For three weeks in August, the city of Edinburgh welcomes an explosion of creative energy.
Artists and performers take to stages all over the city to present shows for every taste, and audiences can create their own festival experience from a mixture of ticketed, free and street performances.
Find out what is the Fringe
Dates for your diary
The next Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes place from 01 – 25 August 2025. Batches of shows are revealed in the months leading up to August:
- First shows revealed: Tuesday 11 March
- Second batch of shows revealed: Wednesday 02 April
- Third batch of shows revealed: Wednesday 07 May
- Full programme launch: Tuesday 03 June
How to choose shows
Browse online
Once they go live, every show at the Fringe is listed on our website.
Shows can keep registering right up to and even during the Fringe, so it's worth checking back throughout the summer to see what's been added.
You can use search filters to create a list of shows that are relevant to you – for example, using a certain date range depending on when you'll be in town, or focusing on specific genres you want to see.
The official Fringe programme
Our printed programme contains information on almost every show at the Fringe. The 2025 programme will launch in summer.
The official EdFringe app
As with edfringe.com, the official EdFringe app is kept up to date with every show appearing at the Fringe. It can also tell you which shows are starting soon near your location (using the 'Nearby Now' function) and suggest random shows with a simple shake of your phone (using 'Shake to Search').
Bloomberg Connects, the Fringe Official Storyteller
Bloomberg Connects was the official Storyteller of the Fringe in 2024 and as part of this partnership, we collaborated with them on a special guide to the Fringe. The free app is still available to download and tells the festival's story across more than seven decades in over 40 languages, sharing the background to the Fringe’s vibrant street performer history and highlighting some of the famous faces who have made their names here, including Robin Williams, Billy Connolly and the Fringe Society's own honorary President, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Tickets
All Fringe shows are e-ticketed – here's how it works:
- Once you book your tickets you will receive a confirmation email containing a QR code that the venue staff will scan when you arrive to see your show.
- You can show the code on your device or print it off at home.
- If you book multiple shows in the same transaction, you can use the same QR code for all bookings in that transaction.
- You can also find your QR codes in the 'My tickets' area of your edfringe.com account and in the official EdFringe app.
- If you do not have a smartphone or require a physical ticket for accessibility reasons, our box office will be happy to print one for you.
Some general e-ticketing tips
- It might be a good idea to screenshot your QR code if you're concerned about wifi access.
- If you've booked tickets for a group, try your best to show up together.
- Above all, be kind – e-ticketing is fairly new at the Fringe, for venue staff as well as audience members, so try to bear this in mind if there are any hold-ups.
Check our box office FAQs for more details about e-tickets.
Planning your schedule
Travelling between venues
While Edinburgh is quite a compact city, it can be extremely busy in August, so it's worth leaving plenty of time to get from show to show (even if the venues appear to be close together).
This also applies if shows are at the same venue – many venues have multiple performance spaces, and it can take time to exit one show and join the queue for another (especially if you want to grab some food, visit the bar or use the facilities in-between).
Some venues will not admit latecomers once a show has started, so make sure you leave plenty of time for travelling between shows, and try to avoid booking them back-to-back.
Leave time for surprises... and the rest of Edinburgh
One of the delights of the Fringe is discovering something completely unexpected, so while it's a good idea to book in advance for any shows you don't want to miss, we'd recommend leaving some gaps to squeeze in those unpredictable word-of-mouth wonders.
It's also worth remembering that the Fringe takes place in Edinburgh, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Take time to see the sights, visit tourist attractions and spend time in some of the city's many cafes, bars and restaurants.