Everything to know about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Learn all about the annual arts festival in Scotland, plus which of this year's Fringe theatre shows are coming to London.

Summary

• The Edinburgh Fringe was established in 1947 and is the world's biggest arts festival
• Several shows are confirmed for London transfers including Fleabag producer Francesca Moody's Crybabies: The Scaring and Roleplay at Soho Theatre
• The Young Vic hosts the Shedinburgh Festival with one-off performances

It runs in the Scottish capital for the bulk of August, spilling out of theatres and into tents, pubs, hotels and other repurposed buildings. It takes over the streets too, with artists and creatives handing out show flyers all along the Royal Mile, and colourful, costumed performers jostling to pitch their acts. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is unfolding every which way you look, but how does it actually work? Here’s a top-line guide.

What is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe – often shortened to Edinburgh Fringe, or simply the Fringe – is the world’s biggest arts festival. It attracts hundreds of thousands of punters every year, who between them purchase millions of tickets. The 2026 festival runs from 7-31 August, with almost 4,000 shows offered as part of the official programme, spanning circus, comedy, dance, theatre, and more.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is a registered charity and the main body behind the Fringe, the month-long run of which coincides with several other arts festivals too: the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), the Edinburgh Art Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

When did the Edinburgh Fringe start?

As the now legendary story has it, the Fringe was founded as an act of rebellion in 1947, when eight troupes turned up uninvited to the inaugural EIF, performing on the fringes of the official festival. They kickstarted a movement, which saw more and more artists follow in their lead every summer until Edinburgh Fringe was officially formalised in 1958.

Today, the Fringe is actually a much bigger entity than the EIF, as the latter only stages around 100 shows each year.

Why is the Fringe such a big deal?

Not only is Edinburgh Fringe the biggest arts festival in the world, it remains democratic in that it continues to run on an open access basis (although the rising costs of mounting a show, accommodation in Edinburgh, and transport to and from the Scottish capital are all significant). It attracts everyone from students taking their first steps on stage through to seasoned professionals trying out new material in a supportive environment.

Boasting a large number of venues, each with the capacity to stage multiple hour-long shows every day, the Edinburgh Fringe offers easier access to performance space than is typically available elsewhere, or at other times. And with industry titans including agents and producers milling about, many creatives see it as a chance to get their work noticed.

Will I be able to see any Edinburgh Fringe shows in London?

In short: yes. However the majority of London transfers will be dependent on a successful Fringe run first – and only announced once the Festival has culminated.

The most successful pickings from the Fringe (‘success’ being measured in sold-out performances and positive reviews) will typically transfer down to an Off-West End venue, or embark on a UK tour. Occasionally some, like 2023’s breakthrough hit Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! head into the West End. And Hot Mess, which premiered at the Fringe last year, made its London debut at the Southwark Playhouse last autumn and is currently playing a hugely successful season at The Other Palace until 6 September.

Edinburgh Fringe success stories

The Fringe has helped establish the careers of many performers and writers over the years, from Steven Berkoff to Tim Minchin. Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, one-person plays eventually turned into internationally acclaimed TV shows, are the current shining examples of what Fringe success can look like at its most fruitful.

Pop-tastic Tudor musical SIX, performed at the 2017 Fringe by Cambridge University students, is another famous breakthrough. The feminist historical hit has been playing an open-ended West End run since 2019 and on Broadway since 2021, and continues to tour the UK and the world.

Edinburgh Fringe shows transferring to London

You can catch the following eclectic selection of Edinburgh Fringe shows in London this autumn and do keep an eye out for further transfers – good things can take time!

Wiesenthal, Wilton’s Music Hall 1-5 September

Tom Duggan’s moving play, performed by Christopher C Gibbs, is based on the life of Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who devoted the rest of his life to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.

Fuccbois: Live in Concert, Soho Theatre 2-5 September

Bridie Connell's musical satire stars the Fuccbois, the world’s biggest boyband. They’ve sold more tickets and broken more hearts than anyone, but now it’s time to say goodbye to their frosted tips forever; they’re done. It’s an irreverent satire of toxic dating culture, but most importantly: the music is banging.

Crybabies: The Scaring, Soho Theatre 3-23 September

Sketch troupe the Crybabies present a hilariously terrifying tale about fear, faith, fathers (dads), fathers (priests), fantoms (phantoms) and finally moving on. The production reunites director Jon Brittain and producers Francesca Moody Productions, the Olivier Award-winning collaboration behind Baby Reindeer and Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!

Bigfoot Ripped My Dog in Half I Saw It, Soho Theatre 7-26 September

Three-time Fringe First Award winners Natasha & Xhloe present a brand-new Brechtian puppet show about two teenagers who perform fake Bigfoot sightings in their small Appalachian community – until a neighbour’s dog is torn in two. It's a daring and uproarious piece about conspiracy, misdirection, and seeing something with your own eyes.

Frankie McNair: Huge Ass Mindset, Soho Theatre, 7-12 September

Australian comedian Frankie McNair is tired of making themselves small following a lifetime of anxiety, complex PTSD, and low self-esteem. So now, whenever self-doubt creeps in, they ask one simple question: “What would someone with a huge ass do in this situation?”

Salty Brine: How Strange It Is (The Neutral Milk Hotel Show), Soho Theatre, 19-26 September

New York cabaret star Salty Brine’s new show is inspired by the American band Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, which was in turn influenced by Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl. These influences fuse with confessions from Salty’s adolescent longings in a genre-defying cabaret.

Shedinburgh Festival, Young Vic, Maria Theatre 19 September – 10 October

The Fringe comes to the Young Vic’s Maria Theatre with one-off performances from some of the season’s most popular acts. Performers include Jessie Cave, Flo & Joan, Lucy McCormick, and Lucy Moss, plus work-in-progress shows – you can say you saw them first when they’re next year’s biggest hits!

Flop! The Best Songs from the Worst Musicals, Wilton’s Music Hall 24-26 September

Even the biggest musical flops tend to have some gems in their scores. In this high-octane cabaret show, Arthur Hull (The Voice Australia) revives a motley assortment of numbers from misunderstood shows, including obscure and forgotten highlights from King Kong, Carrie the Musical, Moby Dick: A Whale of a Tale, and Diana The Musical, plus many more.

CADEL: Lungs on Legs, Riverside Studios 13 October – 15 November

Connor Delves delivers a powerhouse performance as cycling legend Cadel Evans, the only Australian to have won the Tour de France to date. Grit, storytelling and heart-pounding energy combine in a breathtaking theatrical ride, in which Delves pedals live on the very bike on which Evans sailed to victory.

Roleplay, Soho Theatre 22 October – 21 November

Following a sold-out Edinburgh run, Fleabag producer Francesca Moody transfers Hannah Reilly’s blistering one-woman show about an obscure feminist podcaster who reinvents herself in the pursuit of fame. It’s a ferocious interrogation of modern sex, the commodification of feminism, and the era of the personal brand.

Photo credits: © Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Pamela Raith Photography