Shows to See: Fringe 2025
Some of the shows we think look good at Edinburgh Fringe 2025!
This is a mix of some artists we know and love, plus some we spotted on our scroll through the Fringe programme that seemed like they’d be worth a watch.
Don’t forget, if you’re at the festival, you’re welcome to join our Dykes To Watch Shows With WhatsApp group, for finding friendly folks to watch shows with, peer-to-peer survival tips, and general solidarity. This is the link for more info & to join us on WhatsApp (the form is just to try & filter out bots, the link to join is at the end of it).
Not at Edinburgh Fringe? (don’t blame you…) check out our recommendations of shows, on through Aug/Sept/Oct.
Welcome To The Fringe Palestine
Various times @ Portobello Town Hall, Aug 12-15
A mini-festival to celebrate Palestinian art and culture, with freedom and without censorship. Across the week we will have theatre, dance, comedy, food, storytelling, m usic and poetry, showcasing artists from Palestine and the diaspora. Experience the affirming power of culture and the vital role it has in the ongoing call for Palestinian liberation. Enjoy an atmosphere of compassion and creativity with this one-day ticket, and a new line-up everyday (Full listings at FringePalestine.com).
A Vessel Born To Float
11:30 @ Assembly George Sq , Aug 19-25
An interdisciplinary performance piece based on the recently released book of poems by Yazmin Monét Watkins. Using poetry, humour and roller skating, this work is an exploration of the intersection of race, gender, queerness, justice, community, self-love and the healing properties of water. It is a love letter and affirmation for Black women. It is proudly and unapologetically Black. And yes, there will be poetry and peals of laughter on skates.
The Anti “Yogi”
12:40 @ Greenside George St, until Aug 23 (not 17)
Are you worthy of the Goddess’s blessings? Or her wrath? Join Mayuri Bhandari and Kali, the Goddess of Death every day as they navigate the absurdities of Western Yoga culture. Liberation, not Lululemon! This award-winning Hollywood Fringe show blends dance, drama, comedy, poetry and live percussion by renowned musician Neel Agrawal. Mayuri gives voice to the true ethos of yoga, weaving together cultural appropriation, decolonisation and community. Come peel back the yoga mat and join the revolution! PS: You don’t need to know anything about yoga to see this show!
Chloe Jacobs: Twilight Breaking Down
14:00 @ Free Fringe Uno Mas, until Aug 24
The year is 2009. The location is physically Slough, Berkshire and spiritually Forks, Washington. Chloe and her 11-year-old besties have become obsessed with Twilight. Soon, watching is not enough for these voracious and unbalanced tweens. As they seek to immerse themselves in this world, Daughters of Volterra, a 30,000-word self-insert erotic fanfiction is born. Join comedian Chloe Jacobs on a journey through the hilarious and fevered imaginings of her vampire-obsessed youth, asking the important questions: what makes a superfan? What compels us to write? And... Bella! Where the hell have you been, loca?
I Dream In Colour
I Dream in Colour
14:20 @ Underbelly Bristo Square, until Aug 24 (not 6, 11, 18)
'You're fighting for equal rights or some shit: I'm still fighting for the right to exist'. Sophie has a choice: remove her one remaining eye containing a tumour or risk cancer. Again. No brainer, right? But her parents have done everything to save this eye, in the hope she might see again. Can she do what she wants this time? A semi-autobiographical one-woman show from Jasmine Thien; a fully blind writer, poet and comedian.
Solomosexual
14:30 @ Laughing Horse West Nic Records , until Aug 15
Seeking a fresh perspective at the Fringe? Join Nebulous Niang as she navigates life from growing up in 90s Asia to being part of an inter-ethnic lesbian couple raising Gen Z kids in a conservative country. Her hour of stand-up uses honest storytelling and carefully chosen visuals to make you laugh, think, and maybe even feel a bit braver about being yourself.
Cerys Bradley's Queer Tales for Autistic Folk
14:45 @ Underbelly Bristo Sq, until Aug 25 (not 14)
You find a mysterious door that you have never seen before. Do you open it? If yes – buy a ticket to see this show. If not – why not? Join award-winning comedian Cerys Bradley for their wonderfully bonkers, expansive, interactive choose-your-own-story comedy show. All participation in this show is voluntary, and all contributions are celebrated.
Count Dykula // Lesbian Space Crime
14:50 / 17:30 @ Pleasance Dome, until Aug 25 (not 12)
Two musical comedies from Airlock Theatre:
Count Dykula - Butch loner Count Dykula loves her life, even though she's technically dead. Her gothic castle slaps and she gets to prey on humans who stray behind the big Asda. But trouble looms when Scare University preaches "the right way to be a monster" and Dykula sets out to tear down the ultra-femme busty bloodsuckers who rule the school.
Lesbian Space Crime - Astronaut Albright is accused of criminal activity against her ex-wife, heralding the dawn of space-crime and a new era for queer representation. Accused. Alone. Gay. Is she really a criminal... or a hero? Thankfully, she's not from one of 69* Earth-countries where she'd be a criminal for being gay at all.
Dyke Systems Ltd (photo: Andrew Perry)
Dyke Systems Ltd
15:00 @ Pleasance Courtyard, until Aug 25 (not 19)
Sally and Susan aren't your average repressed, suburban American women! They spearhead a community of 'Dynamic, Young, Knowledgeable Entrepreneurs', or as they call it, DYKE Systems LTD! A mysterious but potentially lucrative business opportunity that could help you get filthy rich! Sally and Susan invite you to attend their latest seminar, but as mistakes of the past catch up with them, they find themselves in a race against time to sell their product and evade the law.
Tere Bertucci: Bad Latina
15:15 @ Banshee Labyrinth, Aug 13-24
Join Alma—a confused, angry, Neurospicy, Queer Chilena-as she explores what it means to be a "good Latina" in a world that loves its Latinas spicy, sexy, and silent. Spoiler: she's none of those things. A heartwarming and chaotic spoken word show about failing the stereotype—and loving it.
Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not To Come
16:00 @ Underbelly Bristo Sq, until Aug 24
Poppy and Rubina have sex and aren't ashamed to talk about it. In this fierce, funny and frank show, they explore messy realities, fantasies, sexpectations and navigating life and relationships as British Asian women. Their award-winning, groundbreaking BBC Sounds podcast Brown Girls Do It Too, now in its sixth series, has amassed fans who love their honesty and openness, and faced backlash for breaking the silence on sex in Asian communities. With songs, sketches and some graphic content, this is a celebration of brown British women and genital warts.
I AM: A Walking Universe // I AM: One of many, many of One
17:10 (Alternate Days) @ Underbelly Cowgate, until Aug 24
Two shows from the modular series I AM. Enter the studio of LULA.XYZ, where words come to life, using wearable technology MiMu gloves (as used by Imogen Heap).
I AM: A Walking Universe - as she attempts to pen the next chapter to her namesake character, the girl next door who just happens to be Eritrean/Ethiopian, life intervenes. It’s the black woman curse. A poetic reflection of overt medical racism happening now in the UK.
I AM: One of many many of One - a first-generation immigrant straddles her Habesha (Eritrean/Ethiopian) heritage and British identity only to realise, when you leave everything behind for the promise of something better, it’s not "better".
I AM: One of many many of One (photo: Luis Quiroz)
Sikisa: Serving Justice
17:40 @ Monkey Barrel The Tron, until Aug 24 (not 12)
Join the hilarious diva Sikisa for Serving Justice – a bold, thought-provoking hour exploring truth, identity, and what justice looks like in love and life. She dives into her love of wrestling, the pressure to have kids, and the realities of the immigration system – with a twist. As seen on Live at the Apollo and Off Menu. Host of WrestleClub UK podcast.
Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer
17:40 @ Pleasance Courtyard, until Aug 24
A glistening new stand-up show from the LSQ Theatre New Comedian winner and Chortle Awards nominee about losing your mind, finding it again and the hunt for the perfect skirt suit. During a stressful house move, burgeoning trans icon Sam Nicoresti felt themselves leave their body. From a comedy night in a care home to the standing stones of Cornwall, this is the story of the journey home.
Amy Mason: Behold!
17:50 @ Pleasance Courtyard, until Aug 25 (not 13)
When Amy Mason got hacked, she lost her number, bank account and social media access. And then the hackers started sending her gifts... A surprising, somewhat filthy dive into connection, intimacy, and the perils of using your dead cat's name as your password for literally everything. Directed by Jessica Fostekew.
Su Mi: THISMOTHERPHUCKER
18:40 Underbelly Cowgate, until Aug 24 (not 12, 19)
THISMOTHERPHUCKER is a public nuisance. A dysfunctional anti-clown whose only mission is to destroy ego. Award-winning stand-up and drag performance artist Su Mi presents their debut show: an immersive surreal experience resurrecting every nostalgic moment left forgotten, healing the inner child and seeking to destroy archaic stereotypes and challenge the narrative of comedy whilst navigating a predominantly white cis space.
Su Mi: THISMOTHERPHUCKER
Jessica Durand: Over The Top
18:55 @ Underbelly Cowgate, until Aug 11
It's 1914. The Great War is destroying Europe. Except it's actually 2025 and Jessica Durand is (very bravely) staging her very own self-insert Downton Abbey fanfiction for a live audience. An absurd one-woman love letter to fandom, queer villainy and trench warfare. No prior knowledge of Downton Abbey (or WWI) is required.
Youth in Flames
19:00 @ Zoo Playground, until Aug 24
Chaos. Rebellion. A city on the brink. But Millie's focused on living life to the full – who wouldn't? Amid the 2019 Hong Kong protests, Millie searches for her sense of home whilst a city fights for its identity. A high-energy, visceral new play inspired by real events. With original sound design blending euphoric techno and the intensity of a Hong Kong riot, enter Millie's world where being an outsider has always been the norm. Written and performed by Mimi Martin, she's bold, rebellious and impossible to resist. 'I can be the foreign devil if they want'.
My Name is Rachel Corrie
19:00 @ Zoo Southside, until 24th Aug (not 11, 18)
What if our aloneness isn't a tragedy? What if our aloneness is what allows us to speak the truth without being afraid? From Jewish actor Sascha Shinder, with a predominantly Jewish team led by producer Gabriel Speechly and award-winning Scottish director Susan Worsfold, comes a bold new staging of My Name is Rachel Corrie. Edited by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner, this urgent play brings to life the story of 23-year-old activist Rachel Corrie, who left her American home to stand in solidarity with Palestinians – her story told in her own uncompromising voice.
Mary O'Connell: Dilly Dally
19:15 @ Pleasance Courtyard , until Aug 24 (not 11)
Mary loves her family. But they loved her too much and it made her unlovable to anyone else. This is what she found out when she moved her boyfriend in. Same house. Uh-oh. She already didn’t feel like a grownup but now she feels like a literal child... and her boyfriend has noticed. A show about childhood, being the eldest daughter, and figuring out how to create a new family whilst still living with your old one.
I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar
19:25 @ Underbelly Cowgate, until Aug 24 (not 11)
Step inside Holly Redford-Jones' award-winning Lesbian Bar! This bold new show is a dance through tales of unsung, unsanitised lesbian debauchery. A sonic love letter to sapphic institutions of a bygone era, the show celebrates queer women of the past, present and future. Taking a cue from the iconic Jonathan Richman song, Redford-Jones asks the biggest questions: where have all the lesbian bars gone? How do you know when you're in one? And how did Chesterfield's Crooked Spire become so... crooked?
No Apologies (photo: Matt Crockett)
No Apologies
20:45 @ Summerhall, until Aug 24 (not 11, 18)
Was Kurt Cobain trans? Was Kurt Cobain a trans woman? What if? No Apologies delves deep into internet discourse and classical mythology – radically mis-remembering Nirvana's iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged concert. It fights back against the pressure to mould ourselves into images that are acceptable to society and the danger that lies when we are not able to live as our full, vibrant selves.
Cabbage The Clown: Cinemadrome
21:45 @ Underbelly George Sq, until Aug 24 (not 12, 19)
Minimum wage cinema employee turned multi award-winning tragic fool Cabbage the Clown's debut hour marries a buffet of genres in polygamous holy matrimony in the name of drag. With over 8 million views online for their genre-busting brand of multimedia drag-clowning, Cabbage presents their hotly-anticipated debut show: One part breathless parody of cinematic history, one part thoughtful dissection of minimum wage careers, one part rolling around on the floor covered in popcorn. So talk through the trailers, get the loudest snacks available, then sit back, relax and enjoy this Bechdel Test-passing, BBFC-unapproved, global premiere.
Rosa Garland: Primal Bog
21:50 @ Assembly Roxy, until Aug 24 (not 12)
The gorgeously gross new piece from Rosa Garland, the creator of Trash Salad, one of The Telegraph's Funniest Shows of the Fringe. Join Rosa on a slimy trek into the recesses of our erotic imaginations, celebrating pleasure in its ugliest forms, and the hard work of accessing desire. Like Jackass if Johnny Knoxville was Gwyneth Paltrow, this new comedy experiment will stop at nothing to investigate the mucky mind-corners we prefer to ignore. Come into the bog; the mud's just fine.