New AI-powered tool simplifies show selection at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Developed by a former Fringe performer and local marketing pro to support small acts and reduce choice fatigue for both locals and tourists
FringeFlow.Ai helps users build full-day, Fringe itineraries based on personal preferences – no app, no login, and completely free
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A pair of Edinburgh-based entrepreneurs have launched a new AI-powered planning tool to help audiences cut through the noise of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe while supporting the thousands of artists who often go unseen.
FringeFlow.Ai is a smart, web-based show planner that creates personalised, walkable day-long itineraries in seconds. Those using the tool simply input their preferences – from comedy and theatre to dance or even “something weird” – along with a date and preferred location. The tool then builds a full itinerary, complete with showtimes and walking routes.
Co-developed by Sean Errey, a former Fringe performer turned marketing professional, alongside a long-time friend with a background in tech, FringeFlow.Ai soft-launched earlier this month and has already attracted positive feedback from seasoned festival-goers and newcomers alike.
“We love the Fringe and the wider festival, but we also know how overwhelming it can be,” says Sean. “When I performed in 2013, I saw incredible small shows struggling to find an audience while others dominated the listings. It’s not simply about talent but about how hard it is to choose on any given day!”
Unlike traditional listings apps, FringeFlow.Ai doesn’t rank shows by budget or buzz. Instead, a built-in randomising algorithm means any show that matches your interests – whether in a large venue or a 12-seat back room – has a fair chance of discovery.
“That randomness is part of what makes the Fringe magical,” says Sean. “We didn’t want to flatten that experience, we simply wanted to make it easier to access.”
There’s nothing to download, no login required, and no charge to use the core service. Audiences can share their itineraries instantly, making it especially useful for groups, first-time visitors or anyone looking to make the most of a single day in Edinburgh.
Sean adds: “This isn’t AI trying to replace creativity – it’s tech designed by people who love and live the Fringe. What we’ve done is build a tool to support discovery, not dictate it. If we make the Fringe more navigable, we make it more inclusive. FringeFlow is about giving more artists a shot at being seen.”
The tool also includes suggestions for food and drink stops between shows, and local cafés, pubs, and restaurants are encouraged to get involved as the festival gets underway – part of a wider effort to support local business.
Assembly Festival re-launches Local Residents Ticket Offer with EH postcodes getting exclusive access for 48 hours
To celebrate the opening of Assembly George Square Gardens for the Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival (18–27 July), Assembly Festival is Inviting locals to embrace the magic of the Edinburgh festival season withthousands of £6.50 tickets released this Wednesday 16 July.
The Assembly Festival 2025 programme boasts over 240 shows, so get ready for a wild ride through comedy, cabaret, theatre, music, dance and more. From returning fan-favourites and rising stars to the wonderfully weird, there’s something for everyone at Assembly Festival.
How it works:
The offer is valid on select shows only at Assembly Festival and Edinburgh Folk & Food Festival.
Starts 10:00 on Wed 16 Jul ends 23:59 on Sun 27 Jul or when tickets sell out – whichever comes first. Strictly limited ticket allocation, so get in quick!
You must log in to your account/register on our website first and ensure your billing address states your EH postcode.
You must select the local resident ticket option and enter the promocode FRINGE4LOCALS before adding to basket.
The offer is only valid under the Local Resident option at the point of booking – if this option is not displayed in the ticket options, it means the offer is not redeemable on the performance you have selected (double check you have selected a performance between 30 July and 03 August).
Exclusive to EH postcodes for 48 hours, then rolling out to FK, G, KY, ML & DG postcodes from 10:00 Friday 18 July.
Tickets are limited to a maximum of two tickets per performance and six per transaction.
All purchases made with Assembly Festival are final. We are unable to amend a booking once it has been processed.
This special offer is valid for performances running from 30 July to 3 August – don’t miss your chance to experience world-class shows at a fraction of the price.Grab your £6.50 tickets now and be part of the fun!
After a successful inaugural run in 2024, Edinburgh Fringe venue Gilded Balloon has relaunched its Postcode Pals scheme, offering local residents discounted tickets for some of the Festival’s biggest and best shows.
Over 125 shows will offer £6 tickets for residents across Edinburgh and the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk including Alana Jackson, Caroline Rhea, Jack Docherty in The Chief, Kim Blythe, Rosie O’Donnell and many more.
This year’s programme celebrates Gilded Balloon’s 40th Fringe, with household names returning alongside a lineup of newcomers and fresh talent. And now, Postcode Pals will ensure local residents can grab discounts for the very best Fringe shows for the first few days of the Festival, whether planning a family day out, late night comedy or thrilling theatre.
Postcode Pals runs from now until 6pm Tuesday 29th July for residents in EH, KY and FK postcodes. Valid for select shows from 30th July – 3rd August
Thousands of tickets across Gilded Balloon’s varied programme of comedy, theatre, magic, kids, musicals and more will be discounted for a limited time only. Locals have from now until 29th July to claim their Postcode Pals tickets, with a limited number of tickets available for each performance and subject to availability. This scheme enables local residents to see some of the Fringe’s top shows in the very first few days of the world’s biggest arts festival, with discounted tickets available for performances from 30th July to 3rd August.
Ts&Cs: £6 tickets (plus handling fees) for cards registered to addresses from EH, KY and FK postcodes via Gilded Balloon website only. Offer available to purchase from 12pm 14th July –6pm 29th July. Discounted tickets for participating shows from 30th July – 3rd August, subject to availability. Max 2 per show, max 6 per transaction. Log in to Gilded Balloon website and use PALS25 at checkout to unlock discount.
For the ultimate family day out, locals can enjoy a lineup of fantastic family-friendly entertainment from world-class performers like Lindsey Cole and Mark Thompson, as well as interactive shows like Woody’s Bush Cabaret for Kids and A.L.Ex & the ImproBots: How to Train Your Robot, which are sure to keep the kids (and parents) entertained!
Postcode Pals can secure tickets to some of the Fringe’s top comedians including Jack Docherty in The Chief, Rosie O’Donnell’s first Fringe, TikTok star Kim Blythe, rising star Alana Jackson, local comic Michael Welch and Aunt Hilda herself, Caroline Rhea. They can also enjoy some top-tier comedy from abroad, including New Zealand funny girl Sarah Bradley in Just Like Other Girls and NYC comic Liz Coin’s show Lizzy Sunshine.
For pals who are more on the adventurous side, Gilded Balloon’s interactive shows will keep you on the edge of your seat, and sometimes bring you onto the stage! Some exciting additions to the programme this year are IKEA WARS, which challenges two comedians to build Ikea furniture on stage in a race against the clock, Married at Fringe Sight, a Fringe dating show that ends with a marriage, as well as some show-stopping tricks at 1 Hour of Insane Magic.
Postcode Pals can also bag discounted tickets for some of the most exciting new theatre at this year’s festival, including Gail Watson in Faye’s Red Lines and EastEnders star Michelle Collins in her new show, Motorhome Marilyn. For the musically inclined, Arthur Hull’s FLOP and Midnight at the Palace are two that can’t be missed.
Katy and Karen Koren, Artistic Directors of Gilded Balloon said, “We’re excited to launch a second year of Postcode Pals and release thousands of discounted tickets for some of our very best shows to ensure local residents don’t miss out on Fringe fun.
“With the world’s largest arts festival on our doorstep, it’s important as locals that we embrace it and we hope Postcode Pals helps local residents to get involved, grab a bargain and see some big names, or maybe take a chance on someone new!
“With £6 tickets running across all three of our venues, there’s shows on offer for all types of Fringe fans – from the littlest members of your family to comedy fans, theatregoers and more.”
Gilded Balloon’s ‘Pals in Pink’ will welcome audiences from around the world as staff transform all three venues (Appleton Tower, Patter House and the National Museum of Scotland) into fabulously pink hubs of creativity with acts from every genre descending during the month of August.
Postcode Pals gives local residents even more incentive to start their Fringe wish lists early so they can take advantage of this great opportunity to see some of the biggest shows of the year at the start of their runs.
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.
Dance Base and Assembly announce 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme
31 July – 24 August, Edinburgh
Dance Base Festival 2025 in partnership with Assembly Festival will present the landmark venue’s 24th Festival programme, welcoming dance companies from across the globe to Edinburgh, as well as showcasing Scottish talent.
Prepare to be moved by movement at Dance Base this summer, as Scotland’s National Centre for Dance announces its 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme.
Delivered in partnership with Assembly Festival, a collaboration now in its third year, the 2025 programme will present 29 shows from 13 countries, forging connections and new narratives in the home of dance at the Fringe.
As well as continuing to celebrate and nurture Scottish artists, including Tess Letham and Malcolm Sutherland, Dance Base is yet again set to become a microcosm of international culture this summer.
2025’s diverse, multi-genre programme explores connection in its many forms; to home, across cultures, self-identity, nationality, history and technology – with Isaiah Wilson’s pioneering work score pushing physicality to the limit with the latter.
The programme brings choreographers from leading European companies in Luxembourg and Denmark together with artists from as far afield as Brazil, Hong Kong and the USA.
This summer’s Festival also strengthens relationships between year-round dance organisations in Scotland, providing a platform for the likes of award-winning youth dancers YDance and contemporary company Barrowland Ballet.
Fringe Fragments returns for its second year with a flavour of fresh tour-ready works set to take flight around the globe. This is complemented by showcases including Made in Scotland, Hong Kong Showcase, Kultur LX, Basque Showcase, Here & Now, São Paulo Showcase, Taiwan Season, #DANISH and Culture Ireland.
Artistic Director of Dance Base, Tony Mills said: “This year’s programme presents the variety, diversity and complexity of dance that exists both right here in Scotland and around the world.
“Witness late-night curiosities and concerts. Calls to action and invitations to reflect. Find that age is only a number and that any body can dance. In short – we invite our audiences to be moved by movement.
“It is a privilege to be able to curate, host and share so many different perspectives under one roof, celebrating dance and its unique ability to move you through feeling, imagination and action.
“We can’t wait to share our programme with the world this August.”
William Burdett-Coutts of Assembly Festival affirmed: “We are delighted to be working again with Dance Base, which is such an important flagship for the wonderful, varied world of Dance.
“The range of work on offer is inspirational and a hugely important part of the festival that is the Fringe. As part of the wider dance programme, look out for Barrowland Ballet’s second Assembly Festival offering Chunky Jewellery at the Assembly Rooms. For our audiences, have fun with this feast”.
Programme Highlights
Celebrating their 10th anniversary year in 2025, PRIME, Dance Base’s in-house company for over 60s, presents PRIME at 10(1 – 3 August).
They will showcase new commissions by Robbie Synge, alongside a revival of sections of Steinvör Palsson’s Carry on Dancing which premiered in 2016. PRIME will once again be teaming up with Lothian Youth Dance Company (LYDC), Dance Base’s in-house company for young dancers, for a double-bill performance DOUBLE TAKE (5 – 10 August) which showcases new works from both companies including Dance Base’s own Artistic Director Tony Mills.
Another intriguing collaboration to catch is Evolution (5 – 10 August), a celebration of dance that unites Scotland and Estonia’s next generation of talent. Presented by YDance, this international collaboration features the National Youth Dance Company of Scotland, Estonia’s ETA Kompanii, and the 2025 Project Y Evolution Company. Don’t miss this vibrant fusion of movement and culture in an unforgettable performance of innovation, energy, and global collaboration.
Following a successful limited run at the 2024 Festival, Christine Thynne, aged 82, and Robbie Synge return to Dance Base this August to present These Mechanisms (1 – 20 August), as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase. These Mechanisms is a performance of persistence and joy, celebrating the beautiful functions and limits of a human body and the desire to make things happen. Proving, once again, that age can neither limit nor defy us.
Also crossing generational divides is Wee Man (5 – 17 August) by Barrowland Ballet, created by the company’s award-winning choreographer Natasha Gilmore. A highly physical and dynamic dance-theatre performance by an all male cast of men and teenagers, this candid and compelling work explores the shifting, and unshifting, rules of masculinity across the ages. Inspired by Gilmore’s experience of being a mother of teenage boys, it combines raw movement with evocative sound by Luke Sutherland and poetry by Kevin P Gilday, to unpack the ‘rulebook’ of accepted male behaviour, from the seemingly benign to the dangerous.
A frequent collaborator with Dance Base, Edinburgh-based artist Tess Letham returns to the Fringe with the World Premiere of What ever happened to Harmony Banks? (5 – 10 August). Tracing her story from media darling to public downfall, this playful and poignant new show portrays the rise and fall of a fictional icon, Harmony Banks, through a vibrant blend of dance-theatre and live documentary. In a similar vein, Norwegian company, 71BODIES’, NORMAL ∞ (31 July – 3 August), is an interdisciplinary production merging dance, storytelling and film. NORMAL∞ is about people, bodies and stories that do not belong to mainstream society.
Also fusing text with movement and situational absurdity, Malcolm Sutherland’s evocative work Solitude Without Loneliness (2 – 10 August) delves into the, often misunderstood, distinction between solitude and loneliness. Meanwhile, Lithuanian artist Vilma Pitrinaite presents similar themes in When you’re alone in your forest always remember you’re not alone (31 July – 10 August). This solo performance is a raw cry against the brutality of our times. With indignant voices rising one after another, fragmented movements evolve into a ritual against helplessness.
In an increasingly tech-driven world, Isaiah Wilson’s thought-provoking piece, score (12 – 24 August) examines the relationship between the human body and technology, questioning how advancements meant to simplify life may disconnect us from free will and cognitive abilities. Using electric muscle stimulation (EMS), three performers’ muscles are involuntarily activated, allowing choreography to be driven by computational code.
Set against a backdrop of flowing white sheets, dancers move through ever-changing spaces, exploring new states of being and new homes in Kathryn Gordon: A Journey of Flight (12 – 17 August). Created in Shetland, this visually stunning piece, inspired by the migration of birds, invites audiences to reflect on the delicate balance between nature, movement and our emotional ties to place and each other. Meanwhile, playful and poetic Fields (Extract) by In the Fields Project (5 – 24 August), draws the audience into a textured landscape of stone, where patterns of dwelling are made and unmade, shaped by land, time and human hands. Supported by Dance Base, City Moves, and Tramway.
Exploring the power of nature, caring for ourselves, and reconnecting with the body, through warm temperatures (12 – 24 August) – Mele Broomes’ latest work, affirms castor oil’s legacy as a natural remedy, an elixir, and a historic source that transcends boundaries. Presented as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase, Mele Broomes’ choreography and vocals combine with Simone Seales’ live cello and electronic soundscapes, as performers shift between solos, duos and collective movements; building towards a place of warmth, self-acceptance, release and renewal.
Fresh from his recent residency at Dance Base, Mark Bleakley’s Stepping in… Spilling out… (12 – 17 August), a collaboration with French percussionist Rémy Gouffault, takes a walk back through Mark’s personal history of dance practice. A stroll through the foundational act of stepping; the different people, communities, histories, places and politics that Mark encounters through these movements. Presented as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase.
The merging of cultures and ancient traditions with contemporary innovation is also showcased in Dance Ihayami’s Dansa Rickshaw’s (31 July – 10 August), which invites audiences to experience the universal language of movement and music. Choreographer Priya Shrikumar’s artistry reflects her dual heritage creating a dialogue between cultures in this vibrant performance which weaves Bharatanatyam’s intricate footwork and expressive storytelling with the soul-stirring melodies of bagpipes and the lively pulse of traditional reels.
Energetic movement inspired by music is further exemplified in Blue Violin’s Candlelight: Classic Rock in the Round (31 July – 24 August), a realm in which candlelight dances with defiance. Among 1,000 flames, Blue Violin shatters musical boundaries, breathing fierce new life into rock’s greatest anthems.
Watch as contemporary dancers emerge from shadows and smoke, their movements painting emotional landscapes through AC/DC’s Thunderstruck and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird.
Wakati is a Swahili word for time. Shelmith Øseth’s Wakati (31 July – 3 August) explores how past, present, and future affect the development of a culture and the life of a human. By using her own experience of immigrating to Norway from Kenya, Shelmith examines the expectations, ideas and limits that come with being an immigrant and multicultural in Norway.
Presented as part of #DANISH, AVIAJA Dance’s Soil (1 – 17 August) is a powerful dance performance about identity, language, and belonging. Through movement and the rhythms of the Greenlandic language it explores how we connect to culture – without words, across borders, and beyond expectations.
This August, Dance Base is set to welcome two performances as part of the Basque Showcase. Created by DAB Company, NOEUD (19 – 24 August) is a proposal, in which we delve into the working methodologies shared by Eduardo Chillida and Cristobal Balenciaga.
The creation of spaces and curvilinear figures are the concepts of both artists that guide the movement of their time towards freedom. Née (19 – 24 August), by Cielo rasO is a work that; moves us, gives roots to the human, caresses loneliness, stratifies loss, accompanies disillusionment, emancipates disenchantment, energises absence, fights for love, virtualises the nearby, sustains magic, frightens off demons, humanises the inanimate, returns from the dark, attacks the imagination, separates fears and puts them in order, crosses the air and strives.
Inspired by Romulus and Remus’ legend and the symbolic meaning of Rome’s city walls, Hani Dance’s Inlet (1 – 23 August) explores the significance of borders throughout history. Raising thought-provoking questions about walls and their timely relevance, Inlet examines their role as boundaries, fortifications and barriers that influence human interactions and perceptions. Presented as part of Kultur LX.
Presented as part of Hong Kong Soul, artists Blue Ka Wing, Justyne Li, and Panda Waack team up for a triple bill, each exploring different approaches to navigate conflict, similarity, vulnerability and beauty in Hong Kong Soul – Triple Bill (12 – 24 August). Blue Ka Wing’s re-do re-do questions; how can we create changes in repetitions, and can we find certain routines in a series of change?
Beautiful Chaos sees Panda Waack trying to anchor herself in different cultural and social contexts through exploring the beauty in disorder and confusion. Justyne Li’s Does My Body Represent My Whole Self is a work of exploration and whispered secrets, unfolding in a delicate collaboration with the choreographer.
Choreographer Hsieh Yi-Chun makes an impressive international debut with a brand-new ensemble dance about collective ritual and individual will in Chun Dance’s Taiwan Season: Trace of Belief (31 July – 24 August). Inspired by temple processions and childhood memories, her mesmerizing sextet uses a flow of dynamic movement to pose a key question: ‘What anchors our faith in an ever-changing world?’
Ireland’s dance theatre vanguards CoisCéim Dance Theatre are back in Edinburgh this Fringe with Co-Founder and Artistic Director, David Bolger’s latest hit, Dancehall Blues (12 – 24 August). Presented as part of Culture Ireland’s Edinburgh Showcase this August, the show captivated audiences and critics alike during its premiere at Dublin Fringe 2024. This bold, gripping, and unmissable duet unfolds in a surreal dancehall at dusk, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.
Part of the São Paulo Showcase, Brazilian company, São José dos Campos Dance Company present Voyeur/ Samba and Love (31 July – 24 August), a double-bill by choreographer Lili de Grammont, which explores vulnerability, control, tenderness and tension.
Voyeur opens the evening, inviting the audience into a charged, intimate space where private gestures unfold under the weight of being watched. Samba and Love closes with intensity – a visceral response to the burnout of modern life, where samba rhythms become a physical expression of exhaustion, desire, and resistance in a world that demands too much.
Also from Brazil, choreographer Alice Ripoll and dancer Hiltinho Fantástico present the premiere Puff (19 – 24 August). Puff explores disguise in African Diaspora dances, where silenced cultures, messages, and traditions are transmitted. Samba, capoeira, and passinho showcase speedy footwork and body dissociation, creating illusions that suggest something is being concealed. Presented as part of the São Paulo Showcase.
Two dancers specialized in acrobatics and floor technique have become tools of the classical artist’s genius, but inspiration is running low, and the choreography is not progressing in Kinetic Orchestra’s Bolero (12 – 23 August). The pressure is high, and emotions are heating up as they struggle to create something final. This duet is a combination of black comedy and skilled fast-paced dance, full of techniques from different acrobatic disciplines.
Presented as part of the Here & Now Showcase, SERAFINE1369’s IV (19 – 24 August) considers cycles, time, divination and decomposition. A quartet that fractures and unfolds from calm tranquillity into moments of blissed out dancing, four dancers engage in a detailed and expansive practice of constant movement, energetic tuning and impossible stillness. SERAFINE1369 is a dancer, choreographer and body-focused researcher. Cycles, time and haunting are recurring themes in their work.
Dance Base’s unique pitching platform showcaseFringe Fragments returns for the second year on 18 –19 August. Designed as both a public event and industry showcase, audiences can see excerpts from tour-ready performances from artists from Scotland and abroad.
Whether you’re an industry professional or simply a lover of dance, this is not one to be missed! This year’s showcase features a line-up of all-female creators from across the world including Luxembourg and Quebec.
The return of the showcase also affirms Dance Base’s commitment to working towards a more sustainable Festival for both artists and venues alike, helping to strengthen bonds and facilitate new connections.
Continuing Dance Base’s commitment to providing a home for Edinburgh’s thriving dance community throughout the Festival, the venue will also host a vibrant programme of public dance classes from 28 July – 24 August.
Members of Edinburgh’s professional and public dance communities can also dance alongside several artists from the programme including Kinetic Orchestra and Alice Ripoll Company in a series of Masterclasses running from 2 – 23 August.
Assembly Festival have announced the release of £8 tickets to shows across the Fringe programme, this May Bank Holiday weekend only.
From comedy, cabaret, theatre, music & dance; firm fringe favourites, exciting new acts and the always intriguing “what even is that?” there’s something for every Fringe-goer to kick-start their season in the Assembly Festival May Flash Sale.
£8 tickets to over 180 shows will be available on assemblyfestival.com from 10:00 Friday 23 May – 23:59 Monday 26 May for performances on 30 & 31 July and 01, 06, 07 August. Tickets in the offer are strictly limited.
Assembly Festival shows included in this exclusive offer include the cut-throat, electropop fuelled Shakespeare reimagining Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence, Grace Mulvey: Did You Hear We’re All Going To Die?, sister shows Raise the Bar and Beats on Pointe, and the smash hit rockumentary 27 Club.
Families looking to plan ahead can also avail of the £8 ticket offer on children’s shows across the programme including Monsterrrr! With Trygve Wakenshaw, Hello Birdsand the incredible high energy drumming spectacular The Box Show.
Use code: FLASH8 at checkout to secure your savings!
Offer ends for each performance at 23:59 Mon 26 May or when the allocation is exhausted, whichever comes first.
Offer permits 2 tickets per performance, up to 6 tickets per transaction. If the code doesn’t work, it means the allocation is gone for that performance, please try another date in the offer.
Today, 12 March 2025,the first batch of shows that will be staged at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been announced, and over 556 shows will be available to view and book on edfringe.com from 12:00 today.
The 556 shows span many genres, including cabaret and variety; children’s shows; comedy; dance, physical theatre and circus; music; musicals and opera; spoken word; and theatre. The shows announced today will take place across 100 venues. More shows will be revealed in the run-up to August.
In a continuing trend, this year more Fringe artists than ever have chosen to make their show available at this early stage, giving them longer to promote their show, grow their audiences and capitalise on all the opportunities available when taking part.
It is the artists, companies and venues who come to the Fringe who take the risk in bringing work here every August. Fringe-makers all need help to mitigate these complexities, manage rising costs and make sure this August is the best it can be for residents, visitors and the thousands of arts industry and media that come to the city each Fringe for the world’s largest arts expo.
The Fringe Society continues to advocate and lobby for more support for the festival community – support such as affordable and available accommodation, to the continuation of the Keep it Fringe fund, and anyone in a position to support is encouraged to get in touch with the team.
With over 500 shows on sale from today, the Fringe Society also asks audiences from near and far to start booking tickets now, to take a chance on an emerging artist, to plan a visit to a venue you’re unfamiliar with, and to dive into the first batch of shows.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘It is always an exciting moment to see the first shows that will be performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
“The 2025 Edinburgh Fringe feels more real than ever and being able to browse the first batch of shows adds another level of excitement. It’s incredible to see the range and themes of work as well as the talent and creativity that artists are bringing to the festival this year.
‘More artists than ever have chosen to put their shows on sale at this early stage, allowing more time to plan their trip to Edinburgh this August.
“The cost of putting on a Fringe show can be a barrier to attending and the Fringe Society is working to support artists in any way that we can, whether that’s sourcing artist accommodation, keeping registration fees affordable, seeking out funding opportunities, or simply providing advice to any artist that needs it. Our Artist Services team is on hand to offer support, so please do reach out to the team.’
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today.The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.
Cabaret and variety
In 1954: Ella, Etta, Eartha (The Jazz Bar) Melissa Western and her musicians pay tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Eartha Kitt and their ‘swinging jazz, powerful soul and cheeky kitsch’.
Returning this year is La Clique, being staged this year in The Famous Spiegeltent – which is returning to St Andrews Square, while Sexy Circus Sideshow 2.0 brings ‘alternative circus’ to ‘the dark arts of underground burlesque and cabaret’ at Assembly.
Alex Love: How to Win a Pub Quiz 2025 is ‘part stand-up, part actual pub quiz’ at The Stand Comedy Club.
At theSpaceUK, Dan Bastianelli: Identity is providing ‘a brand-new magic experience which uses sleight-of-hand, personal stories and honest deception’, while ‘rock’n’roll’s greatest magician’ Arron Jones is at PBH’s Free Fringe with #1 Greatest Hit Rock’n’Roll Magic Show.
Children’s shows
Join Baby Shark and the Mystery of the Sphinx (Gilded Balloon) at for ‘fin-tastic show packed with music, magic and mayhem’ or skip, clap and march together’ to traditional Scottish music at CeilidhKids at the Fringe (Laughing Horse).
‘Experience magical illustrations and amazing new music’ as you follow Milly’s Musical Adventure (Greenside). At School’s Out Comedy Club with Philip Simon (Le Monde),expect ‘children (and maybe even a few parents)’ to ‘take to the stage to share their favourite jokes’.
Among returning shows for children and their families are The Listies: Make Some Noise at Assembly and Doktor Kaboom: Under Pressure! at Pleasance.
Comedy
Dungeons & Dragons fans will want to join Tartan Tabletop: A Dungeons & Dragons Comedy (Gilded Balloon) for ‘improvised comedy at the roll of a dice’. At Laughing Horse, Chonk hosts a ‘body-positive buffet of comedians from across the Fringe’. Hasan Al-Habib, 2025 Keep it Fringe recipient, ‘was born to Iraqis that moved to Birmingham after deciding Baghdad wasn’t dangerous enough’ in Hasan Al-Habib: Death to West (Midlands) (Pleasance).
Join the ‘longest-running panelist from BBC Scotland’s Breaking the News’ Stuart Mitchell at Hoots or head to Planet Bar for Settle! for ‘a whirlwind of laughter, infectious tunes, and a good old-fashioned roasting’. At theSpaceUK, Chan Lok Tim ‘navigates life as a Hong Konger preparing to become a husband’ in Congratulations, Good for You – Cantonese Stand-Up Comedy.
At Scottish Comedy Festival, enjoy ‘dark, unfiltered and unapologetic takes on the topics most comedians are smart enough to avoid’ at Michael Shafar – Inappropriate. At The Royal Scots Club, Ian Wood relates anecdotes to show ‘being visually-impaired and a wheelchair user, one can get round most barriers in life’ in Living with Mitochondria Against All Odds.
Familiar faces at this year’s Fringe include Nish Kumar and Jason Byrne at Assembly, Andy Parsons, Chloe Petts, Deirdre O’Kane, Elf Lyons, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Marjolein Robertson and Rhys Darby at Pleasance, Paul Sinha and Richard Herring at The Stand, and Geoff Norcott and Ali Woods at Underbelly.
Representing Scotland’s comedy scene, Susie McCabe is at Assembly, while Connor Burns, Craig Hill and Daniel Sloss are at Just the Tonic and Robert Grainger is at The Stand.
Dance, physical theatre and circus
At Greenside, Tales From Your Queer Elder ‘blends movement and spoken word’ while ‘creating a powerful testament to living authentically while encouraging others to follow their dreams’.
Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths return to Assembly with Ten Thousand Hours, bringing ‘an ode to the countless hours of sweat and joy needed to achieve great things’.
Art of Andalucia brings a must-see flamenco spectacle to YOTEL Edinburgh, while at theSpaceUK, Sole to Soul ‘blends the physical language of traditional Chinese opera with the expressive symbolism of modern dance’.
Music
For an ‘evening of classics from the silver screen’, check out Tutti Orchestra: At the Movies at Canongate Kirk, or ‘experience the beauty of Italian and Neapolitan love songs’ at La Dolce Vita: A Celebration with Philip Contini(Valvona & Crolla).
MASSAOKE has two runs at Underbelly this year, 90s Live – ‘everything from rock to rave, girl power to grunge and Britpop to boybands’ – and Sing The Musicals – ‘Mamma Mia, Hamilton, Frozen, The Greatest Showman, Dirty Dancing, Les Mis, Jungle Book, We Will Rock You, Phantom, Mary Poppins and many more’.
Ali Affleck comes to the Fringe with five shows this year: she’s with her band The Vagabond Jacks playing Hot Roots Jazz, Highway Honky-Tonk, Rags and Blues at the Argyle Cellar Bar; paying tribute to Billie Holiday with Sophisticated Lady at The Jazz Bar; and revisiting both venues with Ali Affleck Presents: A Hot Time in the Old Town – Celebrating the Wild Trailblazers of Blues and Jazz; Ali Affleck and the Traveling Janes – Bringing Bold, Brassy Bedlam to Swing, Blues and Trad Folk/Roots Jazz; and Ali Affleck’s Queens of Swing.
Head over to Footstomping: Live Scottish Music (WHISKI Bar & Restaurant) for a ‘vibrant foot-stomping good time’ or listen to ‘up-and-coming young musicians’ at Marchmont Music (Marchmont St Giles Church).
Journey to Stolen Identity (Saint Stephen’s Theatre) explores ‘women’s rights through a blend of musical genres, starting with classical but evolving into jazz and rock’. At Edinburgh New Town Church,Andrii Kymach: Ukraine is a ‘new recital, Ukraine, specially devised for 2025’s Day of Ukraine Independence’.
There are a number of tribute acts across venues, including Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and Celine Dion at theSpaceUK, Abba at Greyfriars Hall at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh andJoni Mitchell at Le Monde.
Musicals and opera
Check out Charles ii: Living Libido Loca atPBH’s Free Fringe for a ‘raunchy adult historical comedy centered around the life and libido of Charles ii’ or head to Rock of Ages at Paradise Green for ‘powerhouse vocals, epic guitar solos, and all your favorite 80s rock anthems’.
How to Win Against History is a ‘tragi-gorgeous comedy musical’ and ‘a true story about expectations, masculinity, privilege and failure on an epic scale’ at Underbelly.
At Greenside, the prince breaks free of the fairytale to ‘sing his very own songs and complain about what his life could be’ in To Be a Prince. At theSpaceUK, ‘ancient Silk Road meets the present, and centuries-old murals come alive’ in Dunhuang.
Updated for 2025 with new songs, I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical the ‘musical comedy revue revealing all about musicals and the people who love them’ is back at Gilded Balloon.
If you fancy a ‘murder-mystery comedy musical’, head to The Detective’s Demise at Just the Tonic for ‘showstopping songs and devilish twists’.
Spoken word
At The Stand, ‘elected MP for Islington North, former Labour leader, and Peace and Justice project founder’ Jeremy Corbyn is in conversation.
For ‘an amusing take on life, with the added hint of truth’, check out What Are You Laughing At? at theSpaceUK, while ‘Peter gives a stirring and passionate account of his great-grandmother’s hard-fought campaign for the right to vote over 100 years ago’ in Alice Hawkins – Working Class Suffragette at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
Theatre
Shakespeare for Breakfast is back at C Venues, offering a ‘sensational Shakespearience, perfect for hardened fans and blank-verse virgins alike’ while former Chelsea FC trainee Alfie Cain delivers a ‘raw and powerful solo performance … exposing the brutal reality of football’s unforgiving system’ in Dropped at Easter Road Stadium.
Timestamp at Dovecot Studios is a ‘performance duet of sonic verse, dance, and audience experience that challenges the expectations imposed upon us in society.’ A Period of Faith follows Faith’s ‘battle against Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder in a moving and thought-provoking way’ at Hill Street Theatre.
Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come (Underbelly) explores ‘messy realities, fantasies, sexpectations and navigating life and relationships as British Asian women’.
Experience the beauty of Italian literature and the terror of looming deadlines at Valvona & Crolla with No Shakespeare. At theSpaceUK, The Boy from Bantay takes us on Jeremy’s ‘heartwarming journey of growth and self-discovery’.
Miriam Margolyes is back this August with Margolyes and Dickens: More Best Bits, bringing ‘more characters, more Dickens and more fascinating stories about the man behind the classics’ to Pleasance. More familiar favourites returning this year are Trainspotting Live atPleasanceand Xhloe and Natasha with three shows at theSpaceUK – A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First, And Then the Rodeo Burned Down and What If They Ate the Baby?
Head to Robot Vacuum Fight Club (Outhouse Bar) to ‘form a team, select a knockoff Roomba, customise it, then pit it against a dozen rivals in a series of knockout competitions’, or check out Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life (Summerhall), an ‘inspirational true story … about overcoming obstacles, pursuing passions, and the healing power of the arts’.
Bursaries of £2,500 to support artists bringing work to this year’s Fringe
Today, Friday 7 March, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2025 Keep it Fringe fund.
This is the third year of the fund, an initiative created to support Fringe artists to realise their professional ambitions, and in 2025 funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The Keep it Fringe fund was launched in 2023 by the Fringe Society honorary President Phoebe Waller-Bridge and funded by the Fleabag for Charity campaign, alongside funds donated to the Fringe Society by Edinburgh Gin.
Supported by £1 million from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) over two years (2024 and 2025), the Fringe Society is today announcing the successful 180 recipients of £2,500 bursaries for Fringe 2025. The fund received 848 applications, which were reviewed by 28 independent assessors.
Keep it Fringe shows span a range of topics, including IVF, Miss Universe pageants, Dolly the Sheep, incel culture, Deliveroo cyclists, tinnitus and football hooliganism, with companies and artists covering nearly every genre in the Fringe programme. Representing a mix of free and ticketed shows, 33% of the successful applicants identify as disabled or have a health condition, and more than 30% come from a working-class background.
The Fringe Society hopes to continue the Keep it Fringe fund for as long as possible and is actively seeking new funding and donations to ensure the long-term sustainability of this important initiative. Donations can be made here, and updates will be provided as the project progresses.
Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: ‘The Fringe is the largest performing arts festival in the world and gives creatives from across the UK the opportunity to showcase the wide variety of talent this nation has to offer.
‘This funding will ensure that artists from all backgrounds have the opportunity to put on a show for the international audiences and industry professionals that gather in Edinburgh each summer and enable the Fringe to continue to boost our up-and-coming artists.’
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘This year we received the highest number of applications to date which highlights how valued and needed this initiative is.
“We are thankful to DCMS for providing the funding that has enabled us to continue the Keep it Fringe fund for the last two years. We know that for many artists the financial challenges of putting on a show can prevent some from coming to the Fringe, and this funding will enable the Edinburgh Fringe to be more accessible to artists from across the UK.
‘We are keen to continue the Keep it Fringe fund, as we have heard countless testimonials on how invaluable this support is. If you think you can help, please get in touch with the Fringe Society team.’
THE SUCCESSFUL RECIPIENTS OF THE KEEP IT FRINGE FUND (alphabetical):
This list does not include the full list of recipients as three shows are still going through the final stages of confirmation.
4PLAY, Colours Run
Agent Red Arts, AUDITION
Aisheshek Magauina, 2 Muslim 2 Furious 2: Go Halal or Go Home
Alastair Clark, Alastair Clark: On The Record
Alex Mitchell, Alex Mitchell: “Tough”
Alfie Webster, lenny.
Alice Cockayne, Alice Cockayne:
Alison Affleck, ali affleck and The Traveling Janes
Alison Spittle, Fat Bitch
Amy Mason, Amy Mason: No Thanks
Amy Yeo, Well Behaved Women
Angela King, A Period of Faith
Aoife Parr, anatomy of pain
Arron Jones Entertainment, #1 Greatest Hit Rock ‘N’ Roll Magic Show
Maria A L Zani, The Collective: Breaking Barriers at the Fringe
Maria Who?, Miss Brexit
Martha Pailing, Chat Sh*t, Get Hit
Jasmine Thien, I Dream in Colour
Maybe You Like It, Down to Chance
Mianoora Kosonen, Echoes of Finland: Rare Piano Gems by Sibelius, Madetoja & Palmgren
Michelle Burke, Mind How You Go
Mohit Mathur, Dial 1 for UK
Molly Farquhar, Hairy B*stard
Molly McGuinness, Slob
Moon Rabbit Theatre, Shirley: A Ghost Story
Moonbeam Theatre Ltd, Once Upon A Flowerbed
Moonstone Theatre Company, ENOUGH.
mr blue productions, Something Else
Narin Ozenci, Narin Oz (Inner Child(ish)
Nate Kitch, Nate Kitch: Something Different!!!!!
Nathan Cassidy, Nathan Cassidy: It’s Not The End Of The World
Niall Moorjani Storyteller, Kanpur: 1857
Northern Lights Theatre, The Sculpture
Orla Newmark, Orla Newmark and Will Hughes: Chef’s Treat (WIP)
Out Of The Forest Theatre Ltd, Bury The Hatchet
Ozzy Algar, Ozzy Algar: Speed Queen
Parky Players, Been There, Done That, Got The Symptoms
Passing Stranger Theatre Company, People We Bury Alive
Pedro Leandro, Soft Animal
Piers MacKenzie, COURIER
Pigs Fly LTD, E@sy Ryan
PINCHY theatre, FLITCH
Ray Productions & Big Sofa Theatre, Egg’s Aren’t That Easy To Make
Roarrr Theatre, Here Comes GuDong
Rodreguez King-Dorset, I am the Greatest!
Rosa Garland, Primal Bog
Saksi Bisou, Stampin’ in the Graveyard
Salt Circle Productions, Bea P. Deigh
Sam Nicoresti, Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer
Sam Williams, Touch Me Not
Samia Rida, Kidnap
scott turnbull presents, Scott Turnbull presents…Surreally Good
Seemia Theatre CIC, Saria Callas
Shahaf Beer, The Jewish Dog
Shalaka Kurup, Shalaka Kurup: Get a Grip
Short and Sweet Theatre, Milk On The Side: A Barista Musical
Shy Bairns, Shy Bairns Get Nowt
Siblings Comedy, Siblings
SkelpieLimmer, SHAME SHOW
SkelpieLimmer Productions, Anthem For Dissatisfaction
Slow Theatre Company, ALICE
Sufrecs Ltd, Sufrecs Presents: ‘Live Music and Chat: “A Kick Up The Arts” Live Podcast Event’ (working title)
Susan Riddell , Kopfkino
Tamsyn Kelly, Tamsyn Kelly Hot Titty Bungalow
TEAM Collective Cymru, Relay
The Biscuit Barrel, Biscuit Barrel: The 69-Sketch Show
The Crunch Collective, Nick it For Munich
The Harbourers Theatre, Harbouring
The Horgles, A Xerox of a Deer
Tigers, Not Daughters, Cara and Kelly are Best Friends Forever for Life
Tom Little, Tom Little Less Conversation, Tom Little More Action
Tomas McCabe, 1Date: The Dating Game Show
TRIADA theatre company, HER RAVING MIND
Uncaged Theatre, Love you, bye
Undone Theatre, The Butterfly Project
Unexpected Places, After Juliet
V Jay Theatre Productions, Streets Paved with Gold
Victoria Evaristo, Ma Joyce’s Tales from the Parlour
Victoria Firth, Batty!
Victoria Melody, Re-Enactment
wendy houstoun, Watch It!
Wilmas Productions, Mr Jones
Xhi Ndubisi, The Apologetics of Icarus
Youth Action Alliance, As We Face The Sun by Kit Withington
ASSESSORS
28 assessors supported the Fringe Society in reviewing the applications received. Thanks to the following for their support in the fast turnaround of these awards.
Alex Howarth, Artistic Director, Patch of Blue
Apphia Campbell, Writer / Performer
Ashley Davies, freelance Arts Journalist
Ben Humphrey, Artistic Director / Producer
Chris Cooke, Founder and Co-Editor of ThreeWeeks Edinburgh
Geoff Rowe, Founder Leicester Comedy Festival
Jake Orr, freelance Creative Producer
Jess Donn, Just Something Different LTD
Pax Lowey, Director: Actually Rather Good Comedy Festival, freelance Producer / Programmer, elected member of the Fringe Society board
Ruth McCarthy, Artistic Director / Outburst Arts
Sasapin Siriwanij, BIPAM Artistic Director
Sharon Burgess, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts
Linda Catalano, Creative Director and Executive Producer, Quiet Riot
Paloma Estevez, Director of Artistic Programming, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Nqobile Dumo Mbhele, Artist Manager, National Arts Festival
Cat Sheridan, Senior Producer, We Are Unlimited
Rachel Clarke Hughes, Creative Director, The Playhouse, Derry~Londonderry
Stewart Pringle, Writer and Dramaturg
Richard Williamson, Lighting Designer / Production Manager
Murray Robertson, Arts Writer
Holly De Angelis, Development Producer
Saima Ferdows, freelance TV Producer
Ameena Hamid, Producer and General Manager
Zoe Paskett, Founder of LMAOnaise Comedy
Laura Rouxel, Head of UK Comedy for 800 Pound Gorilla Media
Aisling Galligan, Senior Events Producer and Programmer
