We’re back at the Edinburgh Fringe – for real this time!

After three years away, To Do List will return to review the very best that the Edinburgh Fringe festival has to offer! But first, we preview the most intriguing shows in the Edinburgh Fringe programme – look no further for the most unmissable quirky, offbeat, and downright amazing events at this years Fringe!

We’ve picked out 50 – yes, fifty – of the offbeat, less mainstream offerings from this years Edinburgh Fringe line-up.

Go on, knock yourselves out with fab fringe festivity!

CABARET & VARIETY

Donna and Kebab are Martha and Eve – A Celebration!

Gilded Balloon Teviot | Aug 4-8, 10-14 | 20:45 | £14

80s British Cypriot comedy music duo Martha D Lewis and Eve Polycarpou are back.

Solve Along A Murder She Wrote

theSpace @ Symposium Hall | Aug 4-12, 14-19, 21-26 | 20:10 | £14

Tim Benzie’s kitsch romp through a Murder She Wrote episode is a fringe must-see.

Suhani Shah: Spellbound

Underbelly, Bristo Square | Aug 2-13, 15-27 | 17:25 | From £7

Social media sensation Suhani Shah is a mentalist (mind magician?!) and she’s here to slay.

Zoë Padley / The Wrong Numba: THE WRöNG PLANET..!?

BlundaGardens: BlundaBus | Aug 18-22 | 23:00 | Pay What You Can

Surreal trippy extravaganza from The Wrong Numba aka Zoë Padley.

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CIRCUS & DANCE

Baklâ

Summerhall | Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 13:00 | From £10

Queer odyssey exploring colonialism, sex and the psyche of the modern Filipino.

I’m Muslamic – Don’t Panik

Assembly @ Dance Base | Aug 22-27 | 17:05 | From £13

A powerful dance theatre piece reframing the Middle East.

Party Ghost

Assembly Checkpoint | Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 14:55 | £10.50

Cirque, theatre, death and drag fuse in this devil’s stew.

The Revel Puck Circus: The Wing Scuffle Spectacular

Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows | Aug 5-13, 15-20, 22-26 | 16:10 | From £15.50

London’s spectacular contemporary circus makes its Edinburgh fringe debut. Read our first review of the show from 2021

TOM

ZOO Southside | Aug 21-22, 24-27 | 18:25 | £17

Bullyache’s TOM seems uncategorisable, fusing queered myths and pop musique for an unmissable journey into the underworld.

Weathervanes

Summerhall | Aug 3-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27 | 19:30 & 21:00 | £12

A queer performance-exhibition that challenges the fringe’s boundaries of what a fringe show even is.

What Does Stuff Do?

ZOO Playground | Aug 4-27 | 15:15 | £13

Juggling, philopsophy and water-bending all delivered by a man in swimming trunks.

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COMEDY

Aaron Simmonds: Baby Steps

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-13, 15-28 | 16:25 | From £6

Cheeky stand up from Aaron who challenges him self to do his impossible; stand up, stood up.

Ben Hodge: It’s a Boy?

Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters | Aug 4-27 | 18:15 | Pay What You Can

A charming hour exploring trans masculinity.

Bronwyn Sweeney: Off-Brand

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-13, 15-28 | 15:20 | From £7

An unskippable advertising TED-talk from hilarious Bronwyn Sweeney – who makes ads we don’t watch.

Don Biswas – The Revolution Will Be Disorganised

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose | Aug 2-13, 15-27 | 21:40 | From £8

If you see one comedian at the fringe this year make it Don Biswas. He tackles politics through dyspraxia and autism in a tongue-in-cheek hour full of grin-inducing one liners.

Far East Enders

Boteco do Brasil | Aug 5-6 | 13:00 | £8

Just two days to see the impressive comedy duo of Singaporean comic Laura Quinn Goh, and Romanian comedian Sylas Szabolcs, who explore the Far East and the Eastern Bloc respectively.

Fast Fringe

Pleasance Dome | Aug 2-26 | 19:00 | From £5

With accommodation costing upwards of £200 (Fringe Society sort it out!), time is of the essence for most at the fringe – and this show is the perfect way to support new acts and see more! Read our review.

John Tothill: The Last Living Libertine

Pleasance Courtyard | 20:30 | From £6

John Tothill is irresistible in this hot gossip hour of lols.

Lorna Rose Treen: Skin Pigeon

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-13, 15-27 | 16:35 | From £6

Refreshingly bonkers comedy from an up and coming character comedienne supremo.

Mamoun Elagab: Why I Love White People

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-14, 16-27 | 18:10 | From £7

Down to earth comedy with a twist from hotly tipped Mamoun Elegab.

Olivia Xing: Party School

Just the Tonic at The Grassmarket Centre | Aug 3-13, 15-27 | 20:30 | £8

Communism, COVID, dictatorship, racism & sexism aren’t usually laugh-a-minute topics but Olivia Xing is here to prove different. Expect hilarity x 10.

The Retreat

Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 3-13, 15-27 | 20:00 | From £8

A campy variety show in the guise of a corporate retreat, featuring star guests including Kate Nash.

Trash Salad

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-6, 8-15 | 23:00 | From £6

‘A joyful queer-femme love story in the shape of a salad’. Don’t miss this weird and wonderful epic.

Two Little Dickheads: Slot Fillers

BlundaGardens: Magical SpiegelYurt | Aug 18-27 | 21:20 | Pay What You Can

Improvised batshit clowning with two adorable little dickheads.

Umby Winters: All There Is

PBH’s Free Fringe @ Brewdog Doghouse | Aug 5-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-27 | 12:30 | FREE

Discover life outside the binary with the self-proclaimed Goth Queen of comedy.

Walking on Spectrum

Strathmore Bar | Aug 5-27 | 15:00 | FREE

Live, laugh and love as Juliana Heng takes you through different ways to tell their life story.

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THEATRE & MUSICALS

4/4/4: 4 Real Asians, 4 White Men, 4 Fake Asians

theSpace @ Niddry Street | Aug 4-12, 14-19 | 15:10 | From £10

A company of Asian artists turn the White gaze back upon White people, in this dissection of racial capitalism sure to upset all the right people (literally).

52 Monologues for Young Transsexuals

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-12, 14-28 | 15:20 | From £9

Verbatim & cabaret theatre exploring the reality of trans experience – with lashings of baby oil and, surprisingly, no monologues at all!

All the Glorious Moments In Between

theSpace on the Mile | Aug 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26 | Times Vary | £6.50

Three stories of poetic love, positive life moments, and heart-bursting happiness – from the fantastic Queen Mary Theatre Company (we loved their recent Hairspray).

An(dre)a Spisto: El Dizzy Beast

Assembly George Square Studios | Aug 15-20, 22-27 | 22:30 | From £9.50

Since we caught Miss Venezuela in 2018, we’ve been big fans of An(dre)a Spisto – and this show show about “a queer, autistic, latinx caterpillar, on the edge” looks unmissably bonkers!

Bacon

Summerhall | Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 15:30 | From £10

A five-star smash at the Finborough Theatre last year, this touching, hyper-realistic and messy love story is a darker on young, queer, masculine love than Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing.

Banana

ZOO Southside | Aug 4-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 14:15 | From £8

Man or banana? The time-old question is addressed by clown Michael Galligan, through stand-up, physical comedy, karaoke & magic.

Climb

ZOO Southside | Aug 4-6, 8-11, 15-20, 22-27 | 16:50 | From £8

Jamaican-Canadian singer/songwriter Duane Forrest takes inspiration from his travels to bring an oasis of soul and samba/reggae to the Fringe.

Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story

Pleasance Dome | Aug 2-14, 17-20, 22-28 | 16:30 | From £9

Linus Karp is Diana – or maybe not? Diana-ish, perhaps? A Royal romp gleefully smashing taboos around royalty and celebrity – we love it.

Dugsi Dayz

Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 3-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 12:40 | From £8

A British-Somali Muslim spin on The Breakfast Club, which previewed at London’s New Diorama Theatre. Incredible performances and unstoppable energy combine for this look at Islam, girl code and young people.

ELVIS DIED OF BURGERS

Summerhall | Aug 2-6, 9-13 | 11:45 | From £10

Semi-improvised dance, theatre and spoken word leaping off on tangents from a cast discussion of food stories & Elvis’s burger-based demise.

Frankie Thompson and Liv Ello: Body Show

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-13, 15-27 | 17:00 | From £8

Boundary busting, genre defying genius which fearlessly explores contemporary issues around sex, gender and bodies. A ★★★★★ technicolor cheese dream.

Grief Lightning: A Satire in 78 Slides

Summerhall | Aug 15-20, 22-27 | 21:55 | £15

Everybody loves a Powerpoint presentation, right? Doubters, gather round – chaotic scrutiny of gender, pop culture and obsession make this Grease deep-dive a must see.

Growler

Summerhall | Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-26 | 19:00 | From £10

“Growler is an 82-year-old, drum-banging shamanic vulva”. How could we not recommend this show? Join Growler on her quest to ‘heal the past to heal the future’.

Hello Kitty Must Die

Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 2-7, 9-14, 16-21, 23-27 | 16:50 | From £8

The producer of smash-hit musical Six brings this Asian feminism musical which promises a “ruthless combination of sex, violence, and stilettos”.

HIGH STEAKS

Summerhall | Aug 2-6, 9-13 | 16:30 | From £10

Queer, Feminist Performance-Artist & Clown Eloina’s High Steaks is officially labialicious: a must-see, taboo-busting, funny exploration of issues around, well, the labia.

Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder

Underbelly, George Square | Aug 2-8, 10-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 19:30 | From £10

True Crime podcasting gets a gruesomely funny skewering in this musical whodunnit.

Lipote: An Interconnected Journey

C aurora | Aug 14-18 | 13:20 | From £9

Opera as you’ve (likely) never experienced it before: a black light/UV show inspired by the devastating threat of deforestation.

Living Legends (And Dead Ones Too)

Laughing Horse @ Bar Soba | Aug 3-10, 13-15 | 18:30 | Pay What You Can

To Do List favourite Brigitte Aphrodite embarks on a literary road trip, celebrating Bowie, Poly Styrene, Aphra Behn and more!

No One Is Coming

Scottish Storytelling Centre | Aug 3-8, 10-15, 17-20 | 16:30 | From £8

A solo storytelling masterclass from Sinéad O’Brien, combining Irish folklore with home truths in an exploration of the family ties that bind us.

One Way Out

Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 3-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 14:15 | From £8

Theatre Peckham present this drama unpacking British Caribbeans’ experiences of the Windrush crisis.

Party Scene: Chemsex. Community. Crisis.

Summerhall | Aug 2-6, 9-13, 16-20, 23-27 | 17:35 | From £10

A dive into the ‘underbelly’ of queer culture – sweaty, pulsing dance theatre asking questions of drug use, sex, consent and mental health in the queer community.

Sea Words

Summerhall | Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 17:15 | From £10

A seaside double act experience an existential crisis – what if one half of the duo refuses to perform? Expect camp chaos.

Self-Raising

Pleasance Dome | Aug 2-6, 8-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 12:30 | From £10

Graeae’s Artistic Director Jenny Sealey takes to the stage for this one-woman true-life story about growing up Deaf in a family with a secret…

Wild Onion

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose | Aug 2-13, 15-20, 22-27 | 15:00 | From £9

An ‘onion-smashing, cyr-wheeling, tear-jerking tale of friendship’. A punk/circus exploration of teenage rage, loss & compassion.

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Rupert & Stuart

Occasionally the To Do List team are forced to work together.

Rupert likes: free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.

Stuart likes: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.