Unmissable Shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2024
We’re not in Edinburgh this year, but as the Fringe hits its second weekend, we thought we should round up what we would be seeing if we were there!
The Fringe priced us out this year, we just couldn’t rationalise the cost of travel and accommodation – but we do miss it! In our absence, it seems the show does go on – so we’ve scoured the programmes for the most intriguing shows in the Edinburgh Fringe 2024 line-up – look no further for the most unmissable quirky, offbeat, and downright amazing events at this years Fringe!
We’ve picked out 47 – yes, forty-seven – of the offbeat, less mainstream offerings from this years Edinburgh Fringe line-up.
Go on, knock yourselves out with fab fringe festivity!
CABARET & VARIETY
Crying Shame
Pleasance Dome | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-25 | 21:30 | From £15
A queer cabaret exploring loneliness and life.
Gallifrey Cabaret
Pleasance Dome | Aug 13-15 | 23:00 | £16
Dr Who fans assemble for this hilarious chance to celebrate the cult TV classic.
HANS OFF + VIPs
Assembly George Square Gardens | Aug 13 | 22:25 | £14
Drag king comedy galore with Daisy Doris May’s most outrageous character Hans Off alongside incredible acts.
idiots… GAY idiots
Assembly George Square Gardens | Aug 19-21 | 22:25 | £13
Vicious Jennifer Schmennifer and vindictive silent clown Grace Fool present a vaudevillian revue.
MESSY FRIENDS
Assembly George Square Gardens | Aug 9-12, 14-25 | 20:55 | From £14
Visually stunning rainbow of colour, camp and divinely different cabaret.
Naughty Cabaret
Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 9, 16, 23 | 22:50 | £13
Queer clown icons Anna Marie Simonsen and Marie Kallevik Straume present an unpredictable night.
Rita and Dougie Go to Hollywood!
Hoots @ Potterrow | Aug 9-12 | 23:55 | £8
Washed up club singer meets ingenue Dougie for a comic power hour.
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CIRCUS & DANCE
Recirquel: Paradisum
Assembly Roxy | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-24 | 15:30 | From £14
The most inventive cirque dance company in the world present their latest wonder.
Rollercoaster
Assembly Roxy | Aug 9-12, 14-19, 21-26 | 17:00 | From £14
Juggling gets interesting in this punk extravaganza pushing the form to the limit.
Show Pony
Summerhall | Aug 13-18, 20-26 | 10:35 | From £10
Artist Bryony Kimmings returns to explore what happens to acrobats when they hit middle age.
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COMEDY
#1 Son – Natasha Mercado
Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 9-11, 13-25 | 23:10 | From £10
LA clown leads a religious service you must convert to.
ALOK
Underbelly, Bristo Square | Aug 13-25 | 16:10 | From £15
LGBTQIA+ icon shares their latest performance work exploding the gender binary.
Joe Wells – Daddy Autism
PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth | Aug 10-25 | 12:00 | FREE
Fatherhood, autism and ablism feature in this neurodiverse comedy show.
DeliaDelia! The Flat-Chested Witch!
Just The Tonic @ The Mash House | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-25 | 21:55 | £8
A nasty witch confronts issues around Trans witch hunts in the US.
Holly Stars: Justice For Holly
Assembly George Square Studios | Aug 9-26 | 18:30 | From £12.50
The UK’s funniest queen makes her debut.
Kemah Bob: Miss Fortunate
Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 9-13, 15-20, 22-25 | 19:05 | From £13
Our favourite funny person takes a break from FOCing it up to deliver their unmissable debut stand-up show!
Medicine Woman
Just The Tonic @ The Caves | Aug 9-11, 13-25 | 23:55 | £11
Veronica Osorio hosts a shamanic ritual which is guaranteed to heal your funny bone.
Otter Lee: Princess Syndrome
Just The Tonic @ Cabaret Voltaire | Aug 9-11, 13-25 | 15:30 | £10
Manchild Otter uses Disney parodies to call out racism in the gay community and tell his fairy tale life story.
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THEATRE & MUSICALS
Bad Dog
theSpace on The Mile | Aug 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23 | 14:40 | £10
Bad Dog tackles intergenerational mother-daughter trauma.
BATSHIT
Traverse Theatre | Aug 11, 13-18, 20-25 | Times Vary
Leah Shelton gets to the heart of female madness, it’s history and pathology.
Burnout Paradise
Summerhall | Aug 10-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 12:05 | £17
4 performers meet 4 treadmills and start a wager with an unexacting audience.
FAMEHUNGRY
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 16:15 | £17
Artist Louise Irwin channels the true nature of TikTok in this performance experiment.
HYPER
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 20:15 | £17
A trans theatrical deep-dive into the world hyperpop.
Lobster Bisque
C Alto | Aug 9-25 | 20:45 | From £11
Jim Henson meets Oscar Wilde in this gay old romp. Beware and behold puppet mayhem!!
Naomi Grossman: American Whore Story
Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose | Aug 9-26 | 21:00 | From £12
A must see for American Horror Story fans as Naomi Grossman aka Pepper takes the stage.
Ni Mi Madre
Pleasance Dome | Aug 9-18, 20-26 | 16:05 | From £14
An OTT immigrant mom struggles to raise her queer son.
OommoO – I Am A Walking Universe
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 13:40 | £17
Afrofuturism through an East African lens in this experiment of storytelling.
OWEaDEBT
Summerhall | Aug 9-11 | 19:25 | £17
‘Odette, a chain-smoking half-swan, half-ballerina stuck in limbo’. Wow.
Pali and Jay’s Ultimate Asian Wedding DJ Roadshow
Assembly George Square Studios | Aug 9-12, 14-19, 21-25 | 20:00 | From £12.50
Immersive DJ battle as Southall’s finest pair Pali and Jay get Bromantic.
Party Girl
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 21:20 | £17
A rock and roll monologue by Lucy Heffernan a former party fairy for hire.
plewds
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 19:25 | £17
Clowning, drag and queer relationships collide to turn trauma-porn on its hear.
Psychobitch
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 19:45 | £17
A whip smart exploration of gender misunderstandings.
Puddles and Amazons
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 16:40 | £17
Performer and bedroom foley artist Guy Woods tells his story.
QUEENS
Summerhall | Aug 13-18, 20-25 | 21:15 | From £10
Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I return as undead drag queens.
Seven Steps to Feel Completely Happy Again
theSpace on The Mile | Aug 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23 | 15:40 | £10
How to deal with death in 7 steps.
Sh!t Theatre: Or What’s Left of Us
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-25 | 16:45 | £17
A folk odyssey by wonky pop theatre legends Sh!t Theatre.
SILENCE! The Musical – The Unauthorised Parody of The Silence of the Lambs
Underbelly, Bristo Square | Aug 9-11, 13-25 | 23:15 | From £12
‘If I could smell her c*nt’ and other hilariously obscene lyrics in this hilarious killer parody.
Son of a Bitch
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 18:10 | £17
Writer and comedian Anna Morris explores maternal ambivalence by way of social media shame.
Stuffed
Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 9-17, 19-26 | 14:25 | From £14
A clowning show about food banks and the bad stuff.
Testo – Here & Now Showcase
ZOO Southside | Aug 11, 13-18, 20-25 | 20:30 | From £15
Wet Mess is the performer we all need delving into transitions, testosterone and the mercy edges of drag.
That’s Not My Name
ZOO Southside | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-25 | 20:00 | From £12
Mental health is explored through a sea of candid carnage.
This Town
Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 9-12, 14-26 | 16:45 | From £12
A biting honest spoken-word performance of epic poem And Within These Cobbled Streets published by Verve Press.
Tit Swingers
Pleasance Courtyard | Aug 10-13, 15-20, 22-26 | 13:40 | From £14
Polyamorous queer pirates serve up a hot piratical gig musical.
Ugly Sisters
Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-25 | 18:30 | From £12
Multi-award winning and To Do List fave company piss / CARNATION return.
Vigil
ZOO Southside | Aug 20-25 | 12:30 | From £16
Tom Bailey attempts to perform 26,000 animals in under an hour.
Werewolf
Summerhall | Aug 9-11, 13-18, 20-26 | 18:15 | £17
A comedy-thriller channeling the parlour game.
You’re SO F**king Croydon!
Underbelly, Cowgate | Aug 9-12, 14-25 | 16:10 | From £10.50
Music, dance, comedy, spoken word and Croydon royalty Bowie make Cro Cro Land a vehicle for a tale of female resilience.
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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.
