The Palestinian Circus, a circus troupe who train and live in Gaza’s West Bank, are performing their show A Step and a Half at Underbelly Circus Hub on the Meadows throughout Edinburgh Fringe 2026.
Sydney-based stand-up comedian Jess Fuchs brings her bold, high-energy new show Feral to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, marking her highly anticipated first full festival run following an Australian tour.
Jess Fuchs left home to avoid her problems and returned even more broken. Not all those who wander are lost. Sure… but some who wander are walking slowly because they’ve shattered their coccyx on the Cliffs of Moher. Sometimes it takes literally breaking your ass on the Cliffs of Moher to realise you were fine all along…and it was the trying to change that was the problem.
In Feral, Fuchs explores what happens when you meticulously plan, rehearse, and overthink your way through life… only for everything to unravel anyway. At its core, Feral is about pressure: where it comes from, how it builds, what it forces you to hide – and what happens when you can’t release it.
Tackling everything from body image, shame, and what it means to be ‘different’, to unsolicited advice, healthcare, and the myths of change and self-improvement, she dissects the contradictions of modern existence with wit, warmth, and unflinching honesty.
After overidentifying with the Titanic, a boat scrutinised for her size, loaded with impossible expectations, and sunk in the middle of nowhere, Fuchs turns her attention to the pressures women face. Especially loud, big women. Get married. Have kids. Be skinny. Feral is about her complete inability, or rather refusal to do any of that, and choosing to return to a feral state instead.
Feral is a show bursting at the seams with a livelyoff-the-cuff energy. It’s big, bold, high-energy storytelling – highly relatable, personal, but not trauma-dumpy – weaving anecdotes, observations and stories throughout a central narrative of a girls trip to Ireland gone wrong.
With a fast-growing international profile and over 100,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, Fuchs has built a loyal digital audience who connect with her sharply observed, effortlessly funny takes on everyday life. Translating that same magnetic energy to the stage, Feral sees her blend incisive stand-up with electric crowd work and deeply personal storytelling.
“When you’re a big, playful, extroverted woman, people feel comfortable telling you how you should be, rather than celebrating who you are,” says Jess. “This show is about pushing back, but also about human contradictions… being confident and vulnerable at the same time, even when people don’t want you to be.”
A Sydney-based stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, Fuchs is known for her razor-sharp crowd work and dynamic storytelling style. She has performed across Australia, Europe, the UK, and the United States, and is a regular host at The Comedy Store in Sydney, Comedy Republic in Melbourne, and Top Secret Comedy Club in London. She has opened for major international comedians including Fortune Feimster, Gianmarco Soresi, Morgan Jay, Craig Conant, and Rafi Bastos.
Her comedy centres women’s experiences, social behaviour, and the unspoken rules people are expected to follow, delivered with a playful irreverence and fearless perspective. In 2025, she independently released her debut stand-up special Thick & Thin on YouTube, further cementing her reputation as a rising global voice in comedy.
The Edinburgh Fringe run of Feral follows her biggest Australian festival circuit tour to date, with a show designed for audiences who enjoy intelligent, feminist, self-aware comedy that moves seamlessly between big laughs, audience interaction, and bold storytelling.
THE Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society officially opened Fringe Central on Infirmary Street in the heart of the Old Town at the weekend.
The new permanent home for the Fringe Society was opened by Culture Minister Ian Murray, City of Edinburgh Council Culture & Communities Committee Convener Cllr Margaret Graham, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Tony Lankester, City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cllr Jane Meagher and Chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Benny Higgins.
Fringe Central will be an inclusive, year-round hub for the Fringe community, providing support to artists in preparing and delivering their Edinburgh Festival Fringe experience. They will be able to access services which include guidance on developing their show, support in achieving their future career ambitions and industry engagement, and advice on how to market and promote their work.
Throughout August, Fringe Central will be open daily, providing a friendly hub for artists and industry to connect and build relationships within the Fringe community. The 2026 Fringe Central programme includes a range of networking and industry events, helping performers build relationships with industry professionals from theatre, film and television to aid onward touring opportunities.
Practical, in-person support from the Fringe Society team will be available to participants through one-to-one advice and artists will be able to access wellbeing services from local mental health partner Health in Mind.
Throughout the project, the Fringe Society has engaged with co-tenants Canongate Youth, who support young people in Edinburgh aged between 5 and 18, as well as other local community schools and groups, such as Royal Mile Primary School, Sciennes Primary School, James Gillespie’s High School and LGBT Youth Scotland, to ensure a space for local cultural expression and development was co-designed.
The project was made possible due to support from a range of partners, including the UK Government via the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The Foyle Foundation, SP Energy Networks Transmission Net Zero Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, and Changing Places Toilets Scotland Fund.
The Fringe Society would also like to thank the City of Edinburgh Council for supporting this project with the signing of a 99-year building lease.
Ian Murray, Culture Minister said: ‘It was an honour to open the Fringe Society’s official new permanent home today. It’s been a long time coming and I am so pleased that we have been able to support this project with £7 million from the government.
“I know from my experience working at the Fringe when I was young just how transformational it can be, both for aspiring artists, comedians and producers, but also for the entire creative and cultural ecosystem of the UK.
“I hope this permanent new home will enable the Fringe Society to keep Edinburgh on the map as a world cultural hub and deliver more and more for our up and coming artists, as well as their international audiences and local communities, for decades to come.’
Cllr Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, said: ‘I’m so pleased that the new home for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is now officially open. This fantastic year-round city centre hub will provide a welcoming space for everyone involved in the Fringe, while also creating valuable opportunities for local cultural organisations to connect, collaborate and thrive.
“This is an important and significant investment by the Council in the future of the Fringe and in Edinburgh’s cultural life, ensuring that the world’s greatest arts festival has a permanent home at the heart of the city it belongs to and that Canongate Youth will be returning to their familiar home too.’
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: ‘Opening Fringe Central today marks the realisation of nearly a decade of work for the Fringe Society, and we are incredibly proud to be opening this physical hub for performers and industry.
From today, Fringe Central is a welcome space to the Fringe community with artists able to access practical in-person support to deliver their work at the Festival Fringe. Year-round, Fringe Central will be open to Edinburgh’s residents, stakeholders, and our local arts community through support services and bookable rehearsal spaces.
“We are grateful for the support from the UK Government, the City of Edinburgh Council, and our wider funders and supporters in achieving this ambition.
“We look forward to welcoming the Fringe community into Fringe Central this August, and we encourage them to make the most of the opportunities available this month and beyond.’
Edinburgh International Festival initiates ‘Lights Down, Phones Off’, with Festival Director Nicola Benedetti helping to turn off phones at pre-concert ‘Sound Check’ desk
Edinburgh International Festival Director Nicola Benedetti was at Queen’s Hall yesterday for the first chamber performance of the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival, where she joined staff at a new ‘Sound Check’ desk helping audience members turn off their phones ahead of the concert.
The desk marks the launch of Lights Down, Phones Off, a Festival-wide initiative encouraging audiences to switch off phones, notifications and alarms for the duration of performances.
This initiative follows feedback from audiences and artists, with phones interrupting every concert in the 2025 Queen’s Hall chamber series, and invites a deeper connection with the performances themselves.
Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, said: “Live performance is unlike anything else, and the Edinburgh International Festival is here to protect the rarity of this experience.
“The power of our programme is intensified by the tangible, collective presence of everyone in the room, and we want you to be with us fully.
“When the lights go down and the performance starts, we would like phones to disappear from our hands, minds and ears. Views on this have been widely and boldly expressed in recent months and we are acting in communion with our beloved audiences, and extraordinary artists.
“The late, great Alfred Brendel, whom we pay tribute to in our Queen’s Hall series this year, said it best: ‘The audience’s contribution is concentration and silence – it’s an electricity the musician can charge from.’ That electricity is real, I’ve felt it from the stage my whole life. We encourage our audiences to switch off their phones, and let the art do the rest.
“We believe that live performance is most powerful when artists and audiences are in real communion with one another. On or off the stage, we all have a role to play. We’re asking for your full attention so we can give you something unforgettable.”
The 2026 edition of the Edinburgh International Festival takes place from 7 – 30th August. Programme information and tickets are available at www.eif.co.uk.
Richard Shillcock and Peter Olech are launching a campaign featuring Palestinian flag leaflets to challenge UK complicity in the Gaza genocide and the involvement of local arms manufacturers.
Richard Shillcock, the Communist Party of Britain candidate for the Southside/Newington council by-election, has declared that the formal twinning of Edinburgh with Gaza City will be a key issue in the party’s campaign.
Speaking ahead of the 3 September 2026 council by-elections, Shillcock condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis, uniting with fellow Communist candidate Peter Olech (standing in Portobello/Craigmillar ward) to call on all candidates to join a cross-party pledge supporting this international friendship move.
The Communist Party campaign features a unique election leaflet that folds out into the Palestinian flag for window display.
“As a father myself, it breaks my heart to have been protesting against the genocide in Gaza for nearly three years and to have been unable to prevent the murder of some 20,000 children there by the US-backed Israeli state, and the damaging and wounding of untold more children,” said Shillcock.
“I don’t need to describe this further—we’ve seen it on our screens every day.”
The move deliberately revives a contentious local political debate. In 2022, a citizen-led petition and a subsequent motion brought by Green councillors to explore twinning options were rejected by the City of Edinburgh Council following legal objections and administrative delays.
Richard Shillcock and Peter Olech are asking voters to use these elections to overturn that precedent.
In a joint statement, the candidates said: “We welcome other candidates and parties joining the pledge to pursue the twinning issue, whether or not elected to the council. Let’s see a majority of voters choosing candidates who support twinning Edinburgh with Gaza City.”
Richard Shillcock made three points linking Palestine directly to the Scottish capital:
Universal Humanity: The crisis is the defining moral issue of our generation.
State Complicity: The UK government continues to provide extensive military, economic, diplomatic, logistical, and intelligence support to the Israeli state.
Local Financial and Military Links: Corporate entities operating within Edinburgh connect the city directly to the Israeli state and military apparatus: the Leonardo UK arms company and Barclays Bank, a primary trader in Israeli government bonds.
The Communist Party of Britain is urging Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar voters to send a clear message against domestic complicity in overseas conflicts.
Gilded Balloon has returned to its beloved home at Teviot Row House for the first time since August 2023.
Scotland’s leading producer of live comedy and entertainment year-round and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has opened its doors to the public today across its four venues: Gilded Balloon Teviot, The Gilded Saloon, Gilded Balloon at the Museum, and Gilded Balloon Patter House.
Teviot, The University of Edinburgh’s student union, and the world’s oldest purpose-built student union, reopened its doors in March following a two-and-a-half-year refurbishment. The venue has been home to Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2001.
Gilded Balloon’s exciting 2026 programme features 225 shows spanning comedy, theatre, magic, cabaret, musicals and more from today until Monday 31st August.
Famous faces taking the stage include Graham Nortonand Maria McErlane, Gregor Fisher, Rich Hall, Deborah Frances-White, Mariella Frostrup, Gina Bellman, Phil Nichol, Fiona Allen, Fred MacAulay, Jack Docherty, Grace Campbell, Mhairi Black, Jimmy Rees, Paul Black, Jamie Kilstein, Tom Read Wilson, Kim Blytheand many more.
At the heart of the programme are several flagship Gilded Balloon productions and co-productions, showcasing the very best of comedy, theatre, conversation and live events. Highlights include the return of five-star hit Doris, Dolly and the Dressing Room Divas; the world premiere of Lois-Amber Toole‘s powerful new playSLAY; acclaimed US comedian Jamie Kilstein’s Can’t Tie Knots; reigning So You Think You’re Funny? champion Madeleine Brettingham‘s debut hour Legend.
Jack Docherty will also return with his eagerly awaited Butterfly;Mhairi Blackreturns withDifficult Second Album; broadcaster Mariella Frostrup will presentCracking the Menopause; the award-winning podcast The Guilty Feminist will take to the stage; iconic Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay’s showcases In Conversation as well as his new stand-up showGood Evening!; Wanging On – Livewith Graham Norton and Maria McErlane will have its stage debut; the next generation of storytellers will tread the boards in Story Platform; and the ever-popular Comedy Night at the Museumalso returns.
Beloved Gilded Balloon institutions also return to Teviot, with an iconic line-up of comedians taking to the stage every night for Late’n’Live, the legendary late-night showcase that has become a cornerstone of the Fringe. Meanwhile,So You Think You’re Funny? continues its search for the next generation of comedy stars through its competition heats and grand final, as well as celebrating its brightest new talent with Best of So You Think You’re Funny?
Karen and Katy Koren, Artistic Directors of Gilded Balloon, said: “Coming home to Teviot is a really emotional moment for all of us. It has been at the heart of Gilded Balloon’s Fringe story for more than 25 years, and while we’ve loved creating new homes across the city during that time, there is something truly special about returning to the place where so many unforgettable Fringe memories have been made.
“We’ve spent the past three years looking forward to this moment, and we’re returning with our biggest and most ambitious programme yet.
Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said: “With nominations now closed and just over a month to go until polling day, residents in these wards can start thinking about who they will vote for.
“Councillors play a key role in our democratic system, making crucial decisions that impact our city.
“I’d encourage everyone who is eligible to register to vote in plenty of time, and then make their voices heard in September.”
Poll cards will be delivered to registered voters in the area from today, with further information on when and where to vote.
If you live in these wards, the deadline to register to vote in these by-elections is 18 August. For new postal vote applications, it’s 19 August and for new proxy votes it’s 26 August.
Find out more about registering to vote on the Council website.
The election will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference, rather than using a single cross. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they like.
Polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 3 September.
Please check your polling place as this may have changed since the last time you voted. If you bring your polling card to vote this will help us and speed up the process, but this isn’t mandatory.
Polling Places (Ward 15):
Nelson Hall Community Centre (New for 2026)
Blackford and Grange Parish Church Centre
St. Catherine’s Argyle Church
Newington Trinity Church
Reid Memorial Church Hall
75th Braid Scouts’ Millar Hall
Cameron House Community Education Centre
Polling Places (Ward 17):
Portobello Library (New for 2026)
Branch Out Together
St Mark’s Episcopal Church (New for 2026)
Bingham Community Centre
St Martins Parish Church
Craigmillar Library
Hays Business Centre
Newcraighall Leith Victoria FC
The electronic count will take place at Waverley Court, starting at the close of poll at 10pm on September 3.
Communist Candidate Blasts Underfunding of Local Government ahead of Edinburgh By-Elections
.Richard Shillcock, the Communist Party of Britain candidate for the upcoming Southside/Newington ward by-election, has launched a fierce critique against central government accusing political leaders of prioritising military spending over critical public services.
Responding to voters questioning the link between local council services and military budgets, Shillcock outlined a direct connection between UK defence spending and the decline of local communities.
Skyrocketing Military Spending
Shillcock noted that since the 2022 Edinburgh Council elections, annual UK defence spending has surged from £48 billion to £62 billion, with further increases planned.
He highlighted that during this same period, the UK has committed over £25 billion in support to Ukraine—including £16 billion in weapons—alongside active arms deals with Israel totalling hundreds of millions of pounds.
Shillcock argued that the funds directed toward international conflicts are directly starving local councils of resources.
Richard Shillcock said: “The choice is simple: welfare or warfare. We can invest in people or waste money on war.
“My message to Edinburgh voters is clear—every cut to public services, every council tax rise, every waiting list, every crowded school, every substandard home, and even every pothole could be fixed if we stopped funding war.”
A Challenge to Rival Parties
In a direct challenge ahead of the 3 September by-elections, Shillcock called out rival political campaigns for offering superficial solutions to deep-seated systemic issues.
“Unlike others, the Communist Party of Britain is not going to pretend that performative tinkering with our political system will bring about substantive improvements for working-class people,” Shillcock ssaid.
“Voters should challenge every single candidate standing on whether they prioritise investing in people or wasting money on war.”
Gather Exhibition 
Private View: 11th September 2026, from 4:30pm
St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE
Free. No need to book.
