Homes & Interiors Scotland’s top picks for the Edinburgh Fringe 2026
The world’s largest arts and comedy festival returns to Edinburgh from Friday 7th to Sunday 30th August. Artists and performers take to hundreds of stages all over the city, presenting shows for every taste. There are street performers and free shows to enjoy, but we wanted to filter through the noise and give you 10 recommendations for must-see shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026.
We’ve covered all bases here: stand-up sets from Taskmaster favourite Rosie Jones and social media star Yvette Segan. If you’re a fan of jazz, try Solo from the Pit, and if you happen to be a KT Tunstall fan, you’re best to book a seat at Traverse Theatre for The Singer, co-written and directed by Cora Bissett.
Keep an eye out for our foodie recommendations for the Fringe too, coming soon — places slightly off the beaten track that locals love. For now, find the show that suits you.
Cathy
When: Friday 7th to Sunday 30th August
Where: Venue 15, Traverse 1 at Traverse Theatre
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Eilidh Loan is a young Scottish writer. Her first play, Moorcroft was a true story based upon her dad’s amateur football team, and opened to critical acclaim when she directed it at the Tron in Glasgow. Cathy is a new comedy inspired by her grandmother, and how she dealt with the grief in her unique way after losing her husband.
Cathy, Eilidh’s grandmother, insisted that Elaine C Smith must play her and so she is. Joining her will be Michele Gallager, Chloe Hodgson, Alan Orr and Sally Reid.
Tickets for Cathy
Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying
When: Wednesday 5th to Sunday 30th August
Where: Venue 33, Cabaret Bar at Pleasance Courtyard
The Taskmaster star is back and talking about the big stuff: being single, the pressures of representing huge sections of the population, and gravy. Oh, and boobs. The BAFTA-nominated powerhouse returns with her loveable blend of cheek and charm following a nomination for Most Outstanding Show at Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2023. As seen on Live at the Apollo, QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Cats Does Countdown, Mock the Week and her Channel 4 sitcom, Pushers.
Tickets for Rosie Jones: I Can’t Tell What She’s Saying
The Singer, with music by KT Tunstall
When: From Tuesday 4th to Sunday 30th August
Where: Venue 15, Traverse 1 at Traverse Theatre
Featuring music by Grammy Award-nominated KT Tunstall, The Singer is a new piece of gig-theatre about Joe, a deaf artist who ‘sings’ with his hands, and Andy, a washed-up musician seeking a comeback.
Joe experiences music physically, feeling rhythm through his body, crafting lyrics that pulse with life. Their unlikely partnership ignites, prejudice closes in and their bond is pushed to breaking point.
A story of music, identity and connection, performed in spoken English and BSL. Music and lyrics by KT Tunstall, directed by Cora Bissett, based on the short film by Cora Bissett and Jamie Rea.
Tickets for The Singer
Yvette Segan: Guy’s Girl
Where: Venue 14, The Den at Gilded Balloon Teviot
When: Every day from 5th to 17th of August
After a brief hiatus, Teviot is returning to the heart of the festival in Bristo Square. One of Edinburgh Fringe’s longest-running and most iconic venues, Teviot will once again serve as our flagship performance hub. Its neo-gothic architecture and castle-like features have established it as one of the most recognisable venues at the Fringe.
Yvette’s not like other girls. She’s a guy’s girl. She’s going to spend an hour failing the Bechdel Test by doing jokes about a variety of topics including but not limited to situationships, gun violence and her dad. You’ll laugh and maybe gasp if she crosses a line by accident and then wins you back after that, but you definitely won’t cry.
Tickets for Yvette Segan: Guy’s Girl
Mayflies
When: Every day except Tuesdays until Sunday 31st August
Where: Venue 320, Rear Warehouse (Tower Street Entrance) at Brown’s of Leith
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Award-winning Fringe favourites Grid Iron present the world premiere of Mayflies, a site-specific adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s best-selling novel.
Everyone has a Tully Dawson: the friend that defines your life. This tale of ’80s youth and facing mortality in middle age is a joyous and heart-breaking elegy to the young people we still carry within us.
With an epic soundtrack forged straight from the heart of the ’80s, a former metalworks in Leith echoes the iconic venues of Manchester’s music scene, providing an ideal setting for this love letter to friendship, and a pledge: go at life differently.
Tickets for Mayflies
Jojo Sutherland’s The Real Housewife of Scotland
When: Venue 31, Slice 3 at Hoots @ Hilton (Bread Street)
Where: From Friday 7th to Sunday 30th August
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Jojo Sutherland is a Scottish comedian renowned for her fearless honesty, sharp wit and infectious energy. Dubbed The Real Housewife of Scotland – despite not having had a house for the last three years… or a husband – Jojo turns life’s chaos into comedy gold.
A master storyteller, she mines her own experiences of parenting, relationships and resilience to deliver bold, brutally funny stand-up that’s both relatable and rebellious.
Tickets for The Real Housewife of Scotland
One Hundred Voices
When: From Wednesday 12th to Friday 28th August
Where: Venue 511, Main Hall at The Scottish Parliament
One Hundred Voices is an interactive, audio-guided installation, bringing creative insight into living in the care system. It serves as an artistic act of recognition and celebration of the one hundred testimonies recorded through the Caring Scotland project.
Step into a guided immersive experience which walks you through an intimate landscape of memory, resilience and imagination, drawn from the lives of one hundred voices from Scotland’s Care Experienced community.
Fragments of stories unfold across sound, light and space as the audience journeys through a series of spaces.
Tickets for One Hundred Voices
Solo from the Pit
When: Venue 38, Studio at theSpaceTriplex
Where: Friday 7th to Saturday 29th August
Elias Faingersh, a virtuoso trombone player, reinterprets famous operas in a musical stand-up comedy show, framed by his personal dramatic story. The performer was awarded Grand Prix of the Reykjavik Fringe Festival as well as Best of the Fest selection at Orlando Sentinel and Best Solo Show at the Musical Orlando Fringe. As seen at the SoHo Playhouse Theatre.
Tickets for Solo from the Pit
Concerts of the Future
Where: Venue 26, Summerhall Lobby at Summerhall
When: Every day except Mondays, from Wednesday 6th to Monday 31st August
Reimagining the classical concert experience, Concerts of the Future asks: what if anyone could perform in a concert hall?
This unique show is a cutting-edge participatory VR music experience that gives audiences of all musical capabilities the chance to perform alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra through technology, music and movement.
An Edinburgh first, Concerts of the Future allows you to join a real world-class orchestra and play a Beethoven symphony.
Tickets for Concerts of the Future
Big Stuff
When: From Wednesday 5th to Sunday 30th August
Where: Venue 139, Roxyboxy at Assembly Roxy
Acclaimed Canadian Second City comedy duo, Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, directed by genius collaborator Kat Sandler, bring their signature mix of storytelling and improvisation to Big Stuff – a hilarious and heartfelt exploration of the stuff we leave behind.
This fast-paced two-hander unpacks the emotional and absurd aspects of loss – from basement clutter to memories that linger. With quick wit and sharp chemistry, Baram and Snieckus turn life’s big questions into big laughs.
Tickets for Big Stuff
