The ultimate guide to Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe knows how to throw a party. Founded in 1947 as a rebellious little sibling to the prestigious International Festival, the Fringe is now the world’s biggest arts festival. The contrast between the two institutions remains striking, and if you’re seeking a rough-and-tumble ride through the sharpest, silliest, and strangest theatre and comedy on the planet, then you’re in the right place. Every August, Edinburgh’s historic cobbles are crammed with punters seeking familiar faces and fresh new stars. Household names have ascended from the smallest of Fringe stages, and world-famous performers keep on coming back because there’s nothing else like it.

Expect to find everything, everywhere. Magicians compete against improv troupes and acapella musicals on the historic Royal Mile, while hallowed University lecture theatres are transformed into lush cabaret halls. Cavernous old churches play host to shocking experimental theatre, and every sticky underground vault in Edinburgh’s Old Town holds a microphone, a handful of chairs, and a hopeful comic. But even for seasoned Fringe-goers, the question always remains the same: what’s good this year?

Edinburgh Festival Fringe highlights 2023

These are some of the theatre, comedy and dance shows already catching our attention ahead of the 2023 festival. Note that the running dates listed do not account for rest days; always check the website and venue sites for further information on the days off for each performance.

Blue

Newly-promoted Detective Parker has a dilemma on her hands – does she believe the story of police veteran and family friend Sully when an unarmed Black motorcyclist is shot at a traffic stop, or dig deeper? Blue is a study of the current issues surrounding policing on both sides of the Atlantic, illustrating how a career that should be about wanting to ‘protect and serve’ can become a magnet for the power-hungry. Authoritarianism and corruption are examined in June Carryl’s captivating script, explicitly critiquing a culture that allows and encourages ever more ‘bad apples’.

Where: Assembly George Square, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LH
When: 2 - 28 August
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com

Crizards: This Means War

Double act Crizards (aka UCL alumni Eddy Hare and Will Rowland) are back at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer with the brand-new show This Means War. Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Jordan Brookes directs this wartime tale, exploring human bravery during uncertain times through sketch, narrative and song. Follow the misadventures of Private Grandad as he attempts to deliver a crucial message for the British army, overcoming pesky obstacles, including a mischievous Belgian boy, a War Horse-style animal puppet, and a comrade who keeps resurrecting.

Where: Pleasance Dome, 1 Bristo Square, Edinburgh EH8 9AL
When: 2 - 27 August
Tickets: pleasance.co.uk

Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder

Described as a “thrilling foray into silliness” by the Guardian in a four-star review, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder is set to be a highlight of the Edinburgh Fringe’s Underbelly schedule. When BFFs and co-hosts of Hull’s least successful true-crime podcast are thrown into an intriguing whodunnit, can they crack the case (and race to the top of the global podcast chart) before the killer strikes again?

Where: George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LD
When: 2 - 27 August
Tickets: underbellyedinburgh.co.uk

IMA (Pray)

IMA (Pray) is a circus performance, but not as you know. Inside a specially-built installation space styled on sacred places, dancers take turns throughout the day to play out the same intricately-choreographed performance, adding individual style to the assigned piece. Here, the dancer is the shaman, transporting the audience into the unknown territories of the human mind. Seating arrangements, lighting, sound, and the set and rig work harmoniously to make every member of the 97-strong audience feel alone here – a calming respite from the chaos of the Scottish capital’s streets during festival season.

Where: Assembly Murrayfield Ice Rink, Riversdale Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 5XN
When: 4 - 27 August
Tickets: tickets.edfringe.com

Catherine Cohen: Come For Me

On paper, it would seem musical comedian, writer, and actor Catherine Cohen would be too busy for a stint in the Scottish capital. Cohen’s acclaimed Netflix special The Twist…? She's Gorgeous continues catching the attention of comedy lovers, while she also stars in the Paramount+ feature film At Midnight and the upcoming Hulu series What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding. However, the Edinburgh Comedy Award winner is back doing what she does best – live laughs. Come for Me is described as a “horny musical exploration of what it means to enter your thirties as a woman online, in love, and inspired to romanticise the prospect of freezing your eggs.”

Where: Pleasance Courtyard One, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ
When: 14 - 27 August
Tickets: pleasance.co.uk

Sophie Zucker: Sophie Sucks Face

Brooklyn-based comedian Sophie Zucker makes her Edinburgh debut this summer, after flexing her comedic wings as the youngest writer on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Sophie Sucks Face is an original one-woman musical comedy  about love, death and incest. After her grandfather's death, Sophie makes out with her attractive Israeli cousin, assuming she'll never see him again. But when her grandmother dies three weeks after, Sophie must confront these new romantic feelings.

Where: Underbelly Bristo Square, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG
When: 2 – 28 August
Tickets: underbellyedinburgh.co.uk

Our top tips for a great Fringe

Many shows take Mondays off

Enjoy the (slightly) slower pace and wander through Edinburgh’s lush inner-city parks. The Meadows is a busy expanse of BBQs in good weather, Calton Hill has the best views in town, while the historic graveyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is a quiet, beautiful spot to take a breather and stroll through Edinburgh’s past.

Do not be fooled by the weather

It’s not a joke, Edinburgh truly can cycle through four seasons in a day. Don’t become the tourists in flip-flops caught by a rainstorm halfway up Arthur’s Seat.

Bar-hop

The bustling pop-up bars at the Big Four venues (Assembly, Pleasance, Gilded Balloon and Underbelly) may be perfect for people-watching, but the prices are far from friendly. Luckily Edinburgh’s packed with bars and pubs – try the gloriously kitsch Paradise Palms near George Square or tiny, historic boozer Bow Bar on Victoria Street.

Book dinner in advance

It’s rumoured that Edinburgh’s population doubles in August, and everyone needs to eat. Local favourites in the Old Town include Solti, a colourful Nepalese restaurant with Instagram-famous naan chip butties, quirky pizzeria Civerinos, and The Outsider, which also does an excellent lunch menu. For more, take a look at the best restaurants in Edinburgh.

Nightlife in Edinburgh is split down the middle

There’s the Cowgate, a low-slung street in the belly of the beast, where you’ll find the city’s best DJs in clubs like Sneaky Pete’s, and packed, sweaty dancefloors ‘til 5am. Then there are the New Town bars (Bramble, Hoot the Redeemer, Panda and Sons) which feel more glam – think boutique interiors and innovative cocktails rather than tins of Red Stripe.

A Fringe hangover has only one cure

Snax is an iconic greasy spoon on Buccleuch Street that serves genuinely life-saving breakfast rolls and builder’s tea all day long. Read more on the best brunches in Edinburgh.

Be friendly to flyers

It’s easy to ignore someone shoving a promo leaflet at you, but you could be walking past a life-changing show. The Fringe is a beautiful but gruelling month for performers, so take a chance and keep an open mind. You never know what you’ll find.