Picks of the Fringe 2025

Here is a quick round up of 10 of my favourite fringe shows this year. There was so much to be impressed by in Edinburgh again this year and there were many weird and wonderful displays of creativity and talent. After going to more than eighty shows in August, trying to narrow down to just ten has been challenging but I've made my choices and here they are!

*sorry for the extremely late publication but I had it in drafts and it might as well be published!

This sh*t happens all the time

Theatre

A very moving solo performance portraying the real-life experience of a woman at university in Belfast in the 1990s. It is a queer love story with many twists and turns. The story is heart wrenching, beautifully told and still so relevant today. The play is by Amanda Verlaque so definitely look out for her again next year.

No sugar no milk (prototyping)

Physical theatre

One of the most fun shows I watched this year. A mixture of mime, comedy, martial arts and circus by a group from Hong Kong called TS Crew. It was a highly entertaining and fast-paced show with lots of different things going on. Great for all ages!

Jess Robinson

Music

Jess Robinson is an impressionist and in her show she sings Elton John songs in the voices of other celebrities. It didn't particularly attract me on paper but she was honestly so good and I had the best time!

Dusk/dawn/night

Dance

An extremely impressive pole dance show. I loved the visuals and the artists are so talented. The strength and flexibility of the dancers is crazy and they put it together in a show that just worked really well.

Nina Conti

Comedy

Nina Conti is a ventriloquist who I have seen on social media and I think she's hilarious so I was keen to see her show live. It did not disappoint in the slightest. She interacts with the audience a lot and brings people onto stage to wear a mask and have conversations with them, her doing both voices of course. Very, very funny, would love to see her again.

Couplet: honey honey moon moon

Musical comedy

This is a musical comedy duo who retell their disastrous honeymoon. They were performing at the venue I was working at and are also lovely people in person which is a bonus! I thought they were funny, the songs were great and the show was very sweet.

Shake Rag Hollow

Theatre

Another one that was on at the venue I was working at. I really enjoyed this show by The Journey Company and New Light Theater Project although it's not the cheeriest. It's a theatre piece, very serious, and so beautifully performed. It explores themes of addiction, abuse and secrecy so not light topics by any means but definitely worth watching.

Sophie's Surprise 29th

Circus

A very fun, upbeat and impressive circus performance with the setting of a 29th birthday. The performers are very talented and the show was a great watch with a mixture of comedy, storytelling and acrobatics. This show sold out almost every night and rightly so!

Homo(sapiens)

Theatre

A one-man, queer coming of age story by Connor O'Dwyer. The storytelling was brilliant, funny, heartfelt and extremely relevant. The play explores the struggles of growing up gay in a small catholic town in Ireland through the character of Joey who is finding himself in a world that wasn't built for people like him. Fantastic acting. I really love when I find a small show like this one in a tiny venue and it's actually good - real hidden gem!

Come from Away

Musical

Another one which was at my venue so I saw it a few times. It had a sold out run with a standing ovation every single day. It's set in Gander, Newfoundland during 9/11 when many planes were grounded there. As you might imagine it does have its sad moments but I think that it's mostly a story of community and hope. The cast was great, the songs are catchy and I will be looking out for it again next year.