Underbelly Unveils Circus Hub Lineup For Fringe 2026

Underbelly has announced its Circus Hub programme for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The critically acclaimed Circus Hub on the Meadows will return this August with a lineup spanning circus, cabaret, comedy, and more. Set across two stunning venues – the iconic Lafayette Big Top and The Beauty Spiegeltent – along with a vibrant outdoor bar and family-friendly area, Circus Hub has become a true landmark of the Fringe and a must-visit destination for all ages. 

Audiences will once again be invited to escape into the magical world of the Circus Hub – the ultimate home of awe-inspiring and one-of-a-kind live performances. The Palestinian Circus will be debuting their brand-new show, A Step And A Half, at The Lafayette, which combines circus and the traditional Palestinian celebratory dance of Dabkeh. Audiences are set to be blown away by the performance as it seeks to promote hope and positivity through circus. 

In keeping with the theme of hope, critically acclaimed contemporary circus company Aloft will be making their highly anticipated return with the UK debut of The Pieces. Six of the company's incredible performers will seek to push the boundaries of traditional circus and utilise ‘pieces of hope' to demonstrate to audiences that we are always stronger together. Aloft are returning to the Fringe following the success of the critically acclaimed Brave Space which they performed at the festival in 2023 and was hailed as ‘wonderous' by The Guardian. 

Scandinavian circus company Below Zero present their debut production and first UK show and first UK show, PACE, at The Beauty each morning. The show is an intimate hand-to-hand duet exploring relationships, status, power imbalance, consent and equality, through original movements at the highest level of modern circus. 

This year's programme also features the return of fan favourites such as Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett hosted by Bernie Dieter, the acclaimed queen of Weimar punk cabaret, and Sophie's Surprise 29th Party – part circus, part comedy, all chaos – throwing the wildest, most nostalgic 90s house party you've ever stumbled into. Alongside a new spin on much loved Edinburgh favourite Splash Test Dummies who take the humble bathtub to ridiculous, side-splitting new heights in this family favourite.

Lafayette Big Top welcomes back festival favourites The Revel Puck Circus with their exhilarating show The Wing-Scuffle Spectacular. Packed with high-octane acrobatics, dizzying aerial feats and side-splitting physical comedy, the show delivers nonstop thrills - from balancing on the rola bola to daring chainsaw escapes - making it unmissable for audiences of all ages.

Also taking centre stage is Wolf by Circa, a gasp-inducing acrobatic spectacle in which wolves transform from chaotic disruptors into a fiercely united pack. With intense choreography, raw energy and astonishing physicality, Wolf is truly circus with fangs.

Japan's most talked-about contemporary circus company, Cirquework, returns to Lafayette with the smash-hit YOHA. This electrifying fusion of acrobatics, digital visuals and electro-Japanese sound promises a circus experience like no other.

The Beauty Spiegeltent welcomes another unique family-friendly immersive experience, The Flying Bubble Show, a dream-like fusion of bubbles and flight from Maxwell the Bubbleologist guaranteed to mesmerise audiences of all ages. 

Magician and Britain's Got Talent star James Phelan brings SHOWMAN to the festival, fresh from London's West End at Underbelly Boulevard Soho and an unprecedented run of sold-out shows in theatres around the world. This high-energy spectacle promises a magic experience that will leave audiences aching with laughter and dizzy with disbelief.

Since its launch in 2015, Underbelly's Circus Hub has remained the home of world-class circus at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Set in the heart of the Meadows, it was the first major venue at the Fringe dedicated entirely to showcasing the boldest, most breathtaking circus work from around the globe. The Hub's iconic venues – The Lafayette, a striking 550-seat big top, and The Beauty, a stunning 500-seat Spiegeltent – pay tribute to Edinburgh's rich circus heritage. Named after legendary illusionist The Great Lafayette and his beloved performing dog Beauty, they honour the city's historic love affair with spectacle and showmanship. Each year, these extraordinary spaces continue to push the boundaries of what's possible at the Fringe, offering a home for technically ambitious, visually spectacular and emotionally resonant circus that thrills audiences of all ages.