It's that time of the year again! The 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival has begun, offering three weeks of excitement, fun and wonder to theatre, performance art and comedy lovers. Big names and A-listers appear, alongside festival first-timers and future superstars, creating a non-stop whirl of endless shows over a three-week period.
If you’re heading to Edinburgh it can feel tricky to know where to start and which tickets to book - there's the big names, the hot tickets in town, but also the newcomers and the hidden gems. We've picked the ones that we think are must-see shows - from the ones everyone's clamouring to see, to the others that make Edinburgh what it is - a wonderful melting pot of new talent and creativity. Here’s HELLO!’s pick of the top shows of 2024...
Best family-friendly show suitable for kids at the Edinburgh Fringe
Emanuel Theatre Company have been bringing sell-out shows by fresh young actors to Edinburgh for years, and they’re back in town for 2024 with a two must-see performances perfect for those looking to enjoy the festival with the family. Hamlet Hears a Who is a fast-paced, funny Dr Seuss adaptation of the Shakespeare classic, which fabulously makes a complex literary masterpiece accessible to all, even those as little as five. Perfectly timed for a lunch-break treat, the 45-minute show is a lyrical joy, bringing Dr Seuss’s fun and frivolous rhymes to the Bard’s timeless tale of insanity, death, love and murder. The perfect way to introduce the family to Shakespeare, and it won’t just be the kids who are laughing out loud.
Hamlet Hears a Who, 5-10 August, 12.10pm at theSpace @ Niddry Street
Best family adaptation
ETC’s second contribution to this year’s Fringe Festival, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a must-see, fast-paced, fresh and fabulous kid-friendly spin on Oscar Wilde’s classic play. This is a hilarious, music-filled slapstick delight of a show, full of Wildean wit and attention-grabbing antics. The perfect way to provide your youngsters with some summer holiday culture and to inspire their own creative ambitions.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, 5-10 August, 12.15pm at theSpace on the Mile
Best stand-up
Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes are Up Here
First off is Sarah Keyworth's brilliant show My Eyes are Up Here, where the comedian skilfully has their audience in the palm of their hand as they details everything in their life from the trials and tribulations of turning 30, their ADHD diagnosis and - referencing the title of the show - their recent top surgery. Sarah had the packed gig hanging on to their every word - and made it look easy. This perfectly polished show should definitely be added to your must-watch list.
Sarah Keyworth: My Eyes are Up Here, Until 25 August at Monkey Barrel
© Matt CrockettJoe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!!
Joe Kent-Walters' debut show was an unexpected delight - and a true gem of the Fringe festival this year. The talented comic was the winner of the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023 - is a brilliant. In his debut comedy show, based in the cosy venue of Monkey Barrel 2, Joe takes on the persona of Frankie Monroe, a working men's club owner who made a pact with the devil decades before - and you have arrived just in time to watch him to pay the price. With light-hearted audience participation and genuine laugh-out-loud guffaws, grab yourself a late night ticket to this one - and you won't regret it.
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!!, until 25 August at Monkey Barrel 2
© Jack PellingBest improv
Austentatious performed to an absolutely packed house when we went to see it, and it's easy to see why. The beloved show, which debuted at the festival several years and went on to enjoy several tours and regular theatre dates in London, is a joyous watch from start to finish, particularly if you love Jane Austen and all of her 900 works. In the show, the group of players 'discover' a new Austen novel that they perform, based on suggestions from the audience. What ensues is a total treat of quick wit tied up with a truly romantic element - with the added hilarity of the cast occasionally forgetting their own names, relationships and who they are speaking to. Get tickets if you can!
Austentatious, until 11 August, at Underbelly, McEwan Hall
Best musical
Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical gets a huge thumbs up, not only for being pretty much as jaw-droppingly awesome as the original Lin-Manuel Miranda blockbuster, but also for the incredible ability of these performers to create a unique show, night after night, with a story based entirely on the suggestions of the audience. So get ready to shout out your favourite celebrity, politician or fictional character, as you might be able to see a whole show about just them. During our visit, we had a hilarious musical about the life of Willy Wonka, incorporating everything from the Glasgow experience to a villainous Walt Disney, the Burr to Wonka's Hamilton, as it were, who is determined to take him down in the name of capitalism. Brilliant, laugh-out-loud fun.
Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical, 4-25 August, 6.20pm at Assembley George Square Studios
Best celeb comedy show
Have we got news for you? Yes! Paul Merton, best known for his hilarious antics on the hit BBC TV show, is live at the Edinburgh Fringe this year doing an improv show with his wife, Suki Webster. Fresh from their residency at London's Comedy Store, this power improv couple brings their fast and fabulously funny show packed full of games and skits to town – they even promise special guests including Mike McShane and Kirsty Newton.
Paul Merton and Suki Webster's Improv Show, 9-19 August, 3.30pm at Pleasance Courtyard
© Dave BenettFunniest YouTube sensations
If you're not one of the million followers of Foil, Arms and Hogg, this might be a good opportunity to go and find out what all the fuss is about. This hilarious trio, old favourites at the Fringe now, are back for 2024 with their new show Skittish, a mix of improv, sketches and (get ready to hide!) audience participation. With rave reviews for the past 14 years, this is a show that guarantees full belly laughs and a whole lot of fun. Definitely one to bring drag the grumpy teens along to - they won't be grumpy for long!
Skittish, 4-26 August, 9.15pm at Underbelly, Bistro Square
Best cabaret
Returning to its roots, La Clique may have toured the globe over the years, but it's never better than when it's seen where it all began - at the Edinburgh Fringe. Expect the unexpected and don't read too much in advance to allow the experience to completely swallow you up. Just rest assured, it will be a truly spectacular, cheeky, shocking and jaw-dropping experience you will never forget.
La Clique, 4-24 August, various dates, at 7.20pm, Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadows
Best magic show
If it's good enough for Beyonce and the Pentagon....Chris Dugdale confounds everyone he meets, from Grammy-winning singers, American politicians or Edinburgh Fringe audiences, with his unique blend of magic and mind control. This year he’s back with a brand-new show, 11, asking the question: what would you do with your life if you could not fail? It promises dynamic, fast-paced mentalism and magic. It will leave you baffled!
Chris Dugdale: 11, 4-11 and 13-25 August, 7.45pm at Assembly Rooms Ballroom
Best dark comedy
From the powerhouse producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer comes a new play about the climate crisis by Brian Watkins. This blistering dark comedy focuses on the life of Stacey, a California weather girl, who has a mental breakdown due to the realities of climate change. Fast and funny, the show promises a “dizzying rampage into the soul of American strangeness”.
Weather Girl, 4-26 August, various dates. 6pm at Summerhall.
Best celeb-inspired trend!
© Andrew Milligan - PA ImagesWho knew that Gwyneth Paltrow's seven-day ski trial would inspire not one, but two shows at this year's Fringe? We can't choose between them and figure if this floats your boat, you really should see them both! The first of the mini musicals is by Awkward Productions (the two-man team behind the hit Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story) and is a queer and joyful show called Gwyneth Goes Skiing - it debuted in London last year. The second, I Wish You Well, features X Factor singer Diana Vickers as Ms Paltrow, in a fast-paced, hilarious musical you won't want to miss.
Gwyneth Goes Skiing, various dates 6-26 Aug, 3.30pm at Pleasance Courtyard
I Wish You Well, 4-11and 13-26 August, 5.35pm at Underbelly, George Square
