First shows revealed for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024
We are delighted to reveal the first batch of shows that will be staged at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The 276 shows span many genres of the Fringe programme, including cabaret and variety; children’s shows; comedy; dance, physical theatre and circus; music; musicals and opera; spoken word; and theatre. They will take place across 31 venues, with more shows to be revealed in the run-up to August.
It’s Fringe artists themselves who choose which date their show listing will go live on edfringe.com. For many, the reason to go live at this early stage in the year is to have a broader window in which to finance the show, sell tickets and promote their work.
This year, more than ever, we encourage audiences to start planning their Fringe experience as early as possible; to support the artists, venues, producers, promoters and all the participants of this world-renowned festival. It is a serious investment to put on a show at the Edinburgh Fringe and the only way that Fringe-makers can get a return is if audiences come out, see the shows and support the creatives who are the beating heart of this festival.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:
It is always special to see the first batch of shows that will be performing at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Those working across the Fringe have been preparing for this moment for months – laying the groundwork for artists to come to this year’s festival and the creative explosion that is August in Edinburgh. Being able to browse the first set of shows always adds an extra level of excitement. It’s a reminder that the 2024 Fringe is just around the corner, and it feels a lot more real for the whole Fringe community. I encourage audiences to support those performing at the Fringe this August by browsing shows and booking tickets as early as you can.
The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com and includes:
Cabaret and variety
- Cameron Young: The Scottish Magician (Gilded Balloon) offers ‘mind-bending illusions, captivating mind reading, and uproarious comedy’, while Ben Hart: HeX (Assembly) is a collection of Ben’s ‘most exciting material from the last decade alongside new ideas fresh from his laboratory, guaranteed to put a spell on you’.
- All-Stars Burlesque is a ‘celebration of bodies, tradition and inclusivity by award-winning, world-class artists and rising stars on the scene’ – it’s at Just the Tonic.
- At Laughing Horse, Stacey Clare and Gypsy Charms return with their adult Q&A session, Ask A Stripper: No Holes Barred.
Children’s shows
- A Bee Story (Assembly) is ‘a uniquely Australian physical theatre show for children and families incorporating a kaleidoscope of circus, acrobatics, dance and live music’.
- Doktor Kaboom: Man of Science! returns to Pleasance with a combination of ‘astonishing live science experiments, stand-up comedy and lessons in empowerment’.
- The Amazing Bubble Man, Louis Pearl, is at Underbelly, ‘thrilling audiences… with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles’.
Comedy
- Gilded Balloon hosts ‘the top three acts from the 2023 edition of So You Think You're Funny?’ – Samira Banks, Christopher Donovan and Lizzie Norm – at their Best of So You Think You're Funny? line-up show.
- ‘Transatlantic middle-aged Jewish atheist divorcee’ Leslie Gold brings A Chip Off the Gold Block (WIP) to Laughing Horse.
- Canada’s Ajahnis Charley dies and ‘awakens at the gates of Gay Heaven’ where he faces ‘a mighty, flighty and unabashedly white-y God’ in Thots and Prayers (theSpaceUK).
- Among the comedians representing Scotland at this year’s festival are Adele Birkmyre (Boteco de Brasil), Connor Burns (Just the Tonic), Jo Caulfield (The Stand Comedy Club), Kathleen Hughes (Gilded Balloon), Susie McCabe (Assembly) Raymond Mearns (Hootenannies) and Stuart Mitchell (Scottish Comedy Festival).
- All of the above will be joined by some familiar famous faces at the Fringe: Jason Byrne, Jessie Cave, Rob Auton are at Assembly; Fern Brady is at the Edinburgh Playhouse; Jimeoin is at Just the Tonic; Catherine Bohart is at Monkey Barrel; Catherine Cohen, Chloe Petts and Rosie Jones are at Pleasance; and Geoff Norcott and Rhys Nicholson are at Underbelly.
Dance, physical theatre and circus
- At theSpaceUK, ‘Hong Kong veteran community theatre company, Art Home, masquerade in masks and physical theatre to confuse the definitions of what is a human and who is a dog’ in Hound in the Light.
- Caller Ken Gourlay and his ceilidh band are hosting Ceilidhs (Scottish Dancing) at Royal College of Physicians, ‘an authentic Scottish experience in a historic building’.
- The Black Blues Brothers (Assembly) are returning to the Fringe ‘for the last time’, inviting audiences to join them for ‘the farewell season of this acrobatic celebration joining the energy of Africa with a R'n'B sound’.
Music
- At Novotel, Jazz at Lunchtime offers ‘jazz standards and melodic originals in a comfortable, intimate jazz club setting’ created by Ian Millar and Dominic Spencer.
- Memphis, Tennessee-born songwriter/singer/guitarist Andrea Carlson offers ‘a delicious evening of swing, jive, romance and occasional special guests’ at Andrea's 21st-Century Speakeasy! (Argyle Cellar Bar).
- At St Giles' Cathedral, South Australian cellist / songwriter William Jack performs ‘iconic songs (by AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Oasis and more) dismantled and reimagined for solo cello’ in This Old Cello Box.
- There are tributes to a host of popular artists across the Fringe, including (but not limited to) Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison (Frankenstein Pub); Lady Gaga, Adele and Joni Mitchell (Le Monde); Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Sam Fender (Liquid Room); plus Amy Winehouse, Celine Dion, Blondie, Dusty Springfield and many more at theSpaceUK.
Musicals and opera
- Created by Sarah Bishop, Somewhere (theSpaceUK) is ‘a brand-new fantasy musical with music and lyrics by internationally acclaimed indie-folk duo The Dunwells and other established Yorkshire singer-songwriters’.
- At Pleasance, Gwyneth Goes Skiing is ‘a story of love, betrayal and skiing – where you are the jury’.
Theatre
- ‘Unstoppable 82-year-old Miriam Margolyes returns to the Fringe’ with Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits (Pleasance), ‘combining her infectious passion for Charles Dickens with her phenomenal versatility’.
- At Greenside, Purple Hat Theatre present A Time Traveller's Life, ‘a Fringe show about the Fringe; a time-travelling odyssey through one woman's joys, sorrows, triumphs and inability to learn from her mistakes’.
- Sarah Cameron-West brings KAREN to Underbelly, ‘a powder keg of heartbreak and identity crisis which explodes in the ultimate office showdown’.