More than 40 lawyers from across the globe traded boardrooms for wellies last week, teaming up with Morton Fraser MacRoberts (MFMac) and the Water of Leith Conservation Trust (WOLCT) for a morning of hands-on volunteering.
Volunteers split into teams to carry out a range of task to look after the Water of Leith walkway, including cutting back overgrown vegetation, sweeping up leaves and litter picking locally to stop rubbish getting into the river.
The clean-up formed part of Interlaw’s Annual Global Meeting in Edinburgh, where senior lawyers from over 80 countries gathered for four days of knowledge-sharing and international collaboration.
This year marks the first time the conference has been hosted in Scotland for almost 40 years. Edinburgh headquartered MFMac – this year’s host – organised the clean-up event as a way to make a positive impact and help protect the natural environment that makes Edinburgh a beautiful and inspiring place to live and work.
Chris Harte, Chief Executive Officer at Morton Fraser MacRoberts: “Interlaw is a powerful network bringing hundreds of delegates to Edinburgh and this clean-up has been a great opportunity to give something back to our host city while they’re visiting.
“The Water of Leith is a landmark that flows through many of Edinburgh’s local communities, so it’s been a privilege to organise a meaningful activity to protect it. We know how packed our colleagues’ schedules are so we’re grateful to everyone who rolled up their sleeves!”
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Johnny Wells, Ranger from the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, said:“The Water of Leith is an amazing green corridor for both people and wildlife in Edinburgh, support like this makes a real difference allowing us to care for it.
“We’re very grateful to MFMac for involving us in their programme and for highlighting the importance of looking after this special place.”
For over 15 years Lachlan Goudie has been drawing and painting in extraordinary industrial locations across the United Kingdom. From shipyards on the River Clyde, to blast furnaces in Wales and high-tech Satellite manufacturing laboratories in Portsmouth, he has found creative inspiration in the unlikeliest of studios.
Over the years these visits to engineering sites, factories, harboursides and mines have enabled him to produce hundreds of drawings, paintings and prints. When viewed together these images constitute an unusual archive; a picture history of modern British industry. A story of national achievement, pride and technological innovation.
Lachlan Goudie said: “I’ve always been fascinated by industry as a painting subject. Growing up in Glasgow in the 1980s, my father described the days when the River Clyde bustled with ships and shipbuilding.
“But when I went to see for myself, the River was all but silent. So I began to draw the archaeology of a dying industrial landscape along the Clyde, desperate to re-capture what I had missed.
“In time I managed to gain access to the BAE shipyards in Govan and Scotstoun, the last two major yards surviving on the Clyde and my first visits coincided with a resurgence of shipbuilding activity.
“I was the only artist permitted on site to document the construction of Britain’s vast naval flagships, the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and the craftsmen and women involved in that project.”
Lachlan Goudie’s experiences on the Clyde motivated him to seek out other locations that might contribute to a portrait of working Britain.
He added: “Over the course of more than a decade I have made a painting pilgrimage to, amongst other places, the UK’s deepest mine in Yorkshire, one of the world’s largest slate quarries at Dinorwig in Wales, the country’s most important oil refinery and a steel furnace the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
“At each extraordinary site I have found myself drawing rarely documented manufacturing processes, intricately assembled products and a workforce who often identify closely with the history and the economic importance of the jobs they do.”
Goudie is not the first painter to find themselves enthralled by both British industry and the countryside. Over the centuries there have been many celebrated artists who saw no contradiction in taking their inspiration from nature as well as the country’s manufacturing landscape, the factories, forges and awesome engineering sites that built the modern nation.
Pastoral painters like JMW Turner, Stanley Spencer and Dame Laura Knight produced a range of responses to the story of British industry, from social critique to full blown celebrations of the industrial sublime.
Lachlan Goudie added: “Many of us treasure the idea that we are a pastoral nation, but modern industry and nature are portrayed as being in perennial conflict. The legacy of heavy industry and the environmental pressure this creates, has placed them at odds with one another.
“As an artist, however, I find both subjects equally compelling. And through the course of my work I have discovered that natural and industrial landscapes share certain characteristics.
“Sublime scale and intricacy are unexpected components of both environments. ‘From the Forest to the Forge’ will include many works inspired by woods, trees, and the wonders of natural engineering.”
In many cases, Goudie’s work has borne witness to the end of an industrial legacy and the environmental impact this represents.
His paintings document the last days of steel production at Port Talbot and Redcar, the changing skyline of Glasgow as ‘Titan’ cranes were demolished and replaced, whilst on the northeast coast at Hartlepool, he has charted the dismantling of immense offshore rigs, monumental structures that once defined the North Sea Oil boom.
On other occasions he has been able to record the resilience of steel rolling at Dalzell (the last surviving component of the immense Ravenscraig steel works) and the advance of innovative new technologies, at the Airbus space and satellite manufacturing labs in Portsmouth and Stevenage.
His creative relationship with British industry helped inform the making of two BBC documentaries; ‘The Colours of the Clyde’ (2014), which explored the work of Stanley Spencer in the shipyards at Port Glasgow during WWII, and ‘Awesome Beauty – The Art of Industrial Britain’ (2017), which investigated the legacy of British artists who, like Goudie, were inspired by industry.
This exhibition will, for the first time, bring together the complete range of works produced during his fifteen-year painting pilgrimage through Industrial Britain. The display will also include drawings and paintings produced in the woods of the Scottish Borders and in Dorset.
2 – 25 October 2025 | The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh
This October, The Scottish Gallery is proud to present a landmark double exhibition: 50 Years of Naboland and The Behrens Family. Together, these parallel shows celebrate one of the most original artistic journeys of our time, while also revealing the extraordinary breadth of creativity across three generations of the Behrens family.
For half a century, Reinhard Behrens has constructed and voyaged through his mythical land of Naboland. With its submarine expeditions, dreamlike seascapes, and imaginative cartographies, Naboland has become both a place and an odyssey. It is an astonishing body of work that defies convention and redefines storytelling through art.
This immersive exhibition will transform two floors of The Scottish Gallery into Naboland itself, offering audiences the chance to step inside Behrens’ unique universe. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a new publication from The Scottish Gallery which will provide further insights into the mythology, imagery and enduring significance of Behren’s extraordinary creation.
50 Years of Naboland will position Reinhard Behrens rightly as one of the most original and visionary artists of his generation.
Alongside Naboland, The Scottish Gallery is delighted to present The Behrens Family, a showcase of creativity that spans painting, sculpture, music, film, automata and more.
This family exhibition includes works by:
Reinhard Behrens
With its submarines, strange coastlines, and dreamlike cartography, Reinhard’s work invites us to consider travel, place, and the persistence of wonder.
Margaret Behrens Smyth
Margaret Smyth, painter, brings a quiet lyricism to her work. Her paintings, often rooted in nature and memory, offer a meditative counterpoint to the narrative drama of Naboland. Together, Reinhard and Margaret’s artistic lives have formed a deeply generative partnership that has nurtured creativity across generations.
Kirstie Behrens
Kirstie Behrens is an accomplished printmaker specialising in etching and drawing. A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee, her practice is grounded in careful observation and process, with a particular sensitivity to mark-making and material. Her work reflects her mother’s quietude and her father’s precision, offering a contemplative and refined perspective on the world.
David Behrens
David Behrens is a trained musician blending music, sculpture, and movement in his kinetic automata and mobiles. He channels a playful intelligence into his artistic practice, with each mobile or automata animated by a sense of narrative and mechanical poetry. While David’s art shares his father’s sense of invention, his speaks with a distinct voice shaped by sound, rhythm, and cinematic vision.
Together, these four voices offer a kaleidoscopic view of artistic inheritance, innovation and collaboration, demonstrating how creativity can flourish within and across generations.
Christina Jansen, Director of The Scottish Gallery, says: “It is time that Reinhard Behrens is recognised for his astonishing art odyssey.
“50 Years of Naboland is not just a retrospective, it is a journey into imagination itself. Alongside the wider Behrens family, this exhibition affirms their collective brilliance and unique contribution to contemporary art.”
Come and experience the magic of the Fringe at The Yard Edinburgh, this Saturday 26th July. There will be bubbles, magic, juggling, music and much more from our Fringe performers!
No need to book – all Yard members are welcome! Just come along to our regular drop in sessions to get involved.
With the summer festivals season fast approaching, the city council is making temporary changes to the way some of our city centre streets operate between Thursday 24 July and Sunday 7 September 2025.
During this busy period the population of our city effectively doubles, which brings challenges for residents, businesses and visitors.
These temporary changes, which include removing or restricting vehicle traffic, are designed to make our streets easier and safer to walk around.
There is also specific advice for blue badge holders, home deliveries, loading and services for businesses, places of worship and special arrangements.
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “As we prepare to welcome the world to Edinburgh for our summer festivals, we’re making sure that these higher visitor numbers are managed safely and properly.
“We’ve made temporary changes to our city centre streets successfully during this period for many years and I’m sure that this summer will be no different.
“I’d like to thank our residents and businesses for their understanding and patience as we get ready to showcase and enjoy our city’s unparalleled cultural offering once again.”
A new community café operated by sight loss charity RNIB Scotland will open to the public on Monday (23rd June).
Café VI will serve a selection of sandwiches, cakes, hot drinks and other refreshments. It will be open Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm.
Located on Hillside Crescent, Café VI is an inclusive and accessible space, in line with RNIB Scotland’s mission to support people with sight loss and promote a sense of community in everyday life.
The café aims to provide a welcoming environment for the local community and to help raise awareness of sight loss through its design and operation.
The café will be staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers, including both sighted and visually impaired individuals, working together to deliver friendly service and foster inclusion.
The project has involved staff, volunteers, and individuals with lived experience of visual impairment. In addition to the regular food and drink service, the café will also host occasional events and community initiatives.
Daryl Stewart, one of the visually impaired volunteers who will help run the café, says: “Whether grabbing a quick coffee or staying for a chat, every visit helps raise awareness about sight loss and supports RNIB Scotland’s vital work.”
*Visit Café VI at 12-14 Hillside Crescent, Edinburgh, EH7 5EA, Monday – Friday 10am- 3pm.
The National Galleries of Scotland’s unmissable summer exhibition, Resistance, opens this weekend, Saturday 21 June.
Conceived by acclaimed artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen the exhibition takes over the whole of Modern Two. Explore how acts of resistance have shaped life in the UK, and the powerful role of photography in documenting and driving change. Tickets are on sale now.
Plus, on the first Monday of every month during the exhibition, visitors will be able to pay what they wish, starting from just £2.
Presenting around 200 photographs from a century of activism, Resistance gives a voice to the stories and images from history which have been buried in UK archives until now.
Throughout the exhibition McQueen amplifies underrepresented voices to present a compelling exploration of overlooked histories, shedding light on the forgotten stories that have helped define the course of Britain’s history.
Resistance tours to Modern Two from Turner Contemporary, Margate.
This exhibition will bring together works by renowned photographers such as Vanley Burke, John Deakin, Fay Godwin, Edith Tudor-Hart, David Hurn, Tish Murtha, Humphrey Spender, and Paul Trevor, alongside lesser-known photographers who documented these powerful stories.
Drawing photographs from various archives, collections and image libraries, McQueen has deliberately focused on moments captured before digital cameras became commonplace.
Spanning both floors of Modern Two, Resistance spans from the radical suffrage movement in 1903 to the largest-ever protest in Britain’s history—the Anti-Iraq War Protest in 2003.
The exhibition will also highlight lesser-known events including the hunger marches of the 1930s where thousands of protesters from Scotland and across Britain marched to London, protesting unemployment and poverty. As well as the Blind March of 1920, a pivotal moment in the fight for disability rights.
Visitors will encounter poignant images from demonstrations against environmental destruction, anti-nuclear campaigns and actions advocating for peace.
The exhibition will trace the evolution of environmental movements and highlight a shift from single-issue demonstrations to broader anti-capitalist efforts that paved the way for today’s climate change action.
Including powerful photographs from the 1000-mile march from Faslane Naval Base to Greenham Common in protest against American nuclear weapons being stationed in the UK in 1983.
From Janine Wiedel’s photographs capturing life at Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp to Andrew Testa’s striking depictions of the 1996 protests against the proposed Newbury Bypass in Berkshire, England, Resistance will serve as a testament to the empowering impact of collective action.
It will explore the intersections between movements such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Women’s Liberation Movement, where protests against Section 28 of the Local Government Act brought the LGBTQ+ community together. Connecting historic struggles, the exhibition will also examine the fight against fascism in the 1930s and 1940s.
The exhibition will underscore the ongoing struggle against racism, showing how grassroots movements have consistently confronted oppression throughout history.
A pivotal moment was the Black People’s Day of Action on 2 March 1981, following the house fire at 439 New Cross Road in South East London, that claimed 13 lives.
The photographs that captured the protest powerfully depict this landmark for Britain’s civil rights movement.
Paul Trevor’s series on the Bengali community will further illustrate how the emerging concept of community photography became a form of activism, amplifying the voices of marginalised groups.
Steve McQueen said: “Within the 5 years of developing the exhibition and book with the Turner Contemporary team, it has been an ambition for Resistance to travel to Scotland to be shared with audiences there.
“Resistance explores how people have challenged the status quo—a mission that feels especially urgent in today’s political climate.”
Leila Riszko, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at National Galleries of Scotland said: “We’re enormously proud to platform this compelling selection of works curated by Steve McQueen.
“This is an exciting opportunity to explore the power of photography in documenting the significant yet underrepresented stories of people who’ve helped shape the world we live in today.
“In these divisive times, many of the themes, moments and narratives highlighted in the exhibition continue to have resonance now.
“As a show about resilience, collective power, galvanising for positive change, and inspiring reaction, we hope that Resistance will stimulate discussion with our visitors and invite deeper reflection on those contemporary issues.”
Resistance is curated by Steve McQueen and Clarrie Wallis, with Emma Lewis. Political research is by Sarah Harrison. The exhibition is produced by Tessa Pierce, with assistance from Brittany Crombie. Organised by and originated at Turner Contemporary, Margate, and adapted for presentation at National Galleries Scotland: Modern Two.
A major new publication by Steve McQueen was also recently released to coincide with the exhibition. The book was compiled by Steve McQueen and edited by Clarrie Wallis and Sarah Harrison. It is published by Monument Books, a new imprint from Harper Collins.
Regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate has submitted a planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) to transform a sandstone office building on the edge of Edinburgh’s New Town into a sustainable 102-bedroom city centre hotel.
The current occupiers of Albany House, located at 58 Albany Street on the corner of the capital’s Broughton Street, are relocating to new offices in the city centre later this year. The five-storey building was constructed in the 1980s and was designed to reflect the adjacent Georgian neoclassical town houses along Albany Street.
Artisan have agreed terms with Whitbread to operate the completed hotel under its popular hub by Premier Inn brand. The proposals will retain much of the external structure of the building whilst replacing the top floor facade with a contemporary new cladding and finish to meet current building standards.
Internally, the hotel’s design specification will meet high environmental and sustainability standards, with air-sourced heat pump technology replacing the existing fossil fuel water system.
Artisan Real Estate has an established track record of delivering innovative hotel development in architecturally sensitive city centre locations.
This includes three hotels as part of the award-winning New Waverley development in the heart of the Edinburgh’s Old Town – including partnering with Whitbread to deliver a Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn.
Most recently, the developer has completed the transformation of Glasgow’s historic Clydeside Custom House into a new hotel quarter.
Welcoming the submission of the planning application, Artisan’s Managing Director for Scotland, David Westwater, said: “This design proposal will bring continued interest and investment to a vibrant corner of Edinburgh’s eastern city centre.
“The existing sandstone building is well-suited to hotel development with high levels of natural daylight and an established entrance area.
“We are pleased to be once again working with Whitbread to create a modern and contemporary interior providing the high levels of insulation and energy technology, delivering both a sustainable and attractive addition to Edinburgh’s successful hospitality sector.
“Albany House is the latest in a succession of high-profile planning proposals delivered by Artisan in Edinburgh’s city centre during the last 12 months and reinforces our stated commitment to bring substantial investment coupled with high quality development to the heart of Scotland’s capital.”
Whitbread currently welcomes close to a million visitors to its established network of hotels within the City of Edinburgh Council area. The business calculates its guests staying at these hotels generate more than £32 million in visitor expenditure to the Edinburgh economy every year.
Jill Anderson, Acquisitions Manager for Whitbread, added: “Premier Inn has been part of Edinburgh’s hospitality scene for more than 30 years.
“We’re incredibly proud to have built a network of popular, good-value hotels across the city, and we see great potential for further investment given that budget hotels like Premier Inn account for just 20% of the city’s bedroom stock.
“The hub by Premier Inn brand is designed to appeal to budget, short-stay travellers. It offers all the comfort, consistency, and reliability of Premier Inn, but with a smaller bedroom, and the format allows us to offer great-value rooms in the most connected and interesting city centre locations.
“Albany House is an excellent location for us, and I am very pleased to be working with Artisan to expand our footprint in the city in a sustainable way through the proposed conversion of the 1980s office building.”
Artisan Real Estate was founded in 2009 as an independent, entrepreneurial, values-led property developer and investor operating primarily in key regional city centre locations across the UK – including Scotland and the north of England.
During the last 16 years, Artisan has established itself as one of the UK’s most progressive and respected commercial and residential developers, specialising in transforming complex sites in sensitive urban locations into residential, commercial, leisure and mixed-use quarters.
The Albany House planning proposal follows Artisan’s successful application to transform the city’s historic Caledonian Brewery into a new residential neighbourhood which received planning consent from CEC in May 2025.
The developer is also progressing with the homes-led regeneration of a vacant office block on the city’s Ferry Road, to the north of the city centre.
Today, Tuesday 03 June, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to launch the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme. The programme celebrates the diverse selection of work at the Fringe, with performers from across the world and work from 58 countries.
This year’s programme features work from 3,352 shows across 265 venues, with themes tackling some of the most topical issues in the world today.
From rebellious women to the paranormal; the apocalypse to nostalgia; queer joy to life with illness; rave and club culture to science and technology.
Edinburgh Fringe Programme Launch 2025
Launching the 2025 Fringe programme, Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘Programme launch is such an exciting moment for everyone involved making the Fringe happen.
“Thank you to all the Fringe-makers – the artists, venues, workers, producers, technicians, promoters, support staff and audiences that bring their un-matched, exceptional energy to Edinburgh in August.
‘This year’s Fringe programme is filled with every kind of performance, so whether you’re excited for theatre or circus, or the best of comedy, music, dance, children’s shows, magic or cabaret; get ready to dare to discover this August.
“Jump right in, book your favourites, shows that intrigue you and take a chance on something new.’
At Traverse Theatre,Gary McNair’s ‘award-winning show’ A Gambler’s Guide to Dying returns ‘back home for a special run to mark its 10th anniversary’.
‘Four generations of Northern Irish women, reunited’ in Consumed (Traverse Theatre), ‘a tale of twisted family dynamics and national boundaries’.
‘Inspired by his involvement in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, and experience of the counter-revolution that followed, Khalid Abdalla brings together the personal and the political’ in Nowhere (Traverse Theatre).
At Scottish Storytelling Centre, join the Loud Poetsfor ‘fist-thumping, pint-drinking, side-tickling, heart-wrenching fusion of poetry and live music’ or ‘Scottish and Welsh traditional storytellers Ailsa Dixon and Ffion Phillips as they weave folk music, language and story across these isles and between worlds’ in Aderyn/Bird.
Also at Scottish Storytelling Centre, Cassandra ‘blends Greek myth, Scottish folklore and personal narrative to explore prophecy, protest and survival across time and space’.
At Summerhall, Amazons is a ‘gripping new solo show about the Amazon rainforest and the generations of women who have fought to protect it’.
‘From Parisian hysteria to the glowing Radium Girls’, Fragile Creatures at theSpaceUK ‘reveals gripping stories of women’s rebellion, resilience and their relentless fight for bodily autonomy and equality’.
In Alice Hawkins – Working Class Suffragette at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, ‘Peter Barratt gives a stirring and passionate account of his great-grandmother’s hard-fought campaign for the vote’ while VOTE the Musical at Paradise Green takes a ‘gripping look at the Suffragette movement exploring imprisonment, activism and the fight for electoral freedom’.
Three resilient Scottish sex workers, dream of escaping the lives they’ve been trapped in, but the patriarchy stands in their way in Happy Ending Street at Leith Arches.
In Well Behaved Women at Gilded Balloon, in 1888 ‘three chaotic twentysomething women decide to host a séance’ and make ‘a bit of a mess of things.’
‘Get ready for a powerful performance’ at Women in Socks and Sandals at ZOO, ‘filled with quirky stunts, mental courage and celebration of the right to be oneself’.
With ‘history, sermons and singalong’, Church of the Clitori at Paradise Green aims to ‘satirise and crash-tackle anatomy, religious ads and female sexuality politics’.
At Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge, Fallen Angel by Liam Rudden tells the story of Angel, who’s been ‘tortured’ by angels for ‘500 years’, while ‘startling revelations about Edy Hurst’s relations have set him on vision quest to contact his ancestors’ in Edy Hurst’s Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself at Assembly.
Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? is a ‘one-man (and one puppet) musical journey through a zombie outbreak, combining live performance, puppetry and animation’ at ZOO.
‘Get to know Frankenstein’s Monster like you’ve never been able to before’ at Fatherless Monster (Paradise Green), ‘face to face with only a mic and some stage lights between you and him.’
0.1% Accurate: Magdalena the Fortune Teller Show ‘will predict the future, summon the spirits, answer your life questions and send you home smiling’ at Alchemist Cocktail Bar and Restaurant.
Listen to the tales of Haunted Edinburgh at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre ‘and discover a host of terrifying stories of hauntings from the city’s dark past’ or visit The Mother Superior to ‘unveil women’s role in shaping the history of alcohol, including sharing how some were framed as witches’ in Whisky & Witches.
A Haunted House at Assembly is a ‘hysterical, terrifying and surreal tale, about one hair-raising night in a haunted house’ ‘for those who like their laughs big and their scares spine-chilling!’
‘The world-renowned paranormal expert Baron Vordenburg and his helpers, Gothic and Grotesque, give away trade secrets and expertise on hunting the unknown’ in Baron Vordenburg’s Guide to the Paranormal at theSpaceUK.
‘A man commits the ultimate act of cowardice’ and ‘a woman’s spirit gains terrifying embodiment’ in ‘dark, twisted folk horror tale’ Tom Hiccup’s Well at Greenside.
At theSpaceUK, ‘apocalyptic anti-romcom’ Horny for the End of the World follows ‘Gen Z, try-hard, pick-me Ebeth gets dumped by the man of her dreams the day before everyone realizes the world is going to end’.
Apocalipsync is a ‘high-energy solo show blending physical theatre, mime, dance and lip-sync mastery’ ‘exploring themes of isolation, hyper-connectivity and human expression’ at Assembly.
Original musical The Real Housewives of the Zombie Apocalypse at Greenside asks if the ‘OGs of reality TV’ can ‘survive the hordes, and each other, and self-produce their way to the end?’ while 4’s a Crowd (Or What Not to Do When Stuck in a Bunker During the Apocalypse) at theSpaceUK ‘follows the idiots left behind after the world ends’.
Apocalypse Cabaret: Songs for the End of the World (Underbelly) is a ‘powerhouse Fringe debut packed with original songs, pop bangers, audience interaction, and existential musings’ following ‘a lonely karaoke jockey is the sole survivor at the end of the world and decides to go out singing.’
Scenes of Unfathomable Horror brings ‘absurd, twisted and entertaining take on modernity, celebrity and existential dread’ to Just the Tonic.
At Underbelly, A Small Town Northern Tale is a ‘Y2K coming-of-age story, charting life in a small Northern town as a mixed-race boy’ and WANTED tells the story of ‘two girls from opposite worlds’ ‘fated to meet on the 00s queer scene’.
At Club NVRLND (Assembly), ‘where the party goes on till morning’, ‘Wendy and Peter reunite for an unforgettable night of adventure, nostalgia and staying forever young, featuring the biggest 2000s anthems’
‘All set to the soundtrack of the 2000s’ Jake Donaldson Is The Fifth Weezer at Laughing Horse is set to be ‘packed with nostalgia, punchy jokes and stories about finding your place in the world’.
‘The perfect nostalgic show for pop fanatics and chart aficionados’, Margot and Martha’s Chart Show Mixtape at theSpaceUK will ‘take you on a journey from mixtapes to Spotify wrapped, celebrating pop music through what was in the charts on the 18th of August – the very week they’re performing at the Fringe’.
‘Party like it’s 1999’ at MASSAOKE: 90s Live (Underbelly) with ‘an epic 90s sing-along’.
‘Through everyday conversation, hilarious comedy, and music-hall style songs’ at The Steamie (Gilded Balloon) ‘we learn from four working-class women about their lives, husbands, technology and the approaching New Year in this time capsule of Glasgow in the 1950s’.
A ‘love letter to the queers, the weirdoes, the trailblazers, the fringes and the night-walkers’, Anatomy of a Night at Summerhall isan ‘exploration of personal identity through a reflection of memories from queer and club spaces’.
‘Queer, chic and outrageous’ – head to the Big Gay Afterparty at Just the Tonic for the ‘biggest, gayest party at the Fringe (fun straights allowed)’.
‘A queer love story but no one dies at the end? Welcome to the world of’ Blooming at Greenside.
Join a ‘plus-sized, 72-year-old lesbian’ sharing ‘intimate stories celebrating inclusivity’ at Tales From Your Queer Elder (Greenside).
At Carpet Muncher at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, ‘the contemporary folklore of the Mothman is brought to life, using vibrant surrealist costuming to explore themes of queer alienation, metamorphosis, cross-border solidarity and homoerotic hot-hub encounters’.
Follow a young trans girl as she navigates the hilarity of rural Argentina during the 1900s at Cecilia Gentili’s Red Ink at Underbelly.
‘Expect chaos, drag, stand-up, glitter, queer joy and an ever-changing line-up of LGBTQIA+ acts’ at Comedy Queers (Laughing Horse) or check out Midnight at the Palace (Gilded Balloon) for a ‘night of radical joy and glitter-encrusted anarchy’.
3 Kidneys No Colon at Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge is ‘the medical diaries (or rather… diarrheas) of Dave who suffers from chronic kidney disease, ulcerative colitis and has had multiple organ transplants’.
Learn about ‘narcolepsy from a true-life perspective’ at theSpaceUK, Fragments of Fatigue is a ‘coming-of-age story to transform your world and prove just how much fight is required to beat the fatigue’.
‘Artfully weaving between generational trauma and chronic illness’, Robyn Reynolds: What Doesn’t Kill You at Assembly will have you ‘roaring with laughter’.
In The Nature of Forgetting at Pleasance, ‘Tom is living with early onset dementia’ and ‘we meet him as he prepares for his 55th birthday party and past memories come flooding back’. At theSpaceUK, Ah-Ma is ‘a hauntingly beautiful new play, weaving together natural and social disasters, bodily deterioration and family sorrow’.
At Assembly, Ohio tells the story of ‘when Shaun turned his back on the church’ and ‘found a new home in music’ before he is ‘confronted now with acute degenerative hearing loss’.
Yvonne Hughes: Absolutely Riddled is ‘a fresh and bold dive into the reality of living with cystic fibrosis (CF) – a journey that’s as phlegmy as it is funny’ at Gilded Balloon.
At Summerhall,TheButterfly Who Flew Into The Rave is ‘the atmosphere and culture of a three-day rave condensed into an hour’ while PUMP ‘drops you in the middle of a nightclub dance floor in a desperate search for validation, intimacy and identity’.
Her Raving Mind is ‘a Greco-British rave tragicomedy unravelling the complex mind of an abuse survivor’ at Just the Tonic.
‘Loud, lawless, and laced with naughty bits’, Watch Me Die! is ‘rave theatre: performance, film, stand-up and pounding basslines, dragging Shakespeare into a civil war where star-crossed love and vengeance make their scene’ at theSpaceUK.
At Rave, Colin and Rosie ‘are battling through their own worlds of crisis using the music of the rave club to help, encourage and solve their problems’ at Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge.
Created by an AI researcher, AI: Save Our Souls at Greenside features ‘an immersive future world of AI, polystylistic music and a dynamic plot’ while at Paradise Green, Rise of the Solar Punks asks ‘what can we learn from ancient cultures regarding climate adaptation, and how can we fuse this with technology and AI?’
As part of the Made in Scotland showcase, MUO Live at the French Institute in Scotland is ‘a unique fusion of music, science and unseen cosmic forces.’
Head to Just the Tonic, Excel Comedy and Mathem-antics for a ‘themed stand-up show for spreadsheet experts and rookies alike’ or check out Sci-larious – Science Stand-up at Laughing Horse for ‘bi-lol-ogy or pharm-ha-cy’.
Mark Thompson’s Spectacular Science Show at Gilded Balloon is ‘science like you have never seen it before’ exploring ‘the magical properties of matter’.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, Freya McGhee: Experimental blends ‘science, comedy and dating into one unforgettable experiment’ investigating ‘the chemistry of attraction to the mechanics of mixed signals’.
Check out Hot Rubber (Gilded Balloon) to see ‘eight comedians pit their homemade remote-control cars against one another in the world’s smallest demolition derby’ or ‘form a team, select a knockoff Roomba, customise it, then pit it against a dozen rivals’ at Robot Vacuum Fight Club (Outhouse Bar).
Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge ‘on busy George Street’ is new with a number of shows this August, including well-known musicals Little Shop of Horrors, High School Musical and Footloose, as well as a range of theatre, cabaret and children’s shows.
Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine, ‘a mini-festival to celebrate Palestinian art and culture’, takes place in new venue Portobello Town Hall.
Citadel Youth Centre is ‘hosting two fundraisers for the Citadel’s valuable work with young people and families in Leith’ Storm in the Citadel and Punchline on Leith.
The Bowlers Rest in Leith is home to Beggared, ‘the story of a privileged white South African whose life collapses into homelessness’.
Easter Road Stadium joins the Fringe as a venue, hosting two shows: Dropped, in which ‘former Chelsea FC trainee Alfie Cain tells his moving story of dashed football dreams and explores the darkness and pressures young men go through trying to make it as professional footballers’ and Frankie Mack Showman – The Next Stage: The Leith San Siro ‘a high-energy, show-stopping night of swing, rock’n’roll and modern classics’.
All the way from Italy is Mirage Spiegeltent at Gyle Shopping Centre, hosting Spirit of the Favela, a ‘dynamic fusion of circus and theatre showcasing Rio de Janeiro’s vibrant culture and communities’.
Gilded Balloon have introduced a new space at Appleton Tower for twenty shows, including Frances Floats and Not My Grandmother’s Daughter.
Now in St. Andrew’s Square, The Famous Spiegeltent returns, offering theatre, cabaret, music and musicals, including La Clique – ‘the global phenomenon that redefined a genre, with its mélange of cabaret and circus’.
Josie Long: Now Is the Time of Monsters is ‘a new show about extinct, gigantic, charismatic megafauna from three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee’ at Pleasance.
Gilded Balloon marks their fortieth anniversary with ‘a series of special in-conversations featuring comedy greats’ including Jenny Eclair and Michelle McManus.
Also at Gilded Balloon, Rosie O’Donnell: Here & Now ‘reflects on her life in the present, including why she moved to Ireland from the USA, and how that shift has shaped her future’ and Michelle Brasier: It’s a Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year is a ‘show for the theatre kids, the freaks, the queers; for anyone who’s spiralled about something they did years ago’.
Fringe favourite Nina Conti: Whose Face Is It Anyway? is back at Underbelly, with ‘an unparalleled, unscripted show that delves deep into who we are, hijacking faces to spark a bold, hysterical reality warp’.
‘Direct from a sell-out West End season’, Bill Bailey is at Edinburgh Playhouse with Thoughtifier while Miriam Margolyes brings ‘more characters, more Dickens and more fascinating stories about the man behind the classics’ to Pleasancewith Margolyes and Dickens: More Best Bits.
‘The talented comedian, writer and host of A24 late-night variety sketch show’ Ziwe brings Ziwe’s America to Pleasance.
At The Stand Comedy Club, ‘expect to hear the glorious mess of being a professional polymath – from medical school to quiz championships, comedy clubs to Parkinson’s advocacy’ at In Conversation with… Paul Sinha or ‘jokes, rants, politics, swearing and possible nudity’ at Mark Thomas: WD40.
At Monkey Barrel, there’s ‘new material from the Rose d’Or, Southbank Sky Arts and Edinburgh Comedy Award winner’ Bridget Christie. Also at Monkey Barrel, ‘the Taskmaster treasure, Live at the Apollo star and voice of Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle presents a new hour about our bodies corporeal and politic, and what remains through ascension and destruction’ with Desiree Burch: The Golden Wrath.
‘A love letter to people pleasers everywhere’, Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares at Underbelly is ‘a hilarious, heartfelt and sometimes brutally honest tribute to recovering ingenues, mothers and anybody working on themselves’.
‘Comedy veteran’ Karen Dunbar ‘returns to the Fringe for a limited run of her stand-up tour’ at Just the Tonic.
At Assembly, David O’Doherty: Highway to the David Zone has ‘has got the lot’ with ‘talking, songs, talking during songs, talking while walking around’.
There are 325 free shows and 529 Pay What You Can/Want shows in this year’s programme.
10,001 Ideas by Robyn Perkins at Laughing Horse offers a ‘uniquely different hour of critically acclaimed stand-up and storytelling’.
Huge Davies: Free Work in Progress is at PBH’s Free Fringe with ‘his wearable keyboard for a free hour-long work in progress’. Also at PBH’s Free Fringe, Escape the Rat Race is a ‘a must-see for anyone who has ever worked in an office’.
At Laughing Horse, Three Bad Sisters is a ‘cacophony of the best and darkest materials from these three female rising stars of Irish comedy: Aideen McQueen, Shinanne Higgins and Louise O’Toole’.
‘Imagine an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman in the same bar as a therapist’ and you’ll imagine 5 Mugs, No Tea at Leith Depot. At the Mother Superior, you can ‘expect a fever-dream of love, loss, and existential dread’ at Crying at the Meat Raffle.
Disco Picnic at The Three Sisters is a ‘Fringe fiesta serves up a delicious mix of toe-tapping disco tunes’.
The Fringe Society are grateful to the many partners, supporters, funders and sponsors this year. In particular, they would like to thank the official Education Partner of the Fringe Anthropic, the official Beer of the Fringe Innis and Gunn, Cirrus Logic and Baillie Gifford.
They would like to thank the UK Government and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for their Keep it Fringe Fund support, 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 would also like to thank accommodation partners who provide much needed affordable accommodation to artists – Queen Margaret University and the University of Edinburgh, Theatre Digs Booker. Health in Mind are also returning in 2025 to support the delivery of mental health and wellbeing services within Fringe Central, which is once again kindly delivered in partnership with Grassmarket Community Project.
Family Fringe Day at The Yard
