More than 1,300 shows added for Fringe 2024
A new batch of shows to be staged at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been revealed. The 1,373 shows span many genres of the Fringe programme, including cabaret and variety; children’s shows; comedy; dance, physical theatre and circus; music; musicals and opera; spoken word; and theatre.
They join the 274 shows revealed previously, resulting in a total of 1,647 shows so far. More shows are set to be announced on Thursday 09 May, while the official programme launch will take place on Wednesday 12 June.
Audience members are encouraged to start compiling their favourite shows and booking early to support artists, using the hashtag #UnleashYourFringe in the run-up to this year’s festival. Below is a small representative sample of shows which you can book now
Cabaret
- Yes-Ya-Yebo! at Laughing Horse is ‘an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza celebrating South Africa's 12 official languages, sprinkled with that incredible township vibe’.
- Audiences are invited to ‘indulge in the hottest pop-up cabaret experience on Cowgate with a rotating selection of the most electrifying and scandalous performers at the festival’ in Big Gay Afterparty at Just the Tonic.
- La Clique brings its ‘breathtaking, hilarious, sexy, dangerous and iconic’ mix of circus, cabaret and comedy back to Underbelly with two shows
- The Burlesque Show at Hill Street Theatre is ‘a competition with a brilliant prize that will satisfy the experienced as well as the novice burlesque watcher’.
- 'Award-winning magician’ Dan Bastianelli returns with an all-new evening of close-up magic’ in Deception at Paradise Green.
- German magician Thomas W Kuenstner ‘combines applied psychology, storytelling and old-school conjuring to generate original mysteries’ in Truth. Lies. And Other Illusions at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
- ‘Mind-reading and unbelievable trickery abound in this exploration of how autism and magic make anything possible’: it’s Naughty or Neurodiverse – Magic from Another Planet at theSpaceUK.
- And in Sawdust Symphony at ZOO, ‘obsessed characters discover and transform their space and themselves, transporting the spectator into a unique DIY experience’.
- In The Taylor Swift Eras Drag Party at The Three Sisters, hosts ‘Blaze, Rujazzle and Rozie Cheeks… take you on a journey through the eras of Taylor Swift’.
Children’s shows
- ‘The disability Taskmaster’ Blue Badge Bunch returns to Pleasance ‘as two teams battle it out to come up trumps in a show where disadvantage is an advantage’.
- At Royal College of Physicians, games-master Jes presents ‘crazy bingo variations like you've never seen before’ in Amazing Prize Family Comedy Bingo.
- And ‘your little ones will move, groove and dream, plus you’ll walk away with your very own custom-made medal,’ in The Comedy Games with Coach Mon (theSpaceUK).
- ‘Full of inviting, imagination-tickling charm’, Taiwan Season: Little Drops of Rain (Assembly) ‘is a feat of non-verbal, environmentally-conscious storytelling ingeniously led by Foley sound’.
- How to Catch a Book Witch at Underbelly is ‘an open-hearted show aimed at children ages 4+ exploring the importance of libraries and sharing stories’.
- ‘Featuring stories by Scottish icon Alan Cumming’, Dragonory: Magic and Music at Edinburgh Fringe! (Hootenannies) ‘offers an unforgettable mix of storytelling and music, promoting love and acceptance’
- ‘Reimagined from a beloved Korean tale by Jung-saeng Kwon’, Aha! Doggy Poo (Bedlam Theatre) ‘incorporates dance, magic and Korean music to embody the philosophy that nothing in the world is useless’.
- ‘Edinburgh’s gruesome past is brought to life by two performers (as seen on CBBC’s Saturday Mash Up)’ in Plague, Poo 'n' Punishment at Greenside.
- Sing, Sign and Sensory at Gilded Balloon offers ‘an immersive, creative experience in customised, inflatable sensory pods’ for ages 0–2.
Comedy
- Among the familiar Fringe faces returning to this year’s festival are David O'Doherty, Flo & Joan, Reginald D Hunter, Milton Jones, Adam Hills, Dara Ó Briain (Assembly); Adam Kay (Edinburgh Playhouse); Bobby Davro (Frankenstein Pub); Andrew Maxwell, Craig Hill, Lucy Porter and Patrick Monahan (Just the Tonic); Raul Kohli (Just the Tonic and Laughing Horse); Sian Davis (Laughing Horse); Sara Pascoe, Nish Kumar and Glenn Moore (Monkey Barrel Comedy); Ahir Shah, Kieran Hodgson, Nina Conti, Rose Matafeo, Sophie Duker, Jordan Brookes, Paul Merton and Suki Webster (Pleasance); and Mark Thomas (The Stand), while former politician Mhairi Black makes her Fringe comedy debut at Gilded Balloon.
And amongst the international faces, there's:
- Prev Reddy, ‘the first South African comic that is Indian, queer and outspoken’ is at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre in Prev Reddy is a Triple Threat.
- In Antidepressed at Greenside, ‘Ege Öztokat talks, sings and screams about the wonderfully terrible predicament of her existence as a young woman in Turkey’.
- Mumbai-based ‘global stand-up star’ Rahul Subramanian makes his Edinburgh debut with Who Are You? at Assembly.
- Bodega Bonnies at The Stand Comedy Club features ‘a new rotation of the fest’s best comics from around the globe (but mostly from New York)’.
- Suchandrika Chakrabarti ‘tries to explain our chronically online era to her niece (5), and speculates about the future’ in Doomscrolling at Hootenannies.
- ‘He's been a TV presenter, DJ, double-glazing salesman, footballer and comedian’ – now James Gardner: Journeyman (WIP) is at Boteco do Brasil.
- ‘Shameless, charmingly aggressive and unladylike, she's the funniest half-Sri Lankan gal from Coventry’ – she’s Stella Graham, and her show Phoenix is on at PBH's Free Fringe.
- And Daliso Chaponda ‘revisits the themes of [his] ancient debut show’ two decades later in Feed This Black Man Again at Underbelly.
Dance, physical theatre and circus
- ‘Marrying traditional rhythms with modern dance’, HuXi / Breath (Paradise Green) ‘allows audiences to embody the intricate connection of Qi within and beyond, fostering links between self-realisation and higher realms’.
- In Korean Painter at theSpaceUK, the Contemporary Yunhee company paints ‘various pictures on stage using the traditional Korean hat called sangmo’, offering audiences a ‘mysterious experience’.
- ‘Award-winning choreographer Aparna Ramaswamy weaves together threads of body, memory, desire and devotion to describe the eternal relationship between the deity and the devotee’ in Ananta, the Eternal at Assembly.
- In The Flock and Moving Cloud at ZOO (part of the Made in Scotland showcase), Scottish Dance Theatre present works by ‘two of the most-exciting female choreographers in the European dance scene: Roser López Espinosa and Sofia Nappi’.
- At Edinburgh New Town Church, Flamenco in Scotland is ‘directed and choreographed by Inma Montero and performed by top flamenco professional artists’.
- Jolly performers from Japan will take you on a journey through a dazzling world of rhythm, tap dance and comedy’ in Sushi Tap Show 2024 at Greenside.
- ‘Towers grow and decay, bodies leap and are caught, physical limits are pushed to their extreme’ in Circa: Humans 2.0 at Underbelly.
- the Curve at Just the Tonic ‘stitches together acrobatics, dance, physical comedy and spoken word to form the image of life as a circus performer – and what happens to the body and mind in the process’.
- And audiences can ‘come and witness Martin and Logy’s ongoing battle against the gravitational pull of the planet’ in Circus Sonas Presents: Down with Gravity at Laughing Horse.
Music
- ‘Hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the finest songwriters of his generation,’ Dean Friedman brings his Words and Music to The Stables at Prestonfield.
- ‘After nearly a decade-long absence, Sandi Thom makes her long-awaited reintroduction to the iconic Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year’ at The Voodoo Rooms with her new song collection, Warpaint.
- Valery Ponomarev: The Jazz Messenger! at The Jazz Bar features ‘an unmissable exclusive performance from the legendary Russian-American trumpeter who dramatically escaped 70s USSR and toured the world with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers’.
- At Paradise Green, The Seas Are Rising: Stories of a Climate in Crisis is ‘a multimedia concert experience calling attention to the urgency of the climate crisis through original songs by American musician and songwriter Dan Sheehan’.
- And Grammy-winning cellist Leah Coloff ‘has played alongside the greatest names in contemporary music – from David Bowie to Debbie Harry’; her show, Super Second Rate, is at theSpaceUK.
- Audiences are invited to ‘join Delhi maestro Manmohan Dogra for a journey through soulful Hindustani classical music, featuring vocal ragas and a tabla solo in Banares style,’ in Raag Rang: A Journey Through Indian Musical Traditions at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.
- And at Valvona & Crolla, Pitchblenders: Só Danço Samba is ‘an evening of vibrant bossa nova, ebullient bal musette and soul-stirring contemporary songs from Spain, France and Brazil’.
- Brian Kennedy toured the US with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell in 1998 – now he celebrates the latter’s 80th year in Brian Kennedy – A Love Letter To Joni Volume 2 at Greyfriars Hall at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh.
- In Massaoke at Underbelly, audiences ae invited to join Rockstar Weekend ‘for their biggest and most spectacular show ever – a high-voltage, spandex-clad, crowd-powered, sing-along megamix of the biggest hairbrush anthems from across the decades, live and unleashed with giant video lyrics’.
Musicals and opera
- The Wellbrick Centre on Roswell Drive (Paradise Green) is ‘a conversational musical with poignant, comedic and absurd elements’, focusing on two patients at a fictional NHS facility.
- Macbeth at Saint Stephen's Theatre offers a new take on Shakespeare, mixing original and modern text with ‘songs from the likes of Foo Fighters, The Prodigy, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Dire Straits to name a few’.
- At Assembly, You & It: The Musical explores romance and technology with the story of Gyujin, who ‘orders an AI robot that eventually replicates his dead wife’.
- Beowulf the Musical at Greyfriars Kirk ‘presents two medieval myths intertwined: on one side the famous hero as strong as 30 men, and on the other a princess who must live her life in service to her kingdom against her own heart’.
- At Greenside, BANNED the musical ‘follows a group of gender misfits through the events leading up to their debut at a local performing arts festival’.
- Kafka's Metamorphosis: The Musical! With Puppets! is at Pleasance, ‘a silly, surreal take on Kafka's paranoid, mystifying masterpiece to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death’.
- Arias in the Afternoon at the Edinburgh New Town Church features ‘international opera singer Brian Bannatye-Scott (bass) with rising stars Caroline Taylor (soprano), Catherine Backhouse (mezzo-soprano), Laurie Slavin (tenor) and James Atkinson (baritone), accompanied by dazzling Polish pianist, Michal Gajzler’.
- At Underbelly, DIVA: Live From Hell! is a ‘blood-stained love letter to Broadway – a solo musical about rivalry, vengeance, and killer ambition’.
- And at theSpaceUK, Fringe – The Musical isn’t what you think – it’s 'a hilarious musical comedy about a cherished family run hairdressing salon in Essex’.
Spoken word
- Iain Dale returns to the Fringe with his All Talk series of political interviews at the Pleasance including Humza Yousaf, Alex Salmond, Liz Truss, Anas Sarwar and Ruth Davidson.
- Among the familiar faces returning to Edinburgh are David Harmer and Ray Globe, ‘the irrepressible Glummer Twins’, back with The Beat Goes On at theSpaceUK, offering ‘stand-up comedy, spoken word and music from the beat generation through eight decades.’
- Performance poet and musician Attila the Stockbroker performs 14 Days, 14 Completely Different Shows at PBH’s Free Fringe, alongside his Early Music Show at St Ceceilia’s Hall.
- At Hill Street Theatre, writer Gigi Bella explores ‘mental health, feminism and the gospel of Taco Bell through poetry, comedy and music’ with show Big Feelings.
- Poets Christine De Luca and Elspeth Murray, in combination with Katharine Wake on the flute, return to Edinburgh Festival of the Sacred Arts at Canongate Kirk, ‘with poetry and music, offering a reflection on home and homelessness’.
- Ben Kassoy brings poems from his ‘spectacularly original book to life in a solo show’ at Zoo. The Funny Thing About a Panic Attack uses ‘physical theatre, dance and traditional poetry reading to reveal the connections between mental health, art and pancakes’.
- Storyteller and classicist Jo Kelen brings a ‘new, poetic reimagining of the myth of Achilles’ with Achilles, Death of the Gods at Paradise Green.
- ‘Humour and horror are woven together with empathy in a shocking insight into the untold stories of ordinary women caught up in a whirlwind of politics, religion and magic’ in Witch? Women on Trial at Greenside.
- Tales of Haunted Edinburgh – Echoes From Beyond the Grave at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre invites audiences to hear ‘tales of the undead from a paranormal investigator as you discover a host of terrifying stories of hauntings from the city’s dark past’.
Theatre
- The Good Iranian makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut with ‘a mesmerising and moving production directed by Sepy Baghaei. Enjoy the art of storytelling and the triumph of good over evil, all in one educational hour’ at Just the Tonic.
- The Shroud Maker at Pleasance weaves ‘a harrowing story of courage, love, escape and disappointment with comic fantasy and true stories to create a vivid portrait of life in Palestine before the recent heartbreaking events
- Deaf Action present *Smoke Not Included, a scripted stoner stage play. 'I cannae tell if I’m having fun or I’m scared he’s gonnae murder us aw'.
- At Edinburgh Palette, a Pan-Africanist painter, Eda, is ‘cajoled by his friend and former agent Reki to go steal some of Da Vinci's works that are presumably on tour in an art museum in Nigeria’ in Who Tiff Monalisa?
- A historical satire championing John Kay, one of Edinburgh's unsung artists, Passing Likeness at Virgin Hotels Roof Terrace is ‘a play of grotesque caricatures and still more grotesque originals’.
- Enjoy a sip of mezcal at Comala, Comala, a ‘Day of the Dead-style theatrical experience’ at Zoo.
- The Basement Entertainer at PBH's Free Fringe is ‘a comedy about being a performer at heart’, as basement-dwelling artist Kate performs her sketches ‘to an audience of miscellaneous junk with faces drawn on’… until one of them starts talking back.
- ‘Two rising Ghanaian creatives navigate their perception of identity, success, assimilation and home’ in DRUM at Underbelly.
- In Do This One Thing for Me at Bedlam Theatre, Jane Elias tackles questions of Holocaust remembrance and how we move forward through an ‘acute portrait of her relationship with her father, a Greek Holocaust survivor’.