Shedinburgh Fringe Festival Celebrates Inaugural Live Year and Confirms Return For 2026

Shedinburgh Fringe Festival has revealed the highlights of its first ever live, in-person season at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – a year that saw: 20+ sold-out shows 4,000 audience members, 100+ artists, 20 brand-new performances, 5 Shed Original scripts developed, 20 hours of free talks & events, 6 new podcast episodes, 500+ Artist Card signups, and £15,000 awarded through the Shedload-of-Future Fund.

Following this resounding success, Shedinburgh has confirmed it will return as a venue for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Building on its mission to make the Fringe more sustainable and accessible for artists and audiences alike, Shedinburgh reimagines the traditional Fringe model – offering financial guarantees to all artists and creatives, as well as covering their travel and accommodation, alongside pay-what-you-can tickets for audiences. Created by Francesca Moody Productions the Olivier Award-winning producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer and with venue management from Gilded Balloon, the Shedinburgh season presented a curated programme of one-night-only performances, SHEDx Talks, and late-night music in its intimate 100-seat venue at The Wee Red Bar.

Shedinburgh's 2025 programme featured Fringe favourites and household names including Jayde Adams, Mark Watson, Jack Rooke, Deborah Frances-White, Marlow & Moss, Flo & Joan, and Chloe Petts. It also provided a platform for the next generation of theatre-makers, developing and workshopping five brand new scripts (Shed Originals) from writers Nick Cassenbaum, Rosaleen Cox, Tia Renee Mullings, Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, and Joanne Thomson, which culminated in a performance at Shedinburgh.

Jack Rooke said, “At a time where risk-taking at the fringe can often feel discouraged as it now costs so much money (too much money), Shedinburgh is a bold step in giving artists of varied backgrounds a shot at doing something brand new, off the cuff and potentially a bit oddball, but without the panic that you'll be massively out of pocket. It's a model that feels like it can celebrate exactly what the fringe should be: a place to launch an exciting fresh idea. And especially for so many artists who nowadays can't dedicate a full month because they need to work in other fields in order to afford making great art, Shedinburgh fills a perfect gap, allowing acts to pop in and out yet still feel a part of the greatest festival in the world. So, long live the shed and let's continue to think about how we can reform the rest!”

Rosaleen Cox said, “What a bloody dream to have MERCURIAL as one of the Shed Originals this year! Shedinburgh is the Fringe at its best: A venue that supports artists so fully that we can take more creative risks, dedicate time to our scripts and collaborate with brilliant and bold talent. If not for Shedinburgh, it's very likely I'd still be stewing over whether or not I should bankrupt myself to talk about Colin Farrell's eyebrows on stage. I can't thank the team at Francesca Moody Productions enough for all their incredible support in bringing this dark, twisted, crocodilian play to life, and am honoured to have been part of a dazzling Shedinburgh 2025 programme”

Sophie Duker said, “The Fringe should be all about subverting expectations and spotlighting brilliance - and Shedinburgh is a both a brave new space for fresh ideas and a reminder to us that taking risks is essential. My first performance at Shedinburgh was a revelation & I loved every minute!”

Francesca Moody said, “We have had an incredible month bringing Shedinburgh to life, live and in person for the first time. It's been thrilling to experience some of our favourite shows in this new intimate setting, alongside brand-new work from a line-up of eye wateringly talented performers both established and new. We're grateful to all the acts who have performed, the audiences who have crossed the threshold, the partygoers who have joined us for a drink, a dance and sometimes even an evening of karaoke. I hope that Shedinburgh has shown that there is a different way of doing the fringe and that we have carved out our own tiny and positive corner of the incredible ecosystem that makes up the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I couldn't be more excited to be building on that for next year when we return in August 2026.”

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