Edinburgh Festival

David Jonsson is sure to be a bonafide star come the end of this year and the world premiere of his first credit as playwright, Paldem, is certain to be part of the reason why. 

Deiseil in older Gaelic means “sunwise” or “clockwise”. Traditionally, moving in a deiseil motion was an act of good fortune, invoking protection; to move in widdershins (counter-clockwise) was considered unlucky. Contemporary Gaelic meaning of the word refers t being ready, prepared.  “Tha mi deiseil… I am ready”.

If you’re looking for absurdist comedy at this year's Fringe, then look no further! Fresh off his last play, another absurdist treat about a gibberish-talking Jellyfish-person and the repressive nature of traditional family values, Will Osbon returns with his latest show, Russian Roulette. 

After 10 years of comedy, Thanyia was finally set to do her long-awaited, anticipated debut hour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Everything was going to plan. Then August happened. A show about mental strength, the female body and how awesome the NHS is in Scotland.

A stunning visual epic of love and loss that transcends language. Multi award-winning collaborators Ad Infinitum (Beautiful Evil Things, Translunar Paradise) and Ramesh Meyyappan (Love Beyond) return to EdFringe. Arjun's father never learnt sign language. Now he's gone, Arjun must find his own way to honour him, but how do you say goodbye when words were never there? Ancient traditions meet modern reality in a journey from the UK to India, with electrifying storytelling, movement and sound

Something's wrong with Becca. Like really wrong. She's left with little choice over what to do. With last night's house party raging outside the door, Faye and Georgie must decide how to care for their friend and how much they're willing to lose.

Following her critically acclaimed debut hour The Hottest Girl at Burn Camp, Krystal has a brand-new hour about her years in hospitality and finally finding comedy. A tale of struggle, celebrity gossip, murder attempts, and musical theatre.

Red Like Fruit is a two-hander exploring questions around consent and the suppression of women’s voices in sexual abuse claims. The staging is minimal: Lauren (Michelle Montieth) sits on a chair on a raised platform, while Luke (David Patrick Flemming) stands at a lectern on a lower level beside her, reading her story aloud. For almost the entire 70-minute performance, he speaks as her - his voice carrying her words, memories, and pain. Lauren only occasionally interjects, sparking brief moments of dialogue. But for the most part, she sits silently, gazing out at the audience as her narrative is projected through him.

Full of juxtapositions and fizzing comedy, Aussie-but-Edinburgh-resident Laura Davis has opened up their heart with witty hour Despair Is Beneath Us. Recounting the toughest year of their life thus far, Davis presents a funny and vulnerably fragile tonic for anyone also going through some sh*t (isn’t everyone?).

Prohibition is in full swing but you're invited to flout the rules at The Snapper…if you have the password, that is. A wholly immersive murder mystery from interactive theatre company Not Cricket Productions, Murder at The Speakeasy II, is a fun and family-friendly adventure.

Irene tumbles through the wintry dark, braving the cold, the night and the wind. She is determined to deliver the gown her mother painstakingly crafted to the waiting duchess (London McKenzie) in time for the grand ball. Her mother, Mrs Bobbin (Kendall Buckley), has fallen ill and brave Irene will save the day with courage and gumption.

Family-friendly clowning is packed with silly audience interaction and goofy gags in this cheerful morning show. Commonplace objects like toothbrushes or teacups become moments of whimsical fun for little ones and adults alike. 

In a brand new hour for Edinburgh 2025, the erudite and endlessly affable comic Alice Fraser has brought A Passion for Passion to Underbelly Bristo Square this year -  a comedy show about writing a book about romance. (As an audience member it does not feel as niche as that sounds!)

In a charming tale for the stage, everyone’s favourite characters from the beloved A. A. Milne stories delight young ones and adults alike. The Wonderful World of Winnie-the-Pooh invites the audience to journey through the Hundred Acre Wood in a play with music full of the rag tag bunch as they wander through the forest trying to remember the aim of their search!

A restful and contemplative multimedia play for one audience member at a time, The Fahrenheit Alliance V is a unique immersive performance, originally from Japan. Concocted during lockdown times, it began as a way to stay connected when the world was in solitude. Now Hirai-Kikaku has adapted the piece to travel around the world, from city to city and from country to country, passing on messages in relay from one audience member to another.

I really need to touch that 3 times. 1, 2, 3. F*ck. Did anyone see that? In a world full of ugliness, desperation and people touching you with dirty hands, a young girl tries to hide her OCD symptoms, but it's in her DNA and the world starts noticing. But relax. It's a comedy. Fine, tragicomedy. A monologue full of 1,2,3's, changing from verse to prose focused on the PTSD of sexual abuse, which worsened the girl's OCD and developed it to a place where she didn't feel 'normal'.

How do you rebel against parents who are already rebels? Form a band? Cool. Smoke some weed? Whatever. But finding Jesus? Now that's hardcore... Despite the yoga and therapy, Callum's past isn't done with him, and neither are the ghosts he conjured. Through live underscoring, razor-sharp storytelling and a whole lot of holy sh*t, Callum dives into belief, regret – and the things that refuse to stay buried

Henry Cyril Paget was one of the world's wealthiest men, until he lost it all by being too damn fabulous. This fierce and tragi-gorgeous comedy musical is a true story about expectations, masculinity, privilege and failure on an epic scale. It's about feeling desperately weird and alone but knowing that to fit in would cost you everything.

When Shaun turned his back on the church, he found a new home in music. Confronted now with acute degenerative hearing loss, he’s making the choice to live joyfully in the face of life's many unanswerable questions. An exhilarating and celebratory true story about losing faith and finding hope in the darkest of places. The Olivier Award-winning producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer bring you this intimate and rousing new musical experience featuring creative captions. From Obie-winning indie-folk duo The Bengsons.

Emily Wilson returns to the Fringe at long last and proves herself, yet again, as one of the funniest acts at this years Fringe.

Devil's Point is an interesting show with plenty of potential, but one which never quite succeeds in engaging us fully.

Christopher Macarthur-Boyd proves himself as one of the funniest men Scotland has ever produced. When you rock up to a venue during the Edinburgh Fringe only to be greeted by two separate lines - one for ticketed punters and another for hopefuls - in the hundreds (but which feels like thousands), something tells you that it’s a big deal.

Newly-widowed Mrs Lovett needs to find a way to survive. Using skills learned from a whaler father, a courtesan mother and a butcher husband, Eleanor 'recalibrates' her life - and her relationship with God. An origin story set before her infamous partnership with Sweeney Todd, we discover what would later lead her to turn pie-maker. You may think you already know Mrs. Lovett, but this new play explores what made her: the brutal choices and disappointments of a life in poverty. When the difference is life or death, morality becomes a moveable feast - and Eleanor is getting hungry...

In a perfectly paced show featuring musical numbers and smooth crowd work, Robyn Reynolds details the ups and downs of her life – or rather, brings out the silver lining in the downs. A sunny disposition and riotous humour, light and dark and everything in between, this talented comedian gets her audience laughing at even the toughest subjects. Between family trials, chronic illness, and adapting to life on the other side of the world, it’s amazing she found time to breathe, let alone discover a knack for spontaneous quips or groan-worthy puns.

1554. The Tower of London. Lady Jane Grey, the 'Nine Days Queen,' awaits execution. The walls whisper the stories of the women who came before – and those yet to come... Battling sleep and the horrors that lurk within it, Jane retraces her short, tumultuous life. Can she reclaim her own legacy? Grey unearths the humanity behind infamous names: who was Bloody Mary? What does it mean to be remembered? A haunting, thought-provoking journey through grief, fear and hope, woven with a modern, emotive soundtrack. 'Do you think people would write about my love story?' – Lady Jane Grey.