The largest arts festival in the world is also the largest comedy festival in the world– there’s nothing quite like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August 7-August 31 2026). And indeed, for many punters the Fringe is a comedy – pretty much any British stand-up (and many foreign ones) who has a show, will take it to the Fringe.
With literally hundreds of comedy shows to choose from, flicking through the phonebook-like Fringe programme can be more than a little daunting. So we’re here to help. From stand-up legends to award-winning newcomers, these are the comedy shows we’ve either seen and reviewed or are most excited about at this year’s festival.
Got some downtime between gigs? Then check out our pick of the best pubs, restaurants and afternoon tea in Edinburgh.
RECOMMENDED: Your ultimate guide to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
What is it? Famously, Ahir Shah’s last Edinburgh Fringe show Ends came to the festival in 2023 as a work in progress that turned out to be so good that not only was its WIP status rescinded but it won the main comedy award that year. Whether or not newie Golden can top it – we know basically nothing about it so far – expect another personal but also cerebral tour de force from a master.
Where is it? Pleasance Courtyard.
What is it? ‘If you laugh it's comedy, if you don't it's performance art’ runs the undoubetdly laughter-worthy tag line Frankie Thompson’s new show, which not only points to how weird her work is but also to the fact that the genre is genuinely uncertain. Assuming she’s not radically changed her MO, the key thing to remember here is that her performance is in no way done in a stand-up style, but rather involves her lip syncing disquietingly to a mad collage of vidoe clips, like a sort of Adam Curtis fever dream.
Where is it? Pleasance Courtyard.
What is it? Perennially quirky star of Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Falls and Bojack Horseman and more, Kristen Schaal isn’t exactly sticking around the Fringe this year. But rather than stand up we seem to be getting an entire comedy play, starring Schaal and John Roberts (also of Bob’s Burgers). Exactly what The Legend Of Crystal Shell involves seems extremely ambigious: some descriptions say it’s about centaurs, others… do not.
Where is it? Pleasance Courtyard.
What is it? A lot has happened to Ania Magliano since she took a new show to the Fringe: last year she starred in Taskmaster, and this year she’s been one of the brightest stars of SNL UK. Will it have boosted her profile? Probably! She’s playing her biggest venue to date at this year’s edition, albeit she still seems wedded to a nice mid afternoon slot. Peach Fuzz is not a high concept show but more of the youthful stand-up’s signature gossipy observations and ironic send up of Gen-Z narcisissim. Expect a treat.
Where is it? Monkey Barrel Comedy.
What is it? Last time Jordan Brookes pitched up at the Fringe it was with the gloriously bamboozling Fontanelle, which turned out to be the high concept comic’s backdoor attempt to do a Titantic musical, complete with songs and a supporting cast. So when the show description for The Part of You That’s Always Screaming says that it’s ‘inspired by an absolutely shocking incident on a train’ you can be sure that there’s going to be quite a lot more to it than that.
Where is it? Pleasance Dome.
What is it? Paddy Young probably went into SNL UK the more obscure one out of him and his younger Weekend Update co-star Ania Magliano. But he’d certainly been making waves before that, with a furious post-pandemic workrate that saw him bring up a new Fringe show every year since 2021. Now is his moment to really grab the spotlight with the latest outing for the Scarborough stand-up’s imaginative, hyperactive observational comedy.
Where is it? Monkey Barrel Comedy.
What is it? Even by the fairly vague naming conventions of stand up comedy shows, it’s hard to imagine what sardonic Anglo-Russian Olga Koch’s new show Fat Tom Cruise will be about. Apparently it revolves around a story Koch has to tell. And furthermore, it’s a genre-defying show with immersive elements. In the world of solo stand-up shows this could mean everything or nothing, but Koch is an undoubtable pro and if she’s stretching her wings a bit formally then so much the better.
Where is it? Pleasance Courtyard.
What is it? The relative downgrade in the wellbeing of Western civilzation is liable to be bad for Nish Kumar’s mental health – the political comic gives the impression of taking every one of Trump’s depravities personally – but good for his audience: his mill is overflowing with grist. Expect darkly amusing dissection of the news, delivered by a man who gives every impression of being on the cusp of either a panic attack or combustuing from fury or possibly both. These Edinburgh dates are billed as work-in-progress.
Where is it? Monkey Barrel Comedy.
What is it? Andrew Doherty burst onto the Fringe with his superb spoof folk horror Gay Witch Sex Cult, before enjoying rather more tepid reviews from with last year’s Sad Gay Aids Play. Well when life gives you lemons, take brutal revenge: Doherty’s latest slice of amusingly macabre storytelling follows Felix Chatelier, a reviewer who accepts an invite to be guest of honour at a new fringe festival but soon finds creepy things happening ‘as he desperately seeks to answer the question: Why oh why did I only give Andrew Doherty three stars?’
Where is it? Pleasance Courtyard.
What is it? Iraqi-Brummie Al-Habib scored great notices with the funny, slick musings of last year’s debut Fringe hour Death to the West (Midlands), a coming of age-style set about growing up with Iraqi heritage during Iraq War-era Britain, and also about being from Birmingham. For his second show he promises to offer something ‘more relatable for white British people’ – Stuck in the Middle (East) With You is about growing up as a child of divorce, though from the title one imagines his heritage will come into it more than a smidge.
Where is it? Pleasance Courtyard.
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