The Edinburgh Fringe returns from August 1-25, 2025, transforming Scotland’s capital into the world’s largest stage for artistic expression. With over 3,300 shows across 265 venues, this iconic open-access festival invites performers from 58 countries to share stories that spark joy, provoke thought, and challenge norms. From comedy and cabaret to theatre and experimental works, Edinburgh Fringe 2025 promises a kaleidoscope of creativity where every corner of Edinburgh pulses with bold new voices and unexpected discoveries.
MOLLY MCGUINESS: SLOB
Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Cabaret Voltaire – CabVol 2
Time: 14:55
Dates: 28th July – 24th August
Molly is ready to wow Edinburgh Fringe audiences with her frank, heartfelt,and hilariously honest new show about what it really means to be a slob. As she hit 30, while her friends were settling down, having kids, and hosting dinner parties for fun, Molly found herself living a very different kind of life, one fuelled by buffets and belting out Meatloaf at pub karaoke. After contracting Lemierre’s disease, a rare disease that affects one in one million people, Molly was placed into a medically induced coma and spent weeks recovering in intensive care. Molly now brings her story to the stage with unflinching honesty and razor-sharp wit.
SAM WILLIAMS: TOUCH ME NOT
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard – Below
Time: 17:50
Dates: 30th July – 24th August (no 11th August)
Sam Williams has a confession to make. He’s supposed to be at a monastery in France right now. Instead he’s making his Fringe debut. Why? Like any good Christian, Sam has gossip to spill, so don’t miss out on this ‘Barnstorming’ (Chortle) rising star’s highly anticipated maiden hour. Sam will explore the themes of growing up queer without a sense of community, and finding affirmation in the last place he would have expected: church.
ANNA HALE: CONTROL FREAK
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard – Cellar
Time: 17:50
Dates: 30th July – 24th August (no 12th August)
This is a person well and truly in control. She’s written the jokes and the music and the lyrics. She’s rigged the lights and sold the tickets, designed the costume and run the sound check. She’s even shown you to your seat. Of course she doesn’t need help. But what happens to a control freak when her world is out of control? She’s got sixty minutes to solve every problem in her life. Sounds easy. The real challenge is doing it without letting anyone else have a go.
AMY ANNETTE: BUSY BODY
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard – Baby Grand
Time: 16:35
Dates: 30th July – 24th August
Busy Body is a sharp, funny, and tender exploration of vulnerability in an age obsessed with authenticity. From the emotional meaning behind our collective obsession with stuffed toys (hello, Labubu) to the personal trials of trying Ozempic and aging in a world where every bathing suit seems designed for a different kind of body. This show weaves cultural critique with personal confession. It asks why being truly vulnerable feels harder than ever. But mostly, it’s about trying – awkwardly, honestly, and with heart.
PAUL COULTER: 5 MISTAKES THAT CHANGED HISTORY
Venue: Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Three
Time: 16:40
Dates: 31st July – 24th August (no 6th, 11th or 18th August)
This highly anticipated Edinburgh return will bring the hilarity and intrigue of history’s biggest blunders to festival audiences. Blending sharp comedy with fascinating storytelling, 5 Mistakes That Changed History explores the pivotal moments where human error altered the course of the world. Whether it’s a misplaced letter, a disastrous miscalculation,or an ill-advised love affair, Coulter delves into the missteps of the past with wit, charm, and a historian’s eye for detail.
COURTNEY BUCHNER: BIG IF TRUE
Venue: Gilded Balloon Patter House
Time: 17:20
Dates: 30th July – 25th August (no 11th or 18th August)
Courtney Buchner is back and she’s ready to admit that she… is a liar. A deeply personal, joyfully chaotic, and genuinely funny hour about honesty, Big, If True explores the currency of over-sharing and how we trade stories to get people to like us. Like the time Courtney carried her friend’s poo in a Sainsburys bag. Sorry Briony. And sorry for telling everyone again now in my show copy. “Would charm even the grumpiest of punters.” Broadway Baby (4 Stars). BBC Creator’s Lab and Hope Theatre Artist in Residence.
JESSICA FOSTEKEW – ICONIC BREATH
Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Monkey Barrel 3
Time: 17:40
Dates: 11th August – 24th August
Iconic Breath is a monster’s guide to tolerance and temperance. Jessica can feel herself becoming an emotional wildebeest right when her world (and the whole world, thanks)demands cool, collected ultra detached
saint-like kindness and understanding. S**t. The show finds Jessica digging around in her DNA for answers where finds so many beautiful horrors. She gets cancelled, she gets touched, and she gets a dolphin-based epiphany all in one show. The silliest of comedy for the scariest of days.
DESIREE BURCH – THE GOLDEN WRATH
Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Monkey Barrel 3
Time: 17:40
Dates: 27th July – 10th August
The Taskmaster treasure, Live at the Apollo star and voice of Netflix’s Too Hot to Handle presents a new hour about our bodies corporeal and politic, and what remains through ascension and destruction. As a woman who has narrowly escaped making life and experiencing death, Desiree explores death, menopause, spirituality and nationality, staking her claim as the right voice for these very wrong times, while offering insights into middle age, identity, social demise and other apocalypses.
RACHEL GALVO: THE SHITE FEMINIST
Venue: Pleasance Dome – Ace Dome
Time: 19:00
Dates: 30th July – 24th August
The Shite Feminist sees Rachel dive headfirst into the murky waters of Catholic guilt, girlhood, and sexuality. With her infectious humour and raw relatability, she delivers a bold, refreshing take on what it means to grow up religious, discover feminism, and still not quite get it right.
KRYSTAL EVANS: A STAR IS BURNT
Venue: Monkey Barrel Comedy – Monkey Barrel 2
Time: 19:10
Dates: 30th July – 23rd August (no 13th August)
Krystal dives deep into her years in hospitality, the wild world of celebrity gossip, a few brushes with attempted murder, and the unexpected path that led her to stand-up comedy. A Star is Burnt is a tale of struggle, survival, and stagecraft, delivered with Krystal’s signature deadpan wit and cutting observations. From the chaos of restaurant life to the glitter and grime of musical theatre, this is a fast-paced, hilarious,and unflinchingly honest hour from one of comedy’s rising stars.
You can find all the dates and tickets to all acts on the Edinburgh Fringe website here
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