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Welcome to the Fringe

The Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival will return in 2026 - August 6th to 30th!

We had a great year in 2025, with 355 FREE and PAY WHAT YOU CAN shows - and we're currently programming the shows for our 2026 line-up!

If you are a performer looking to bring a show to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can find out how to apply to take part in our programme HERE

At the moment you can check out all of the shows we had in 2025 on this website, and our 2026 programme will be live at the end of May. Until then you can look through this site at what shows we had last year - and look back on all the fun, laughter and entertainment of a great Fringe '25!

Shows at the Fringe

We're looking forward to August 2026...

We can't wait to show you our 2026 programme, but you'll need to wait until the end of May for that as we get things ready.....

In the meantime you can see last year's programme on this site - The Free Festival was back with a bang again last year, with another huge programme of art, entertainment and laughter which came to you from venues around Edinburgh.

You could discover something new, something amazing and all of the best things Fringe!

Laughing Horse Free Festival is one of the biggest comedy producers at the Fringe - but don't forget we also have cabaret, theatre, music, children's shows and much, much more!

In 2025 we had over 6,700 performances of 355 shows across our venues, raging from the very best in new talent through to big name shows. Just what a Fringe should be!

See the 2025 Programme

Would you like Free Fest shows in YOUR venue?

If you have a venue in central Edinburgh, and would like to host Fringe shows we are always looking for extra venues for future years - click here to find out more about all of the benefits of hosting shows.

Latest News & Reviews

Review of Mad Ron Presents - Identity Theft

 Click Here For Review

Review of Gobby Girls: The 11% Club

 Click Here For Review

Article about Gags Army

Daring Work

 Click Here For Article

Article about Phil de Lange: The Phil Monty

Excellent Show

 Click Here For Article

Review of David Ingram: Carrot Top (Memoirs of a Gay)

 Click Here For Review

Review of 50 Shades of Ty Gray

 Click Here For Review


See All News & Reviews
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Best in Free: Best of the Fringe

With an award winning programme, Festival director and many award winners and nominees for shows and projects which are part of Free Festival over the years, we've had many critically acclaimed Fringes, alongside a bucket-load of four and five-star reviewed shows.

This means our shows are free and also some of the best of the Fringe - while we allow performers and audiences experience the freedom to experience the Fringe, with a chance to experiment and enjoy, just without the huge costs.

'Free & Unticketed' and 'Pay What you Can' shows - how show entry works

Our shows are either 'Free & Unticketed' or 'Pay What You Can' depending on how the performers have chosen to run their shows. This is how it works:

Free & Unticketed: Entry to a show is first-come, first served at the venue - just turn up and then donate to the show in the collection at the end.

Pay What You Can: For these shows you can book a ticket to guarantee entry and choose your price from the Fringe Box Office, up to 30 mins before a show. After that all remaining space is free at the venue on a first-come, first-served bases. Donations for walk-ins at the end of the show.

As always 100% of the ticket price or donations for each shows goes directly to the performer, which helps them benefit as much as possible from what audiences can give to them, after a tough couple of years for performers and show producers.

Free Fringe Festival shows in Edinburgh
We had over 6,700 Performances of 355 Shows in August 2025

And we pulled out all the stops to put our 21st annual programme together... So have a look around, and look forwaed to what we may have for you in 2026!

Running the Free Festival costs a lot of Money

Some of this money is recouped through sponsorship & advertising. If you would like to contribute and help keep these venues free for performers and audiences click here