Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

The Fringe is unlike anything else — an entire city transformed into a stage, with every corner offering something surprising, moving, or hilarious. Wandering down the Royal Mile, you feel the buzz of possibility, and the sheer variety of shows makes it impossible to see everything. Two standouts for me was Daisy Doris May’s Big Night Out — sharp, funny, and full of joy - and Damaged Goods Cabaret show which was a celebration of empowerment, resistance, and sheer talent. It captured the very heart of what makes the Fringe so special: unexpected brilliance in an intimate setting. Practical note: it can be overwhelming at first (so many flyers, so many choices), but that’s part of the charm. Download the app, leave space for spontaneity, and let the energy of the city carry you. If you’re in Edinburgh in August, even one night at the Fringe is worth it. It’s a festival that leaves you buzzing long after the show lights dim.

Great time to be in Edinburgh. Even more exciting when Oasis was on town. What a beautiful city? It was very busy but nice to see such a bustling city with great people and tourists sharing spaces.

First time in Scotland and bumped into the fringe festival happening. Very lively , dancing , singing , stunts , plays etc So much happening. Was an amazing experience !

Lots of great artists and art. London symphony orchestra playing Shostakovich was magical.

This festival is based on the exploitation of local residents, who cannot to go work, shop, sleep and function normally for weeks. This has NOTHING to do with Scottish Culture, and it is imposed on us every year.

I’m really enjoying the Fringe this year. There is so much going on… music, theatre,comedy, circus and a lot of cultural shows from around the world.

For three weeks in August, Edinburgh welcomes an explosion of creative energy from around the globe. Artists and performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city, presenting shows for every taste. Find out how to make the most of the Fringe. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featured more than 51,446 scheduled performances of 3,746 different shows across 262 venues from 60 different countries. Of those shows, the largest section was comedy, representing almost 40% of shows, followed by theatre, which was 26.6% of shows. Established in 1947 as an unofficial offshoot to (and on the "fringe" of) the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every August.[3] The combination of Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh International Festival has become a world-leading celebration of arts and culture, surpassed only by the Olympics and the World Cup in terms of global ticketed events. It is an open-access (or "unjuried") performing arts festival, meaning that there is no selection committee, and anyone may participate, with any type of performance. The official Fringe Programme categorises shows into sections for theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, circus, cabaret, children's shows, musicals, opera, music, spoken word, exhibitions, and events. Comedy is the largest section, making up over one-third of the programme, and the one that in modern times has the highest public profile, due in part to the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. The Festival is supported by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, which publishes the programme, sells tickets to all events from a central physical box office and website, and offers year-round advice and support to performers. The Society's permanent location is at the Fringe Shop on the Royal Mile, and in August they also manage Fringe Central, a separate collection of spaces dedicated to providing support for Fringe participants during their time at the festival. The Fringe board of directors is drawn from members of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, many of whom are Fringe participants themselves – performers or venue operators. Elections are held once a year, in August, and board members serve a term of four years. The Board appoints the Fringe Society's Chief Executive (formerly known as the Fringe Administrator or Director). The Chief Executive operates under the chair. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose show Fleabag was performed at the Fringe in 2013 before it was adapted for television, was named the first-ever President of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in 2021. The planned 2020 Fringe Festival was suspended along with all of the city's other major summer festivals. This came as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak in the early months of the year, with concerns of spreading the virus any further. The 2021 festival took place during 6–30 August 2021, though it was much reduced in size, with 528 shows in person and 414 online. The 2022 festival took place from 5–29 August 2022 and marked a return to pre-pandemic levels, with 3,334 shows. Fifty were livestreamed, by NextUp Comedy, for the first time ever since the founding of The Fringe, in an effort to stay true to The Fringe Society's 2022 vision of equality and inclusiveness. The 2025 festival is scheduled from August 1 to 25.

Love coming for the fringe every year with our kids. Amazing!