Taking place across the city from the 1st to the 25th of August, Edinburgh Fringe is ready and waiting to entertain you to no end. You can expect some serious talent this time around, with big names in the biz and relative newbies heading up on stage. And so that you can enjoy the cream of the crop, whether it's comedy, burlesque, circus or music, we've put together this roundup of the best shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2025.
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The Best Shows To See At Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025
1. Comedy: Joke Thieves
- When: various dates from the 31st July to the 24th August
- Where: The Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate, EH1 1JS
- Price: from £5 per person
The hit show that sees comedians swapping sets, Joke Thieves is being performed at The Three Sisters in the Old Town at the 2025 Fringe. Hosted by Will Mars from Amused Moose and Beatbox World Champion Bass6, each performance features four different comics telling each other's jokes.
You can secure tickets for as little as £5 per person, with a 'pay what you can' system that allows everyone to attend. While you're there, you can also nab tickets to Will Mars records his best jokes for YouTube at the same venue too.
The comics will be switching up sets at Joke Thieves.
2. Musical: How To Win Against History
- When: various dates from the 31st July to the 24th August
- Where: Underbelly George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ
- Price: £11 per person
Hold onto your feather boas - How to Win Against History is back at the Edinburgh Fringe, and it’s as fabulously bonkers as ever. This gloriously camp musical first made its splash at the festival in 2016 and quickly became a cult hit. Think Gilbert & Sullivan meets Monty Python with a glitter cannon - it’s a riot of song, satire, and historical mischief.
The show tells the (mostly true, definitely wild) tale of Henry Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey - a fabulously flamboyant aristocrat who burned through his inheritance, turning his chapel into a theatre to stage his own notoriously awful plays. He was part peacock, part performance artist, and 100% Fringe material. Directed originally by Alex Swift, the show won hearts and plenty of five-star reviews. Now, to mark the 150th anniversary of Paget’s birth, the musical returns in a sparkling new production, steered by the brilliant Lisa Spirling, soon to take the reins at Stratford East.
How To Win At History at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
3. Circus: Black Blues Brothers: Let's Twist Again!
- When: various dates from the 31st July to the 25th August
- Where: McEwan Hall, Underbelly Bristo Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LJ
- Price: £12 per person
Get ready to rock, roll, and flip out as The Black Blues Brothers: Let's Twist Again! are storming back into Edinburgh with a brand-new, thrill-packed show at McEwan Hall. This high-octane, family-friendly spectacular transforms an ordinary train station into a stage bursting with acrobatic magic.
We’re talking jaw-dropping stunts, soaring somersaults, human pyramids, and lightning-fast dance moves - all set to a legendary soundtrack featuring Elvis Presley, Glenn Miller, Aretha Franklin, and more timeless icons. With over 50,000 Fringe-goers already dazzled by their previous hit, and performances at the Royal Variety Show and even the Moulin Rouge under their belt, this international sensation is back and bigger than ever.
Black Blues Brothers: Let's Twist Again!
4. Comedy: Jordan Brookes: Until The Wheels Come Off (WIP)
- When: various dates from the 30th of July to the 24th of August
- Where: Pleasance Courtyard, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ
- Price: £9 per person
Seeking out the best comedians at Edinburgh Fringe 2025? Highly-acclaimed performer Jordan Brookes is bringing his unfinished show, Until The Wheels Come Off (WIP), to Pleasance Courtyard.
Expect the unexpected: the material might change night to night, or maybe it’ll stay steady. Heck, sometimes he jokes he might not even show up (but don’t worry, he definitely will). Known as the 'Elvis of comedy,' Jordan does things his own way - freewheeling, fearless, and utterly hilarious. Bizarre? Maybe. Hilarious? Definitely.
Get ready for something totally extraordinary from famous comedian Jordan Brookes.
5. Burlesque: All-Stars Burlesque 2025
- When: various dates from the 1st to the 24th of August
- Where: Rowantree Bar(under Sth Bridge), 253 Cowgate, EH1 1LG
- Price: £18 per person
From the same producer behind Best of Burlesque (the Fringe favourite that sells out every year), All-Stars Burlesque 2025 is set to be an awe-inspiring celebration of bodies and inclusivity.
From striptease to cabaret and circus sideshow, we just know this one's going to be popular. Expect naughty outfits, feather boas and, of course, plenty of nudity from a lush lineup of dancers.
If you're on the hunt for top-quality burlesque from big names at Fringe, this is sure to sort you out.
6. Drama: She's Behind You
- When: various dates from the 1st to the 24th of August
- Where: Traverse 1 at Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED
- Price: £20 per person
Pantomime in the summer? Oh yes, it is. She’s Behind You flips the script on tradition with a cheeky, heartfelt solo show from Scottish panto legend Johnny McKnight.
With over 30 pantos written and 18 starring roles under his belt, Johnny pulls back the curtain on the art of daming, sharing what the role has meant to him after decades lighting up stages. But this isn’t just any solo show. It’s directed by the acclaimed theatre heavyweight John Tiffany (yes, that John Tiffany), bringing serious creative muscle to this unique Fringe experience.
She's Behind You is hotly tipped for the Edinburgh Fringe 2025.
7. Musical: Club NVRLND
- When: various dates from the 1st to the 24th of August
- Where: Assembly Checkpoint, 3 Bristo Place, EH1 1EY
- Price: £12 per person
What do you get when you mix the magic of Peter Pan with a killer playlist of early 2000s pop bangers? Fringe fluff with a heart, and Club NVRLND promises exactly that. Written by Jack Holden (whose previous shows Cruise and KENREX earned rave reviews), this immersive musical goes beyond nostalgia.
It explores the millennial struggle through the lens of Neverland’s lost boys and girls, a generation stuck in eternal youth, sidelined by an unforgiving world that makes growing up feel impossible. No fairy dust here, just sharp storytelling and anthems you’ll want to sing along to.
Club NVRLND is bound to be a favourite.
8. Cabaret: La Clique
- When: various dates from the 30th of July to the 24th of August
- Where: The Famous Spiegeltent, St Andrew Square, EH2 2AD
- Price: £21 per person
Blending cabaret with circus and burlesque, La Clique's unique set is going to be saucy, hilarious and mesmerising. This year, the legendary show celebrates its 21st birthday with a special edition packed full of sexy, funny, and downright dangerous performances.
Set inside the iconic Famous Spiegeltent, La Clique delivers a whirlwind of jaw-dropping acts that blend the classic and the cutting-edge. With an ever-evolving cast that fuses legacy performers and fresh talent, this triumphant celebration serves up visceral thrills, ethereal beauty, and cheeky in-your-face moments. And you know what? It's gonna be absolutely wicked.
La Clique was first created for the 2004 running of Fringe in Edinburgh and is still going strong 21 years later.
9. Musical: NERDS
- When: various dates from the 30th of July to the 25th of August
- Where: Cowbarn at Underbelly, Bristo Square, Teviot Place, EH8 9AG
- Price: £10 per person
A musical exploring the legendary rivalry - and unlikely friendship - between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates could easily be hit or miss, especially given how passionate people get about tech icons. But with writers Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner at the helm of NERDS, fans have plenty of reason to be excited.
The duo first made waves with their cult Fringe hit The Bomb-itty of Errors, a clever hip-hop twist on Shakespeare, and have since built impressive film and TV careers. Expect sharp wit, clever storytelling, and a fresh take on two of tech’s biggest names.
Prepare to laugh your socks off at NERDS.
10. Drama: Make It Happen
- When: from the 30th of July to the 9th of August
- Where: 13-29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9FT
- Price: from £19 per person
Though the Edinburgh International Festival’s lineup is a bit trimmed this year, it more than makes up for it with a powerful homegrown highlight. Make It Happen, a world premiere from acclaimed playwright James Graham, dives deep into the dramatic rise and catastrophic fall of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and its pivotal role in the 2008 financial crisis.
Graham, renowned as one of Britain’s leading contemporary playwrights and a master storyteller of recent history, brings this gripping tale to life with a stellar cast. The legendary Brian Cox returns to the Scottish stage for the first time since Succession, playing the ghost of iconic economist Adam Smith. He haunts Fred 'The Shred' Goodwin (Sandy Grierson), the controversial RBS boss who steered the bank during its downfall.
Make sure to snap up a ticket to this big hitter.
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