Fringe 2026: The 10 shows worth spending summer SAAS on

Edinburgh in August is a special affair. With thousands of Fringe shows and even more tourist landing, it can feel overwhelming. But this is no excuse to miss some of the best events the city has to offer.

Incase you’re struggling to choose between them all, I’ve compiled a list of the must-see unique shows this year. 

1. Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody! (5th-30th August, not 17th or 24th) 

With Heated Rivalry being this year’s hit show with young people, it’s no wonder there are three Fringe shows dedicated to it, including Puck Bunnies: A Heated Rivalry Drag Musical Parody and Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody.

Anyone who is a fan of the show will likely love this comedy-musical version of it, described as having “more pucking innuendos than should legally fit in one show.”

This is definitely a show that will require a few drinks beforehand. But the group of LA creators promise it will make the “perfect foreplay” to your night. 

2. Roleplay (6th-31st August, excluding 11th, 18th and 25th) 

This show comes from Francesca Moody Productions, the company that produced both Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. 

It follows a feminist podcaster, who, in the face of being broke, decides to transform herself into a “slutfluencer.” But she then begins to lose herself to the charade. 

This is your chance to catch the show before it becomes a limited series like its predecessors. 

Seemingly exploring how feminism fits into the world using sex appeal for profit, this performance hopes to be one that continues the success of the last. 

3. Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: Hamlet (5th- 30th August) 

Taking place in McEwan Hall, this show has been a sell-out in the last few years amongst tourists and students alike. 

It takes an adaptation of a Shakespeare play, in this case Hamlet, and puts one very drunk actor on stage with them, hoping he remembers some of the lines. 

Although it includes a cast of “classically trained actors,” this show promises to never be the same twice, so catching one of them is a must. 

4. Penelope (5th-30th August, not 17th or 24th)

This contemporary musical explores Homer’s The Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective, waiting twenty years for her husband to return from the Trojan War. 

Making a fantastic double-feature with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, this show pledges to tell Penelope’s story as it was “always meant to be told.”

Female-focused and a likely more faithful adaptation, not that it was a high bar, Penelope brings comedy to the deeply moving epic, making it a perfect show for those pretentious classics students to enjoy, and likely then complain about. 

5. Eva Peroni: Jungled (5th-30th August, not 17th)

Monkey Barrel Comedy club can be a real hidden gem in Fringe season

One of the University of Edinburgh’s own, Eva Peroni’s new comedy show details her time in Costa Rica as a “boy-mad wee bam” and her return after figuring out her own sexuality. 

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Having seen Eva perform at The Stand comedy club, I can attest to her show being entertaining and the perfect type of student humour. 

Eva balances crowd work and set jokes to make for an amazing show, and despite being told at her last show that I “wouldn’t get a job” as an English lit student, you can definitely catch me at her Fringe outing, no pun intended. 

6. Ayoade Bamgboye: Small Talk (August 16th-20th) 

After her rise to stardom on SNL UK, Ayoade Bamgboye is returning to the Fringe with a small show and Q&A blend. 

Despite the show being advertised as a work in progress, Ayoade says she wants to focus on crowd work, and the “woefully misunderstood phenomenon” of small talk.

Perfect for those who want to be spoken with during a show, particularly after a few drinks. This seems like the perfect night out for any student. 

7. The Second Best School Shooting (5th-30th August, excluding 12th, 19th and 26th)

Produced by Adam McKay, who worked on Step Brothers and Succession, this show balances comedy with social commentary on the US gun violence problem. 

It follows two best friends as they attempt to cope with the aftermath of a shooting at their school, after it is overshadowed by a “much worse shooting on the same day.”

The show itself, starring Matthew Lillard, was developed alongside students, teachers and survivors of these tragic events, Bringing humour to it as a way to cope, this show promises to be unique, comedic, while also creating difficult conversations. 

8. Bliss (5th-31st August, excluding 12th, 18th and 25th) 

Coming from the producers of Cabaret and Benjamin Button, this musical aims to be the next on the line of success. 

It follows a group of sisters as they escape their tower and are forced to become acquainted with the outside world, where “fairy godfathers rule and happy ending come at a cost.”

Starring 17 West End performers, this show will likely be a highlight of the Fringe season. Perfect to be seen with fellow students, or when family visits. 

9. Imogen Andrews: The Unlikeable Worms (5th-31st August, excluding 17th) 

Making her Fringe debut after gaining Tiktok stardom by doing skits and sketches, Imogen Andrews takes the stage to tackle a longer format for her comedy. 

With over 400,000 followers on Tiktok, you have likely seen her before, and this show is your chance to see if she lives up to the fame. 

Her skits are aimed at an audience of all ages. Showing her ability to turn into any character, from housemates, to early 2000s reality TV, to GP surgeries. 

10. Lemonface (14th, 21st, 22nd and 28th August) 

Coming from its hit in the London comedy scene, Lemonface returns to the Fringe after having sold-out in 2024 and 2025. 

The show brings together an array of comedians from all around the globe, Promising to end the night with “strangers becoming friends”

Grab a few drinks with friends, and make sure to catch this before it sells out. As this mix of comedians may never be on the same stage again.