula Lucy’s Dream – The No Strings Attached Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “Here at The Skinny, we love a puppet. And so when it came to awarding a show for its puppetry credentials, which obviously we had to do, Dracula: Lucy’s Dream was an easy call.
Plexus Polaire have created a production which showcases the magical possibilities of physical theatre: the ways in which materiality and liveness can be central to the emotional and narrative qualities of a piece.
From our review: “Dracula: Lucy’s Dream is both a visual and literary tour-de-force, using astonishing puppetry to frame Lucy’s descent into vampirism as an act of violation and psychological devastation.” Congratulations to Dracula Lucy’s Dream, winners of The No Strings Attached Award!”
Tia Rey: Oot Ma Banger – The Debut Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “There are some comedians you come across who you feel were simply born to do it, and Tia Rey is the perfect example. First trying stand-up in 2024, as well as hosting Too Queer, a comedy night in Glasgow, she is one of the most exciting emerging Scottish talents to burst on to the scene.
Her debut hour ‘Oot Ma Banger’ takes us with her on a wild psychedelic journey which she experienced in her twenties, told with the skill and tenacity of a performer who would appear to have been on the circuit for years – decades, even. We’re so excited to see where Tia Rey will go next and how she will develop.
And of course, to see her back at the Fringe next year with a brand new hour! Congratulations to Tia Rey, winner of The Debut Award.”
The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight – The Visionary Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “Theodore Schafer’s dizzyingly experimental sophomore feature, The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight, recalibrates the very notion of what a film can be.
This black-and-white portmanteau triptych acts like a love letter to New York, unfolding as three surreal stories centred on love, money and faith that feel closer to poetry than any straightforward narrative.
Schaefer’s filmmaking style is as unpredictable as the plot, and the resulting work is one of the most confident, original and exciting American indies we’ve seen in quite some time. The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight had its world premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival. Congratulations to the team behind The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight, winners of The Visionary Award. Here to collect the award on their behalf is Lynda Myles.”
T.F. Cia de Dança: Border Bodies – The Outwith Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “Part of the Sao Paolo showcase at this year’s festival, Border Bodies is unlike anything we’ve seen before – a frenetic celebration of plurality and collectivity told through meticulous choreography and seven dancers’ bodies. In a time of increasing political and geographical division, it speaks to what is possible when we transcend the borders between us. Congratulations to Border Bodies, the winners of the Outwith Award.”
Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick: Soul Sewage – The Night Owl Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “It’s getting to that part of the Fringe where tiredness is setting in and it takes the rumblings of something special to tempt many a punter to stay out past 11pm.
Well, Basil Crumbwick – AKA Sam Eley and his giant papier mâché head – is that something special. Boiling over with “impotent rage”, as Fest’s reviewer put it, Basil Crumbwick is an act worth sacrificing many a good night’s sleep for. Congratulations to Sam Eley, winner of The Night Owl Award.”
Jack Anderson, Charlotte Mclean, Malin Lewis: not for glory – The Collaboration Award
The Skinny / Fest magazine team commented: “not for glory meets at the crossroads between dance, theatre, gig and comedy, as well as therapy for those who have survived the youth competition culture of the traditional arts world. In it, dancers Jack Anderson and Charlotte Mclean and piper Malin Lewis bind together their pasts in order to examine the interaction between passion, reward, and memory.
The show has a genuinely unique point of view – Fest reviewer Eilidh Akilade singled it out for its “thoughtful dissection of heritage and all its complexities” and “empowered disregard of tradition for tradition’s sake”.
We also loved it for its humour, for the weird and obscure elements of the scene that the trio so generously bring to life for us – after all, bearing witness to these absurd joys is normally the privilege of an exclusive club, one whose membership is earned through years of toil and despair. Congratulations to the team behind not for glory, winners of the Collaboration Award.”
Reflecting the broad and diverse coverage both magazines produce every summer and celebrating the breadth of Edinburgh’s Festivals, The Besties span all the festival activity taking place in the city over the month of August, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Winners of The Besties are chosen each week by the editorial teams of The Skinny and Fest, drawing on their cross-festival expertise to celebrate the best work happening anywhere in the festivals. 2026 winners will be announced at weekly ceremonies taking place at Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on 15, 22 and 29 August.
The Besties awards, designed by artist Camillo Feuchter a graduate of Interior & Environmental Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee, use recyclable plastics gathered by the partners and leftover wood sourced locally.
The New Zealand Army Band swapped Edinburgh Castle Esplanade for the great outdoors as they took to Jupiter Artland’s iconic Cells of Life to perform the Haka as part of their appearance at this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
The band’s powerful performance provided a striking Kiwi soundtrack to one of Scotland’s most distinctive art installations, as the musicians join more than 800 performers from around the world at the spectacular “A Call To Gather”.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo runs until 29 August at Edinburgh Castle.
Underbelly announces the 8th Annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised £20,000 for Professor Richard Gilbertson’s lab at The Cancer Research Centre in Cambridge, helping to fund new treatments for the most aggressive forms of brain tumours in children.
This year’s star-studded lineup included performances from Nish Kumar, Rhys James, Rosie Jones, Larry Dean, Catherine Bohart, Emmanuel Sonubi, Felicity Ward and Justin Moorhouse.
Underbelly created the Big Brain Tumour Benefit in 2017 following co-founder Ed Bartlam’s son Alfie being diagnosed with Ependymoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. Alfie passed away two years later, at the age of seven. 100% of the profits from the Big Brain Tumour Benefit will be donated to Professor Richard Gilbertson’s lab to fund brain cancer research.
Ed Bartlam, Underbelly’s co-founder said: I am so grateful to everyone who attended Underbelly’s 8th annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit last night, and to the fantastic line up of comedians who gave their time and talent to make it such a success.
“It’s incredible that as a community we have raised more than £20,000, with all of the funds going to Professor Richard Gilbertson’s lab and directly funding cutting-edge tumour prevention and treatment.
“The Big Brain Tumour Benefit is always such a special night, and together we can continue to raise vital funds that save lives.”
Professor Richard Gilbertson said: “We are truly excited and humbled by the amazing partnership with Underbelly and Angel Child. Everyday, we work to end the devastation caused to children and their families by brain tumours.
“We will accept nothing less than total eradication of these devastating childhood cancers. Thanks to the support we have already received we are about to take a completely new therapy to the clinic.
“We could not have done this without Underbelly and Angel Child. Together with our collaborators, we have developed a number of other, completely new and kinder treatments, taking us even closer the day when no child will suffer or die from a brain tumour.
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people under 40. They shorten life expectancy by an average of 27 years, the most of any cancer. Despite this, brain tumour research is underfunded compared to many other cancers.
The principal aim of Professor Richard Gilbertson’s Lab is to improve the accuracy of brain tumour classification and treatment, with a particular focus on children’s brain tumours.
Their research involves conducting genomic analyses of brain tumours to identify cancer-causing abnormalities, and using that knowledge to develop effective new cancer cures through clinical trials of molecular targeted therapies.
Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit is a one-night-only show. For more information on the wider programme for the remainder of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, please visit the website here.
