The first Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows available to book - how and where to get tickets

The first tranche of shows to be staged at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been announced.

Here we take a look at which shows are already available to book and where to buy tickets.

Assembly's George Square Garden venue is one of the most popular destinations for Fringe-goers.

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It is always an exciting moment to see the first shows that will be performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The 2025 Edinburgh Fringe feels more real than ever and being able to browse the first batch of shows adds another level of excitement. It’s incredible to see the range and themes of work as well as the talent and creativity that artists are bringing to the festival this year.

“More artists than ever have chosen to put their shows on sale at this early stage, allowing more time to plan their trip to Edinburgh this August.”

How many shows have been unveiled?

More than 556 shows will be available to view and book from noon on Wednesday.

The shows span many genres, including cabaret and variety; children’s shows; comedy; dance, physical theatre and circus; music; musicals and opera; spoken word; and theatre. The shows announced today will take place across 100 venues.

In a continuing trend, this year more Fringe artists than ever have chosen to make their show available at this early stage, giving them longer to promote their show, grow their audiences and capitalise on all the opportunities available when taking part.

Is this the entire Fringe programme for this year?

No. Many more shows will be revealed in the run-up to August.

Last year’s Fringe was one of the biggest in the event’s 77-year history, with a programme of around 3,237 shows available to book when the full programme was released. The Fringe had reached the 3,000-show mark for the first time ten years earlier.

Billed as the "number one party of the Fringe", the "epic 90s sing-along" comes to the Fringe for two weekends only. Expect everything from rock to rave, girl power to grunge and Britpop to boybands. | MASSAOKE: 90s Live

What is on?

Tickets are already available for a number of Fringe favourites, as well as new faces.

Returning this year is La Clique, staged this year in The Famous Spiegeltent, which is returning to St Andrews Square.

Quiz fans can snap up tickets for Alex Love: How to Win a Pub Quiz 2025, which is billed as “part stand-up, part actual pub quiz” at The Stand Comedy Club.

Young Fringe fans can watch Baby Shark and the Mystery of the Sphinx at the Gilded Balloon, or skip, clap and march together to traditional Scottish music at CeilidhKids at the Fringe.

Among returning shows for children and their families are The Listies: Make Some Noise at Assembly and Doktor Kaboom: Under Pressure! at Pleasance.

Hasan Al-Habib, 2025 Keep it Fringe recipient, who was “born to Iraqis that moved to Birmingham after deciding Baghdad wasn't dangerous enough”, will perform at the Pleasance.

Hasan Al-Habib, 2025 Keep it Fringe recipient, who was “born to Iraqis that moved to Birmingham after deciding Baghdad wasn't dangerous enough”, will perform at the Pleasance. | Pleasance

Stuart Mitchell , the longest-running panellist from BBC Scotland’s Breaking the News, is performing, while at theSpaceUK, Chan Lok Tim “navigates life as a Hong Konger preparing to become a husband” in Congratulations, Good for You – Cantonese Stand-Up Comedy.

Familiar faces at this year’s Fringe include Nish Kumar and Jason Byrne at Assembly, Andy Parsons, Chloe Petts, Deirdre O’Kane, Elf Lyons, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Marjolein Robertson and Rhys Darby at the Pleasance, Paul Sinha and Richard Herring at The Stand, and Geoff Norcott and Ali Woods at Underbelly.

Representing Scotland’s comedy scene, Susie McCabe is at Assembly, while Connor Burns, Craig Hill and Daniel Sloss are at Just the Tonic and Robert Grainger is at The Stand.

Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths returns to Assembly with Ten Thousand Hours, bringing “an ode to the countless hours of sweat and joy needed to achieve great things”.

MASSAOKE has two runs at Underbelly this year, while there are a number of tribute acts across venues, including Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and Celine Dion at theSpaceUK, Abba at Greyfriars Hall at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh and Joni Mitchell at Le Monde.

At The Stand, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is in conversation. Shakespeare for Breakfast is back at C Venues, while former Chelsea FC trainee Alfie Cain exposes the “brutal reality of football’s unforgiving system” in Dropped at Easter Road Stadium.

Miriam Margolyes is back this August with Margolyes and Dickens: More Best Bits at Pleasance. More familiar favourites returning this year are Trainspotting Live at Pleasance and Xhloe and Natasha with three shows at theSpaceUK - A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First, And Then the Rodeo Burned Down and What If They Ate the Baby?

Online, at www.edfringe.com.