This August, Edinburgh hosts at least 3,000 shows and close to 100,000 performances. In my fifth visit to the Fringe, I spent a few days pounding pavements and perusing programmes to find the something awesome in this drunken stramash.
And, like all attendees, I totally failed to get on top of this monster. As a whole, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is too large to comprehend, and all that a visitor can hope for is fun path through it, with a minimal number of hours wasted on untested comedians that appeal to nobody.
Although there are only a few days of the festival left, here are a few recommendations from my time at the 2026 Fringe, for the shows that will stay with me, and the performers that are worth looking out for in the wider world.
Landsfrau – هموطنهموطن
I saw this at short notice, on a whim, just like all the best shows. Afterward, I had to take some time after accidentally falling in love.
Landsfrau is a show of two halves, reflecting the two cultures that made it. Its central performer, Mariann Yar, is an excellent, arresting, and empathetic performer, building her performance from her experiences as a German-Afghan woman. As an aside, it’s an accent that fits together surprisingly well.
Although many shows have a two-half structure (as another performer on this list riffs on), here it feels as natural as human connection. Similarly, the performance looks at familiar themes, such as the guilt felt by younger generations looking at the cultures that made them, but here they easily fit among the world that she builds.
This performance answered questions I hadn’t yet formed, around how mixed-race peoples see themselves without some cultural mirror of the identity that they define. Although the opening is a hard introduction, this hour ended on a uniquely warm note, without a rose-tint. This deserves a larger audience, giving it the same level of ovation that the two-dozen in my performance provided.
Summerhall at 14:50 daily, £18.50
By a Thread
Contemporary circus acts are underappreciated. The description conjures images of cheap laughs and animal cruelty, but at the Fringe these acts tend to be raw displays of terrifying athleticism. There is something uniquely impressive about seeing three performers standing on each other’s shoulders only ten metres from your seat, which is not fully captured in a photo or a description.
Sometimes, these acts have more of a narrative than you might expect from something with the label ‘circus’, but this show took the form of ‘everything six people could possibly do with a rope and two pulleys’. Although there were hints of something deeper, whatever it was remained difficult to find behind the eye-catching stunts undertaken by some of the fittest people you have ever seen.
Those front and centre might have felt the air rush over them, as the acrobats swung directly over the audience. Those to the sides will have had a more dynamic perspective, seeing shadows loom large across the auditorium. Details such as these, from the music choice to the slight flexes of muscles that you can see up close, make performances like these thrilling to see in the flesh.
Assembly Rooms in New Town at 15:55 daily, £18
Frankie McNair: Huge Ass Mindset
Comedy is subjective, and I would not recommend the acts that I enjoyed the most simply because of this. However, Frankie McNair’s show is such a bold and human hour of entertainment that anyone not on board with her jokes would still admire her delivery.
Her show contains, as the warning at the door says, references to childhood sexual assault and mental health difficulties. Although this might give you some idea of the content, McNair takes great care in ensuring that her audience is comfortable with the content, if not the overwhelmingly hot space she performs in.
In a hearteningly open-minded and modern way, McNair is quite happy to stop the show to ensure no single attendee is overwhelmed, but remains happy to take on the audience as she sees fit. It’s a content-packed and energetic hour, sustained by someone who confronts the subject matter by giving it everything with, as she would say, “huge ass energy”.
I only got a ticket by asking the box office if they had anything, despite the Fringe app saying no tickets remained. As I write, all remaining performances are marked as full, possibly as a result of The Guardian’s favourable review, but it might be worth asking at the Gilded Balloon box office to see if any remain.
Gilded Balloon Teviot at 19:00 daily, £14.50
Peregrinations
After a late-night recommendation from box office staff, I headed to Peregrinations early the next morning. This is another “high-art” experience, more cultural than humorous. There is much more to the Fringe than comedy, and Peregrinations lies somewhere between performance art and theatre; a moving morning performance that threatens to overwhelm whatever follows it.
The performers of the Dutch Kills Theatre Company are, of course, not Dutch. This New York-based theatre troupe use only simple props and a carefully-designed soundscape to construct the world of someone seeking a better life, in a wordless but ruthless condemnation of the US immigration process.
The only constant on stage is the sound technician, who also performs much of the soundtrack live. As with Landsfrau, and many Edinburgh performers, simple props must play many roles, just as the cast manage to evoke every part of a complex world using only a few masks and some skilled physical theatre.
This is a provocative look at the dehumanisation of US immigrants, colouring in an often-seen but rarely-explored stereotypical character often seen in the background of TV shows from states. It’s a compassionate viewpoint that barely needs to be demonstrated to a liberal Edinburgh audience, but that nonetheless moves and entertains its audience, causing them to dwell in a world many would happily turn away from.
Assembly Roxy at 11:25 daily, £18
Considerations (not recommendations)
The first time at the Edinburgh Fringe, I spent most of my downtime leafing through a copy of the Fringe programme, emblazoned with the words “Into the Unknown” on the front. This is one of the best ways to experience the Fringe: throw yourself into something unknown, and perhaps discover a new interest on the way.
In that spirit, I present some shows that I cannot attest to. They sound interesting, and maybe they are. Maybe these shows are actually terrible, and you leave with a newfound respect for sitting near the door. Either way, the following are not recommendations, but considerations for those willing to exercise their own judgement.
Channel
Balancing an Edinburgh itinerary is an act in itself. If you are fully embracing the randomness and circumstance of the festival, it’s easy to burn out after a few days of climbing the streets, surrounded by people yelling at you in order to get you to pay for them to yell at you.
This is why I wish I had heard of this next “performance” sooner. Another from the Dutch Kills Theatre Company, they describe it as a “sound bath” that “feels less like a show and more like a service”. Channel turns a shipping container into a restful space, with an intentional absence of content that demands your attention, maybe letting you remember your life before the day drinking and gelato queues.
Reason I did not attend: Learned about it too late.
Assembly George Square at 16:00 and 18:30 most days, £16.50
Sauna Theatre
Similarly, this is another ‘recharge’ performance, or venue, generally. For the first time, Summerhall is hosting performances inside of a sauna. “Yes, it’s a real sauna!”, reads the leaflet, so swimming trunks and towels are a must.
The first sauna session starts at 9am, offering… a session in a sauna. Later, more complex experiences sweat it out, including a performance of Virgina Woolf’s The Waves at 3pm and a electronic music acts into the evening. The pun of “the hottest ticket in town” has already been done, so I’ll simply say that I’ll see you there next year.
Reason I did not attend: Interpretive dance is one thing, but renting swimming trunks is too avant-garde for me.
Summerhall at 9am-9pm daily, prices vary
The Palestinian Circus: Step and a Half
I have no doubt that The Palestinian Circus’ show was sold out when I went because of attendees wanting to support a cause they believe in. While supporting both the arts and an oppressed people is a noble cause, its worth considering that there are better ways to do both, and that the only people directly benefitting from sales were the troupe themselves.
But, as noted earlier, contemporary circus is underrated. The best show I saw in my last visit to the Fringe involved a Ukrainian circus troupe who had been forced to merge with a foreign group after the 2022 invasion of the country. Performing in a real-life big top tent, the Palestinian Circus was reviewed well, and might be worth considering if you’re in the area.
Reason I did not attend: Sold out
Underbelly Circus Hub at 14:05, £20
The Void
The Banshee Labyrinth is part of the free Fringe and a I return to year after year. This was a year to forget for the venue after a discrimination case brought last year, which might explain why this “most haunted bar in Edinburgh” was slightly less busy than during my last visit. In any year, most shows there play to a modest audience, with three all-day show lineups. But when I went, one show had a queue stretching out onto the street.
Most free Fringe performances tread relatively safe ground: approachable comedy to attract average punters, with venues only making money on the drinks sold around the performance. That means a lot of fun but unadventurous stand up routines, feelgood live music, or slightly clunky game shows.
This certainly isn’t true of all shows; the most daring performances in the city can only be found for free. Perhaps this year that could be a Romanian clown exploring the concept of internal emptiness in the basement of an Edinburgh bar.
The Void, I was told by an enthusiastic flierer, is about the emptiness inside people and how they fill it. It certainly seems to break the mould, swapping easygoing free Fringe smiles for “a desperate, deadpan mission” to fill the titular void. Something about Edith Alibec’s show seemed a bit more committed than most on the free Fringe, so if you do get to see it, please let me know if it was worth queueing for twice.
Reason I did not attend: Full up
Banshee Labyrinth at 20:55 daily, free
Concerts of the Future
Another Summerhall performance, another Australian performer, and a performance within a performance. Concerts of the Future is a virtual reality experience, promising to give attendees the ability to conduct their own performance of Beethoven’s Symphony Number Seven alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Running almost continuously throughout the day, this is a slightly different show to the normal, with each attendee effectively enwrapped in their own private experience. As VR technology in the home continues to flounder, this might be an interesting way for those new to it to experience its genuine power of VR, while also having a unique and individual show.
The makers suggest conducting fictional instruments with no musical experience, though I cannot guarantee that this is any better than a glorified version of Wii Music. But good news: Wii Music was actually good, despite what the world would have you believe.
Reason I did not attend: Attendees need to arrive ten minutes before the scheduled start time in order to set up, and the box office ticket vendor spent five minute chatting to the couple ahead of me in the queue.
Summerhall from 13:00, £11.50