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stand-up, Food and Drink

Edinburgh Comedy Social

30 MAY, 27 JUN, 25 JUL, 1 AUG, 8 AUG, 15 AUG, 22 AUG - 20:00

A stellar night of live comedy set in the city's favourite local hang-out, Edinburgh Street Food. Expect a smorgasbord of the UK's funniest folk performing their best material served up alongside delicious street food available to order throughout the show.

Curated by leading comedy producer Gilded Balloon, the show follows on from the success of sell-out hit Leith Social, promising the biggest laughs from top comedians and even more mouthwatering scran from the likes of multi-award winning Junk, Homies Pizza, Mr Boney, Chix, Harajuku and more. Even better, this Edinburgh’s only dog friendly comedy night!

"The ultimate dinner and a show" (List)

Line ups to be announced soon!

Limited student tickets available, must present valid student ID on arrival.

Doors: 19:30, Show: 20:00

Location Gilded Balloon @ Edinburgh Street Food

subvenue Food Hall

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music, magic

Baby Shark and Tails of the Seven Seas

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 10:20
Join Fiddlefox and Baby Shark as they travel to different lands around the world around the world seeking a lost friend, while experiencing the sights and sounds of each culture represented in a multimedia format with live music, animated video, magic and story.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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comedy

The Chairs Revisited

31 JUL - 11 AUG, 18 AUG - 26 AUG - 10:30
Following five-star success with Miss Julie (*****, ThreeWeeks) and The Nine Lives of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (*****, CafeBabel.com), the veterans are back with a perfect lockdown party. Picture an ancient couple, beached in life and marooned in some isolated spot, inviting many imaginary guests. Sometimes life is more absurd than fiction. 'Brilliant new version of Eugene Ionesco's surreal, funny and moving mini-masterpiece with rhyming rhythms and sizzling dialogue' (Scotsman). 'A pot-pourri of word-plays, slapstick and physical comedy. Well-paced theatre and highly entertaining. A wee bit like Waiting for Godot meets The Marx Brothers' ***** (Herald).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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storytelling, comedy

The Brilliance of Broken Glass: Button

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 11:00
New York Comedian/Moth StorySLAM Champion Brooke weaves award-winning storytelling, poetic narrative, wry comedy to fashion a uniquely styled, kaleidoscopic identity exploration and invitation to reflect on outtie and innie worlds. Following sold-out solo shows Off-Off Broadway and Edinburgh Fringe, Brooke's infectious energy and unique voice crafts a celebration of indomitable human spirit. Previous: 'Writing and delivery is first class'; 'A proper performer to balance the comedy and drama'; 'Brilliant tour de force' (Audience reviews). 'Sharp comedic timing' **** (Skinny); 'Endearing wit… thoroughly worth seeing' **** (TheatreWeekly.com); 'Intriguing and heartfelt' **** (LondonTheatre1.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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theatre, Family-friendly

Lost in the Woods

31 JUL - 11 AUG - 11:30
Once upon a time, a little girl and a little boy were lost in the woods... That is usually how these things start. Only this time they are not only lost in the woods, but within their own story! An absurd comedy for all ages (5+) written and performed by Arran R Hawkins (Black is the Color of my Voice) and Hila Meckier (Gorki Theatre, Berlin). 'Outstanding... a true gem... go see this!' ***** (GetYourCoatsOn.com). 'Hilarious comedy... great storytelling' **** (EdinburghFestivalsForKids.com). 'An engaging and energetic experience' **** (LondonTheatre1.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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Science and Technology, comedy

A.L.Ex and The ImpRobots Present: An AI Show for Kids!

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 11:40
Sixty minutes of hilarious fast-paced interactive science theatre for the whole family featuring real robots, AI, and laughs. Join A.L.Ex. the fully autonomous improvising-comedy robot and The Improbots, a trio of comedian scientists as they explore the science of humour. Mixing slapstick and improv comedy with provocative questions about human and artificial intelligence, kids big and small will have an opportunity to interact with A.L.Ex through improv games, dance, and silly challenges while exploring funny science.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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improv

The Cambridge Impronauts

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 11:40
This short-form improvisation show includes famous games, such as Party Quirks, led by audience prompts. Celebrating its 21st birthday and sold-out shows in 2023, Cambridge University's improvisers return after seven years resident at the Gilded Balloon. This year, to celebrate our coming of age, we are hosting a range of mystery guests. The cast includes ex and current Footlights. Our director works with the National Theatre, and just wrote a book on applying improv in drama with Katie Mitchell. This year's show is not to be missed!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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comedy, Game Show

The Kids Always Win

31 JUL - 18 AUG AND 24 - 25 AUG - 11:40
Tired of grown-ups being know-it-alls? Do you want to win prizes? Kids Always Win is a game show where the kids always win. A brand-new game show from Tom Whiston ('Funnyman' (Mirror)) and Max Prentice (140k Tiktok followers), where grown-ups compete against kids in a series of stacked decks, moved goalposts and impossibly unfair questions. The outcome is in the title: the kids always win.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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live music, variety

Primary School Assembly Bangers Live!

31 JUL - 17 AUG - 11:45
Join James for an hour of pure nostalgia, stepping back in time with some joyous singalong tunes to take you back to your Primary School days. You won't have to sit cross-legged on the school hall floor, but you will be encouraged to sing along! As well as the assembly bangers, there will be other musical surprises, throwback mashups and comic reflections on growing up in the 90s. 'James is the definition of a showman, and an outstanding one at that' ***** (TheReviewsHub.com).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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music, comedy

A Transcriber's Tale

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 12:00
Welcome to a bustling transcription office in 2001 New York City, where typists are busy listening to – and typing out – raw interviews for pulpy television shows and other mass media. The ultimate eavesdropper in a storm of sound bites, clichés and unexpected confessions, Joanna Parson presents a unique musical monologue that shows you what happens when a young woman with a sense of humour and a guitar tries to keep her sanity and heart intact in the centre of the news cycle. 'I laughed, hummed, and was deeply touched' (Kathryn Markey, Plays For Us).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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satire, Musical Comedy

Fringe! The Musical

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 15) - 12:00
Chantelle Duprée always dreamed of becoming a star! From her "humble" upbringing in an American mid-western town, she decides to travel across the pond to perform a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in search of fame and fortune. Will she get her big break? Or will she discover some uncomfortable truths? Fringe! The Musical tackles the deep relationship between an artist's ego and their art. Crammed full of catchy tunes, witty humour, and larger-than-life characters. #LiveTheDream

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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comedy, Musical Theatre

The Steamie

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 12:00
Through everyday conversation, hilarious comedy, and music-hall style songs, we learn from four working-class women about their lives; husbands, technology and the approaching New Year in this time capsule of Glasgow in the 1950s. The show pays tribute to the unsung domestic labour of women, and the importance of female friendships – both of which keep it relevant today – along with the iconic comedy lines recited throughout Scotland. Laugh and cry along with Tony Roper's loveable characters in this nostalgic show, steeped in Scottish culture and social history, which continues to entertain local audiences and tourists alike.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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poetry, stand-up

Elvis McGonagall: Gin & Catatonic?

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 12:20
The Radio 4 regular kicks down the rotting doors of power with his trademark blend of anarchic wit, satirical verse and dazzling Weltschmerz. Metaphorically, obvs. He's really on the sofa drinking cocktails with his cat. 'Righteous ire directed at very deserving targets' **** (Guardian). 'Funny, angry, tightly written quick-fire verse' **** (Scotsman). 'Tack-sharp humour and uncompromising politics. Hilarious' **** (List). 'Wonderfully acerbic, exactly the sort of thing the Fringe was made for' **** (ThreeWeeks). 'Astute observation, thrilling hyperbole, utterly hilarious' ***** (EdFestMag.com). 'Beautifully worded invective and brilliant wit' ***** (BritishTheatreGuide.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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storytelling, comedy

Julie Flower: Grandma's Shop

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 12:20
Clothes. Cats. Counter-culture. Sheffield. 1989. Loveable, eccentric septuagenarian, Hilda, has run a second-hand clothes shop for decades. She does it to make money to feed 30 stray cats. One day, a journalist from the Guardian walks in... Join Hilda's granddaughter for a solo show about family history subverting expectations. Step inside Hilda's shop, a nostalgic world of old carrier bags, pools coupons and vintage clothes... presided over by an unlikely punk icon. Julie Flower presents a multi-character comedy drama about love, memories and the stories our clothes have to tell.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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stand-up

Dr Jo Prendergast: The Cool Mum

31 JUL - 25 AUG - 13:00 (NOT 12)
A clean, award-winning parody of a personal development seminar for Gen Z-ers to Boomers. See why it sold out and got five-star reviews around Australia and New Zealand! Performed by psychiatrist Dr Jo Prendergast, author of teen mental health book When Life Sucks. ***** (SeeDoEatReview.com). 'One show you don't want to miss' ***** (PlayAndGo.com.au). 'Had the audience in stitches... thoughtful, well-paced, sharply-observed comedy grist and the mixed-age group audience was totally on board' (TheatreTravels.org).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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Character Comedy

Serious Theatre from Serious People

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 13:00
At Bet On It Youth Theatre, aspiring actors will do anything to climb the ladder of success. Teachers and students alike believe in taking the work seriously. They also believe in taking themselves seriously. Prepare to get serious. Returning after sell-out Edinburgh Fringe shows in 2023, join writer-performers Charlotte Anne-Tilley (Almost Adult) and Mabel Thomas (Sugar) for big egos, emotional outbursts and a whole lot of drama in this unmissable character-driven satire. 'Tilley's engagement with the crowd is exceptional' (EdFestMag.com). 'Mabel Thomas is an incredible performer' (BingeFringe.com). ***** (ThreeWeeks).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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a cappella

Sing It! Northern Lights: From Retro to Remix

31 JUL - 13 AUG (NOT 7) - 13:00
Sing it! From Retro to Remix. Join us, Durham University's premier a cappella group and previous national champions, for 60 minutes of an exciting journey through time and music, featuring classic songs from the past 60 years. Expect dynamic choreography, award-winning arrangements and a guaranteed unforgettable experience for all ages at the iconic Doonstairs venue at Gilded Balloon!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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spoken word

Mhairi Black: Politics Isn't For Me

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12, 13) - 13:15
In 2015, at the age of 20, Mhairi Black became the youngest person ever elected to the House of Commons. Nearly 10 years on, she has announced she will stand down at the next election and looks forward to embracing her dark sense of humour. For £13 you could buy 491 teabags, 43 Freddos, six and a half lottery tickets, or one alcoholic beverage at the Edinburgh Fringe. Even better, for £13 you could buy a ticket to this first hand, behind the scenes, ruthlessly honest look at politics in 21st-century Britain.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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comedy, drama

My Mother Had Two Faces: Reflections on Beauty, Aging and Acceptance

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13, 20) - 13:20
Presented in pseudo-fairytale style, this one-woman dramatic comedy dares to expose what lies beneath the mask of the perfect mother. Discovering her mother's diaries after her passing, the heroine Karin begins to examine the history of their complicated relationship: from the gritty, urban streets of New York to her Swiss mother's manicured orderliness. Engaged in conversations with her mirrored reflection, Karin wrestles with her own inner demons. A riveting and poetic journey employing multimedia and masks that asks, when we strip away the make-up, what is revealed? ****½ (TheFrontRowCenter.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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Dark Comedy, Musical Theatre

Potty the Plant

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 15) - 13:30
The totally adult, dark, comedy musical, returns! Starring Potty, a little green, singing, talking, tap-dancing pot plant. Annoyingly catchy songs, heartwarming friendships, and twisted humor. 'An unholy crossover between Sesame Street and a B-movie horror' (LostInTheatreland.co.uk). Musical Talk's Pick of the Fringe 2023. ***** (Mickey-Jo Theatre, YouTube).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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storytelling, spoken word

Andrew Clover: A Wild Call

31 JUL - 11 AUG - 13:40
The idea: to sail the Atlantic, find ruined rainforest, and rewild. The reality: he nearly drowned, got lost in Colombian jungle... where in the Lost City of the Kogis, he made a life-changing discovery. Andrew Clover has been a Comedy Award nominee, an actor (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Ashes to Ashes) and Sunday Times columnist (Dad Rules). 'I shall never forget the irresistible madness of Andrew Clover' ***** (Scotsman's Highlights of 30 Years of the Fringe). 'He exits to a standing ovation' (Observer).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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new writing, comedy

Barbies and Drillas

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 13:40
'Hey, we're not students anymore – who the fuck stole my avocado?!' A comedy about five housemates gloriously wasting their youth as they try to avoid the hell of growing up. They bicker, wail, dance and endlessly mock. They reluctantly go to their terrible jobs. They fall furiously in and out of love. They fail to write their masterpieces. But will they learn to appreciate that the connection between them is lifelong?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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comedy, true-life

Mutant Olive 2.0

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 13:40
(Mommy's a whore, Daddy's a hitman). Laugh, cry and see God in this award-winning solo show by writer/performer Mitch Hara. Strap yourself in for a heart-wrenching rollercoaster ride you'll never forget, featuring sex, drugs, disco balls and blackouts. All during an audition for Hamilton Unplugged. Directed by Carlyle King. 'Genius! Run!' ***** (LA Times). 'Insanely entertaining' ***** (IndieWire.com). 'Dark and seductive' ***** (StageRaw.com). 'Hilarious!' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). Winner: Best Show, Hollywood Fringe. United SoloFest NYC. Whitefire Solofest. 'Hilarious and heartbreaking' ***** (TheaterMania.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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magic

2 Become Wand: Hudson & Hudson – Magic

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 14:20
When real-life married funny magicians decided to perform a double-act, they thought it would be the perfect combination of fun and tricks. However, their personal-life bickering tends to get in the way of the magic. 'Climaxes ranging from silly to mind-blowing. Two immensely engaging and talented performers' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'You fooled us' Penn & Teller. 'Ace. Brilliant. Authentic' (Amanda Holden).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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stand-up, historical

Gabey Lucas: A Berkshire Boar Walks Into a Bar (and Gets Shot in the Face)

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 14:20
'Witty yet strangely informative' Gabey Lucas (Rip City Comedy Festival, Martin Foundation Full Artist 2020 finalist) wants to talk to you about hard-hitting subjects like unicorn propaganda, snake abs, and kidnapping Abe Lincoln – who could totally beat the crap out of Alexander The Great, by the way. Unfortunately, to do so she first has to stop getting sidetracked by the silliest pig-based almost-war in human history. She's not great at that. 'A f*cking great writer' (Patrick Borelli, The Tonight Show).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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absurdist, sketch show

Mime Club

31 JUL - 15 AUG - 14:20
Sexy dads, vacuum cleaners, the German State Theatre... Welcome to Mime Club. Enjoy the pandemonium. From the minds of acclaimed idiots Jon and Ollie comes a new show packed with psychical comedy, chaos and clowning. Prepare yourself for an hour of multi award-winning sketches from the Jon and Ollie universe, each one more ludicrous than the last. Mime Club is a dream* come true for comedy lovers. *If your dreams are about Kenneth Branagh and houmous-loving fawns.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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Science and Technology, magic

Kevin Quantum: Anti-Gravity

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 20) - 14:30
Following award-winning, sell-out performances around the world, Kevin returns to Edinburgh. Enter a space where the rules of gravity are bent and broken... Impossible illusions and levitations presented by the magician/scientist adventurer tutored by Penn & Teller. Having spent half of his adult life studying physics and half studying magic, Magic Circle member Kevin explores the exotic space where science and magic meet. Magic is real. And he'll prove it to you. 'Epic stunts' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Will leave you picking your jaws off the floor' **** (Advertiser, Adelaide). 'All the hallmarks of Penn & Teller' ***** (BookmarksAndStages.home.blog).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Chris Weir: Well Flung

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 14:40
For his debut hour, Chris Weir (BBC Scotland, Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year finalist) leads us through his first ever holiday fling, set in the sunny cruising beaches of Gran Canaria. In this modern-day romcom, Chris navigates the grey areas and accelerated relationship of a five-day romance. He explores the ups and downs of sudden monogamy, romantic expectations, financial imbalances, inevitable fallouts, wandering eyes, gay romps – all to ask the question: is companionship worth it, or are we better off alone?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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Family-friendly, magic

Almost Impossible: Martin Brock

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 19 AUG) - 14:45
Fresh from his USA/Australia tour, Danish magician Martin Brock presents completely original magic, enhanced by unique music, witty comedy and high-tech video production. 'Brock is polished, humorous, slick, smooth' ****½ (GlamAdelaide.com.au); 'See this show' ****½ (FringeWorld.com.au/FringeFeed).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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new writing, drama

Knives and Forks

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 15:00
From the company that brought you Bluewater ('a true original' ***** (BingeFringe.com)), Knives and Forks is a relatable and joyous new play by Danielle James. Sharing hilarious and heartwarming moments from their lives together, best friends Iris and Thalia invite you to step into their living room and join them in an exploration of female friendship. We see these girls love and learn from each other, and as the world as they know it begins to fall apart, we learn that friendship and love is the strongest force on earth.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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improv, theatre

Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 15:00
Pinch Punch are back to welcome you aboard Locomotive for Murder, an improvised comedy murder-mystery where killing the cast and cracking the case is in your hands. Expect outrageous accents and shaky alibis! Four characters board a train but not everyone will survive. Thankfully, a world-famous detective is ready to solve the case. But who is the murderer? Only one person knows: the murderer themselves. Using audience suggestions and stories, Pinch Punch create a never-to-be-repeated whodunnit. If you love comedy or murder mysteries then this is the show for you!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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stand-up

Stephanie Bradshaw: Big Fish

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 15:00
Big Fish is Stephanie Bradshaw's debut stand-up show, inspired by her life as an attention-seeking (anxious, delicate, shy) mega diva, based in the small rural town of Keswick, Cumbria. She's a big fish in a small pond... and she bl**dy loves it! Big Fish explores themes of community, small-town life, battling with imposter syndrome and finding your way as 'the funny one'. As seen and heard on Only Fans Creative Fund: Comedy Edition 2023, BBC Cumbria, BBC Radio 5 Live.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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improv, comedy

The Improv Musical

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 15:30
Returning to Fringe for our ninth year, smash-hit production The Improv Musical is coming back to take the Fringe by storm. Each show is a completely improvised, never-before-seen musical based on the audience's suggestions! You choose the setting, characters and title, then sit back and watch as our performers bring your suggestions to life – complete with a live band playing totally improvised music! So get your suggestions ready, and come along for an hour of improvised fun for all ages where the show really is in your hands!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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comedy, stand-up

Anu Vaidyanathan: BC:AD – Before Children, After Diapers

31 JUL - 21 AUG (NOT 12 AUG) - 15:40
BC:AD (Before Children, After Diapers) is a stand-up comedy show and one mad, mommy's take on how the definitions of words change before and during motherhood. Through a number of stories from before she had children and after she changed loads of diapers, survived the institution called marriage and then found herself amidst two short roommates who insist on calling her 'mom', Anu paints a peripatetic picture of the life and times of a comedian, filmmaker and sometime engineer who loves endurance sports, including parenting.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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absurdist, sketch show

Biscuit Barrel: Not Another 69-Sketch Show

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 15:40
'Most reliable sketch group in the game' **** (EdFringeReview.com). 69 sketches in an hour! Featuring slapstick and wordplay at break-neck speed. 'An excellent comedy show' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). Featuring DazzReviews, as seen on YouTube (500,000 subscribers; 100 million views). Following 1,700 tickets sold in 2023, the Barrel return for their fifth year at Edinburgh! This is the speed of TikTok put on a stage. 'The hot, young comedy act you promised yourself' **** (GetYourCoatsOn.com). 'The hit-rate of their sketches is high' (List).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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storytelling, stand-up

Harriet Dyer: Skin

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 15:40
Give us a cheer if you've got skin? Well then, this is the show for you! A new show of story-based chaos with heart and peculiarities from acclaimed stand-up Harriet Dyer (Comedy Central Live, Rosie Jones's Disability Comedy Extravaganza, The Russell Howard Hour and winner of 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Neurodiversity Representation Award). 'Harriet Dyer is everything I love about the Fringe' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'We shouldn't underestimate the importance of Harriet Dyer's show' ***** (NeurodiverseReview.co.uk). 'A fabulous hour with a sense of the joyful absurdity of life. Entirely charming' ***** (One4Review.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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storytelling, stand-up

Kate-Lois Elliott: How to Belong Without Joining a Cult

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 19) - 16:00
Kate-Lois Elliott's family lived in a secretive cult until her mum escaped. One generation later, a teenage Kate finds herself in the clutches of an equally militant operation... just your average group of teenage girls. Because, as it turns out, cults are everywhere – ask anyone with a Tesco Clubcard. British Writers' Guild Award nominee, British Comedy Guide Awards finalist. 'Such funny business' (Jessica Fostekew). 'Elliott commands the stage, charming delivery, quality callbacks' (ASpyInTheStalls.com). 'Zeitgeisty' (Dominic King, BBC Radio Kent). 'Could sniff vodka from the plinth' (Helen Lederer). Directed by Esther Manito.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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stand-up, solo show

John Meagher: Big Year

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 16:20
After a sell-out run at Dublin Fringe, host of Radio 4's The Divil's Own John Meagher makes his debut at The Gilded Balloon with his debut show Big Year. 'John is a very sharp comedian... with a subtlety to his stuff I didn't have (in younger days)' (Patrick Kielty, Irish Independent).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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stand-up, solo show

Kathleen Hughes: Cryptid!

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 16:20
Kathleen isn't sure of anything anymore. She's not even sure she exists. Cryptid is the dark and hilarious debut hour from Glasgow comic Kathleen Hughes – a show about identity, imperfection and the mortifying ordeal of allowing yourself to be seen. Sort of. 'A ridiculously talented comic' (Billy Kirkwood). One of the fastest-rising comedy stars' (Jay Lafferty).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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spoken word, variety

Tom Crosbie: I Came, I Saw, I Conq-Nerd

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 16:20
Friends, nerds, countrymen! Lend me your cubes! What's your Roman Empire? The thing you can't stop thinking about? Tom has collected a few obsessions over the years. He's bundled them into a charming, funny and heartfelt show. You're invited to an hour of nerdistry, in which his Rubik's Cube skills will be tested to their limits, his prodigious memory will be stretched more than the Hobbit movies, and he will make the world feel a little more magic with a wit that could sink battleships. At least in the board game...

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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comedy, magic

1 Hour of Insane Magic

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 16:30
After a sell-out sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Insane Magic are back even bigger and even more Insane! Witness some of the most incredible acts of magic from 'three of the best magicians in the country' (EdinburghLive.com). Cameron Gibson, Elliot Bibby and Luke Osey return with everything from insane magic tricks and impossible illusions, to amazing acts of mind-reading, this is a show that's 'so insanely good' (WorldMagicReview.com) it has to be seen to be believed!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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cabaret, magic

Hypnotist Matt Hale: Top Fun! 80s Spectacular – Remix

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 17:00
The unmissable sell-out smash-hit comedy hypnosis show with 80s party vibes returns! Remixed for 2024! With multiple sell-out Fringe runs and 50 million+ views online, enjoy from stage or audience – you choose! All-ages friendly. 'The laughter is uncontrollable!' ***** (FringeFeed.com.au). 'Fun-filled show!' ***** (One4Review.co.uk). 'Laugh until your sides hurt!' ***** (WeekendNotes.com). 'Rollicking good time' ***** (SeeDoEatReview.com). 'Spectacular silliness! Absolute feel-good must-see show' ****½ (XPressMag.com.au). Hypnotist Matt Hale is a multi-award winner, seen on Best Shows, Top 10s and Picks of the Fringe.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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new writing, comedy

PALS

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13, 20) - 17:00
Pals is a Scottish adventure-comedy play telling the story of four crude, chaotic yet completely normal gal pals as they embark on a camping trek in the west of Scotland. In amidst the buzz of Edinburgh life, budding photographer Sadie and her three friends are suffering from the modern affliction of being in their early 20s. In a bid to escape their lives, have a riotous time and avoid several mental breakdowns, Sadie takes her friends on what should be a wholesome holiday. However, these lassies are completely out of their depths, in more ways than one.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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stand-up, solo show

Joshua Bethania: Coming Home

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:20
A debut from the 2022 So You Think You're Funny? winner. The show is an Indian immigrant's attempt at fixing the UK, filled with anecdotes and observations about how his life has always been influenced by England. Joshua touches upon his childhood, his adulthood, his religion, his relationships and the contractually-obligated topic of colonialism, all sprinkled with subtle political views (yes he does have ADHD).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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comedy, true-life

Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 7, 12, 13, 20) - 17:30
Winner: Best of Fringe Toronto 2023! What does a 31-year-old theatre kid do when a DNA test reveals that his biological parents aren't quite who he thought they were? Write a musical, of course! In this hilarious, moving and true story, Noam Tomaschoff grapples with questions of family, identity and just how many brothers and sisters he really has. Blending comedy, drama and addictive music, Noam takes the audience on an unforgettable journey, ending with a message of optimism that will make you hold your family just a little bit tighter.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up, solo show

Nate Kitch: Tomorrow Might Not Happen; Now

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:40
What is anything? The basically-award-winning*, 'real WTF comic' (Chortle.co.uk) walks in like a postman with a love letter of his past, present and future. Expect: poems, bags, chess, big ideas, poems and bigger bags, small ideas, paper, hope and diagrams. What's comedy about? It'll be like if Kazimir Malevich and James Joyce and/or Samuel Beckett did something (probably). 'Bold... Truly stood out' **** (List). 'Hints of Simon Munnery... Something very special' (BeyondTheJoke.co.uk). 'So special and inventive it's frustrating' (Jin Hao Li). **** (Scotsman). Timing. *So You Think You're Funny? finalist 2021.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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storytelling, stand-up

Pernille Haaland: Not Related

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:40
Comedian Pernille Haaland leaves no ball unkicked as she tackles the existential crisis of her post-35, single life, realizing her hot-girl summer days are over. In her new stand-up hour, she questions slut shaming, hookup culture and emotional instability in her pursuit of truth. Can freezing your eggs relieve the pressure of dating? Is the Kardashian-dominated Instagram era exposing our innate humanity? All while everyone assumes she is related to footballer Erling Braut Haaland. With credits on BBC One, BBC Three, Netflix, Warner Bros, Discovery, NRK and TV2, she offers hope through laughter.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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Dark Comedy

Tartan Tabletop in a Dungeons & Dragon Comedy: The Never-Ending Quest – The Return

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 17:40
A quest that began at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, and completed a sold-out run, returns for a sequel – the popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast team lands at the Fringe with the Never-Ending Quest – The Return! Improvised comedy at the roll of a dice, expect teamwork, nerdy jokes and guest-star comedians playing Noblin the Goblin. Don't worry about the plot, we don't! Expect laughs, adventure and random acts of sorcery from the Tartan Tabletop gang of misfit adventurers.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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compilation, stand-up

So You Think You're Funny? Competition – Heats

31 JUL - 6 AUG - 18:00
The search for comedy's next big star continues as contestants battle for a place in the grand final of the UK's biggest newcomer competition! Following months of regional showcases across the UK and Ireland, see the future faces of comedy before they make it big! 'Showcasing the stand-up stars of the future' (Comedy.co.uk). Previous winners and finalists from the competition include Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and more.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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stand-up, Alternative Comedy

Alexander Bennett: Emotional Daredevil

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 18:20
I'm the emotional daredevil, and for my next feat, I need someone's help. A show about risk, for the unsatisfied and traumatised, from a Chortle Award nominee. 'Surprisingly powerful' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). 'Balances hilarity with poignant themes' **** (EdFestMag.com). ***** (MumbleComedy.net). **** (One4Review.co.uk). **** (TheQR.co.uk). **** (ScottishField.co.uk). 'Undoubtedly a funny man' (List). 'He holds the audience in the palm of his hand, pulling big laughs from every quadrant – his act doesn't get the attention it should do' (Chortle.co.uk). 'Courageous and thought-provoking' (Scotsman). Creator and host of the Born Yesterday podcast.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up, true-life

Graham Kay: Pete and Me

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 18:20
Kay's Pete and Me uses cheerful humour to talk about growing up with his profoundly autistic brother, exploring their relationship from childhood through today. From daily calls pretending to be Bert and Ernie to Graham getting arrested and his brother hanging up on the cops. Underneath heartfelt anecdotes and witty punchlines, Graham (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) is ultimately confronting his life's biggest fears while providing a space for the conversations we rarely get the chance to have. 'Brilliantly funny' (Huffington Post). 'An awesome comedian' (Nate Bargatze).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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Alternative Comedy, sketch show

We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 19) - 18:20
Jake and Liv deserve the world. But Jake and Liv have nothing. And it's all Patina Pataznik's fault. Patina was the It Girl™ of Homebush High. And she's definitely, totally, 100% the reason Jake and Liv's lives suck. So when they time travel back to Year 8, it's obvious what they have to do. Patina Pataznik must die. A camp horror revenge tale for anyone who's ever wished their high school bully would disappear... forever. 'Glanc and McLeod are a winning combination' (MyMelbourneArts.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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comedy, LGBTQ+

Pop Off, Michelangelo!

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 18:30
A world-premiere musical comedy about Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, two best friends growing up in Florence who decide to become the greatest artists of all time so that God will forgive them for being gay. Also Marisa Tomei is in it? This queer, camp, coming-of-age musical with an infectious pop score is by the writer of M3gan: The Unauthorised Parody Musical and the sold-out The Real Housewives of New York: The Parody Musical, which was featured on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live. Prior show reviews: 'Smash-hit' (BroadwayWorld.com), 'Triggered my choke-laughter' (Mercedes Vizcaino, Medium.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Sophie Garrad and Leigh Douglas: Daddy's Girls

31 JUL - 22 AUG (NOT 19) - 18:40
Sophie and Leigh are Daddy's Girls on the loose. With Sophie's dad in and out of prison and Leigh's dead dad only contactable via the help of a clairvoyant, these girls are doing it for themselves and taking a split-bill to the Fringe, because 'what, like it's hard?' They're ready to order the business woman special and spice up your life. Out of the sea of Edinburgh shows, they wanna be part of your world. Everyone's invited because it does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Aaron Twitchen: Himbo

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 19:00
Dumped during his best friend's wedding, Aaron has decided to laugh it off. 'Hilarious, warm, energetic... Twitchen is a quadruple threat' (Skinny). After making poor choices himself, Aaron hands you control to choose the comedy topics you want. Expect jokes about dating disasters, pop-culture and geriatric millennials in this camp, energetic hour. 'Fierce, fresh and fabulous' (Alesha Dixon). From star of Channel 4's Dumped and host Top 20 Apple charting podcast Pod of the Pops. A show for anyone who has loved, lost or longed for a diamond the size of their fist.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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interactive, theatre

Bad Clowns: HOSTAGE

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 19:00
It is the opening night of the Fringe theatre show The Worrisome Troubles of Timothy Potts. However, the playwright has escaped from prison to see his "masterpiece". He takes control of the show and audience! Are you ready to be taken HOSTAGE? 'Slick, briskly paced and wonderfully anarchic production' ***** (LondonTheatre1.com). 'Witty and entertaining' ***** (WestEndBestFriend.co.uk). 'Fast-paced hour of idiotic nonsense' **** (Daily Express). 'Takes high-concept comedy to new and perilous heights' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Fast-paced hour of delectable silliness' **** (ThreeWeeks).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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solo show, magic

Caspar Thomas: The Art of Close-Up Magic

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 19:00
Stunning magic. Unbelievable skill. Elegant performance. Pure close-up magic and sleight of hand, with no stooges, no electronics, no camera tricks! All presented in style by an understated showman. 'You won't see this level of skill anywhere else in the world. He should be charging £100 per ticket' (Jerry Sadowitz). 'Master of sleight of hand... [Caspar] drew the audience in to the point where he had them eating, almost literally, out of his hand' (FringeReview.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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Musical Comedy, Character Comedy

Michelle Brasier: Legacy

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 19:00
Sold-out run, Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Michelle Brasier (Aunty Donna) is on a plane watching a documentary about pandas trying to solve a mystery. In 2022 she was handed an envelope with her name on containing $10.50 in mostly coins. But it wasn't for her. Legacy is the search for another Michelle Brasier and the exploration of all the other women she might have been if she'd made different choices. 'Endlessly charming' ***** (Chortle.co.uk). 'A sharply relevant, hysterically funny story' ***** (Time Out). 'Howlingly funny, emotionally generous and, ultimately, profound... a miracle of a show' ***** (Sydney Morning Herald).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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satire, Character Comedy

Jamie Denbo: Beverly Live!

31 JUL - 12 AUG - 19:30
Jamie Denbo, writer/producer Grey's Anatomy, presents her alter ego Beverly (meddling mother to all) as she takes audiences on a comedic rollercoaster ride through her golden years in California, exploring everything from sound baths to how not to get cancelled. She even has a system in place where a bell will ding if she says something "problematic". (No trigger warnings needed!) Join Beverly on her journey of starting over at age 70(ish), becoming an entrepreneur and STILL parenting her twin girls, Lainie and Rachelle, now 37 – one still thin, one still a little heavy. DING!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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improv, Science and Technology

Artificial Intelligence Improvisation

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 19:40
Since 2016, award-winning Improbotics has brought robots to stages worldwide! In this pioneering science comedy show hosted by an endearing robot, improvisers wearing augmented reality glasses are inspired by artificial intelligence! The result is an unpredictable work of human-machine hilarity and human creativity. 'Groundbreaking work', 'high quality comedy theatre... raises important philosophical questions' (FringeReview.co.uk, 2022). ***** (TheatreAndTonic.co.uk, 2023). ***** (Everything-Theatre.co.uk, 2023). **** (BingeFringe.com, 2020). Most Innovative Show Award, Paris Fringe (Online), 2020. ***** (ThePhoenixRemix.com, 2019). **** (Edmonton Fringe 2018). 'I will stick with artificial stupidity' (Colin Mochrie, 2017). Featured in the New York Times and BBC.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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storytelling, stand-up

Elaine Malcolmson: Joik

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 19:40
A comic journey from lost to found in the company of a reindeer. Written and performed by award-winning Northern Irish comedian, writer and actor Elaine, Joik explores human emotion, memory and connection with the help of a hardy Arctic mammal. Elaine is currently a regular on BBC Scotland's Breaking the News and is also recognised as Penny from BBC's Soft Border Patrol and Eliza from Scot Squad. Her live performances include the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe and the New York Comedy Festival. 'Bone-dry and talented... exquisite material' (Edinburgh Evening News). 'A downbeat delight' (List).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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stand-up, solo show

Juliette Burton: Hopepunk

31 JUL - 16 AUG - 19:40
In a negative world, hope is a rebellion. Award-winning comedian Juliette has been through hopeless times in her life. Join her as she questions where hope ends and naivety begins. Is positivity passé? Or is despair a deception? Could relentless optimism be our friend or is hope punking us? Total sold-out Edinburgh Fringe shows 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023. As seen on BBC and ITV. 'Huge talent' ***** (Mirror). 'A force to be reckoned with. Hilarious' ***** (EdFestMag.com). 'Intelligent, emotional, liberating' ***** (VoiceMag.uk). 'Burton drips with charm. Joyous' (Times). 'Fringe favourite' (Guardian).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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multimedia, solo show

Dave Ahdoot: Ethnically Ambiguous

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 20:00
Dave Ahdoot's enigmatic shade of brown has helped him land parts in over 40 TV ads for huge brands like Ford and McDonald's. In this high-energy show, Dave presses play on some of his biggest TV milestones, including his very first speaking part and the ad many still mock him for today. Follow Dave on his humbling journey from "token ethnic guy with no lines" to "token ethnic guy who just might have been hired for his talent"

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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cabaret, magic

Cameron Young: The Scottish Magician

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 20:20
Step into the enchanting world of Cameron Young: The Scottish Magician! Immerse yourself in a modern magic show featuring mind-bending illusions, captivating mind reading, and uproarious comedy. This extraordinary experience promises an unforgettable evening that defies tradition. Join us for a performance that transcends expectations, where magic meets innovation and astonishment knows no bounds. Secure your tickets now for a night of wonder that will leave you spellbound and eager for more. Don't miss the chance to witness the magic unfold – it's an experience you won't want to miss!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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storytelling, Musical Comedy

Christian Dart: Bigger Than The Christmas Turkey

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 20:20
Bigger Than The Christmas Turkey is a laugh-out-loud musical hour spent inside the whimsical world of Christian Dart, you'll hear about his birth weight, less-than-successful love life, childhood theatrical aspirations and even his lust for guacamole. As one-third of the award-winning, five-star comedy trio The Bad Clowns, Christian Dart now brings his first solo project to the stage! Previous praise for The Bad Clowns: 'A slick, briskly-paced and wonderfully anarchic production' ***** (LondonTheatre1.com). 'Brilliantly put together, witty and entertaining' (WestEndBestFriend.co.uk). 'A fast-paced hour of idiotic nonsense' **** (DailyExpress).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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comedy, magic

Lewis Fuller – Ungentlemanly Conduct

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 20:30
Suits, smiles and side-splitting shenanigans! Are you ready for the ultimate triple threat of magic, music and comedy? Debuting this year at Edinburgh Fringe is a world-renowned performer Lewis Fuller who brings you his all new stage spectacle that will leave you breathless with wonder, humming with joy and laughing until your cheeks ache. Don't miss out on this unforgettable fusion of talent and charisma!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Kim Blythe – Might As Well

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 21:00
Embracing her innate comedic flair, Kim Blythe, aka Kimbo from TikTok, ventures into the world of stand-up comedy in her twice sold-out show Might as Well. This show offers a candid glimpse behind the camera, sharing tales from her childhood to navigating the pitfalls of adulthood. As she takes her humour beyond the screen, Might as Well dives into Kim's unique perspective as she attempts to live up to previous online comments such as 'for a woman, you're quite funny' and 'I don't like lgbt but ur the exception'.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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stand-up, Musical Comedy

Mark Black: The Drink. The Drugs. The Scratchcairds.

31 JUL - 13 AUG (NOT 7) - 21:00
New stand-up/musical hour from Mark Black. Follows his journey from drug addict to men's mental-health advocate, from gaffs to ice baths. Mark Black proves anyone can change! Even if you've smoked too many blunts or you've dismembered 20 c***ts, YOU can change. Featuring songs from Mark and some wild characters! After a sell-out show at the Glasgow Pavilion, receiving a four-star rating in the Glasgow Herald, Mark Black brings The Drink, The Drugs, The Scratchcairds to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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comedy, solo show

Naomi Grossman: American Whore Story

31 JUL - 24 AUG - 21:00
Emmy-nominated actress, Naomi Grossman made a name for herself as Pepper on American Horror Story, the fan-favourite and first crossover character. This side-splitting one-woman show shares her darkly fabulous and profoundly revealing behind-the-scenes experiences leading up to AHS and its afterglow. Winner of the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Solo Production, this love letter to AHS fans chronicles Naomi's history of hustling, from her odd jobs to her even odder love life. Off-Broadway critics tout, 'This is a one-of-a-kind performance from a one-of-a-kind person. If HBO isn't calling, they should be... not to be missed' (EljNYC.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up, Dark Comedy

Reels of Regret: Confessions of a Failed Filmmaker

31 JUL - 25 AUG - 21:00
You know those people who tell you to aim for the moon and you'll land on the stars? Yeah, those people are a**holes. Filmmaker Christina Jobe's new stand-up show explains how a strict Conservative Christian upbringing isn't the best foundation for a career in entertainment. From accidentally going on a date with a septuagenarian, escaping the grasp of a frenzied holistic nutritionist, filming people who are filming porn, with a smattering of opioids along the way, this show explores how what you get is rarely what you want.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 21:10
Social media sensation Christopher tells of his life, as a 'boy who's a bit girly really'. From obsessions with pop princesses, falling in line behind the school classroom queen bees, and gaining life lessons from the cast of Bad Girls: why wouldn't everyone strive to be girlier? Men are from Mars, but girls are from Venus, and, according to Christopher, life's way more fun over there. Christopher's sketches featuring Background Singers, Your Cat and The Millennial have over 12 million likes, 50 million views and spawned collaborations with Kylie, Shania Twain and JoJo.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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Dark Comedy

Abrasion

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12 AUG) - 21:20
A one-woman show (written and starring Meg-Rose Dixon) following a diagnosis journey set at the anniversary of her surgery. A dark comedy filled with turbulent embarrassing moments flipped in a comical way, verbatim anecdotes highlighting the importance of patient care, terrible doctors, and a few genuine heroes. This is a darkly funny show that laughs in the face of pain while shedding light on a condition that affects 1.5 million people, but has an average diagnosis wait time of 7.5 years.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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improv, Musical Theatre

Impromptunes – Naughty Broadway

31 JUL - 13 AUG - 21:30
Impromptunes takes its musical mayhem into overdrive in this risque, rambunctious ride. Strap in while Australia's finest improvisers hit the high notes and the low brows. Contains mature themes for immature audiences. The cast of Impromptunes will go to any length so that 'the show must go on.' Any length. With impossible hoops to jump through, any cast member can be cancelled at any moment. A raw orchestral score of raunchy choruses by a raucous caucus!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

Isabella Charlton: So My Dad F****d The Nanny

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 21:40
LA comedian tells of a dark steamy affair between her father and the family's nanny. From London to Hong Kong, this twist-turning and ironic show takes us through the highs and lows of adolescence and adult love life, unveiling family secrets, power plays and salacious surprises while also displaying her personal growth, self actualization and redemption. If that's not enticing enough, naked photos, audio transcripts included free of charge!.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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storytelling, stand-up

Kyle Dolan: No Place Like Home

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 21:40
Recipient of the Adelaide Fringe Funding Grant, filmmaker and comedian Kyle Dolan makes his highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe solo-show debut. Using stand-up comedy and storyboard illustrations, Kyle pitches the audience a movie about what the concept of "home" means when you are drawn in so many different directions, as well as what happens when you are the only Scottish kid in school when Shrek is the biggest movie in the world. 'Certainly one to keep an eye on' (AdelaideInsider.wordpress.com). Illustrations by Alex Mills. ***** (Funny Tonne, Melbourne International Comedy Festival).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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improv, Game Show

John Robertson's The Dark Room

31 JUL - 25 AUG - 22:00
The audience is trapped in a retro video game with a sadistic, end-of-level boss. Escape and win £1000 or be brutally murdered by the rest of the crowd! Will you: A) Find the light switch? B) Go north? C) Abandon hope? New deathtraps for 2024! 'A Rocky Horror for nerds... reader, I howled' **** (Telegraph). 'Not to be missed' (Guardian). 'Irresistibly dangerous' **** (Stage). Winner: Chortle Award. Sold out Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Nominated: Best Comedy, FringeWorld 2023. Runner-Up: Best Comedy, NextUp 2022. As seen at Glastonbury and Insomnia Gaming Festival.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up

Best of So You Think You're Funny?

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 22:15
A line-up show starring the top three acts from the 2023 edition of So You Think You're Funny? The UK's biggest new comedy competition, with Samira Banks, Christopher Donovan and Lizzie Norm. See the best up-and-coming comedians before they make it big! Previous winners and finalists from the competition include: Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and many more.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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Carter Morgan: The Death of Cool

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 22:20
This show is about death, being cool before then and giving a f*ck. Which isn't cool, but someone's gotta tell hard truths, like: if we're going have to eat billionaires to survive, I choose Rihanna. And someone tell Elon he looks like a half-squeezed tube of toothpaste, which is fine – I'm not body-shaming – you can be fat, you can be skinny, but Elon is a billionaire so he can afford to pick one. This show contains American references like war, racism, a general disregard for intelligent discourse, and wealth hoarding.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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improv, absurdist

Chris and Seán Are Two Sailors Who Are Nuts

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 22:20
Chris and Seán are two sailors who are nuts! Comedians Chris Locke and Seán Cullen are on shore leave for an hour of hilarious madness! Learn about the sea! Milk a sea cow! Make love to a scallop! Fight a squid's mother! Date a mermaid! They've done everything briny and will share their nautical knowledge with lots of laughter, the occasional sea shanty, and delicate fish encounters! Two men whose minds are insane want to make you insane too!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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cabaret, solo show

Sarah McGuinness Sings Cabaret

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 22:35
Late-night delights from sultry songstress Late-night delights from sultry songstress Sarah McGuiness. The moving and melodic story of how a young Derry girl with stars in her eyes and music in her veins undertook an epic voyage to the centre of her soul to find her authentic voice. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll sing along – you will sing along! – and you'll come to see how your life's been shaped by your own personal playlist. Enjoy tuneful tales of temptation, sensation, in a perfect manifestation of your heart's desires against a backdrop of killer tracks. Live life to the full!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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cabaret, LGBTQ+

Mark T Cox: Paddy Daddy

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 22:40
An Irish Gay Guide to Romance. A juicy hour of comedy, filth and pop bangers from very busy, very famous, international cabaret star Mark T Cox. If you enjoy Irish charm. If you enjoy naughty queer comedy. If you enjoy looking at a handsome man with a moustache and leather trousers... You will enjoy this show. 'Bit rude for my liking' (Mark's mam).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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Alternative Comedy, Musical Comedy

Shitty Mozart

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 23:00
They cloned Mozart, it went horribly wrong and now we're stuck with the consequences. Making his UK debut in a cheap wig, Shitty Mozart (Aaron Nemo, a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) performs a dazzlingly chaotic, vulgar one-man multimedia concerto. Terrified that the audience will realize he lacks the musical genius of his predecessor, Shitty Mozart shows off his own talents – playing makeshift instruments he's invented, performing duets with cartoons he drew, even conducting a brief laser light show – in a futile attempt to escape Wolfgang's shadow and make a name for himself.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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comedy, physical theatre

Funny Bones

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 13, 20) - 11:00
In Funny Bones, a clown contemplates life, death, and other laughing matters. After a disastrous bicycle accident, a professional circus performer is left to tame a stubborn soul who refuses to cooperate with his broken body. Featuring large-scale puppetry and high-energy physical comedy, Funny Bones juggles distinctive storytelling with dynamic audience interaction. Audiences of all ages are invited to step right up and enjoy this powerful story of redemption.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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improv, Family-friendly

The Oxford Imps

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 22) - 12:20
A fun, fast-paced comedy show, made up entirely on the spot from your suggestions! The Imps have been bringing critically acclaimed improv performances and up-and-coming comedic talent to the Fringe for over ten years. These high-energy shows come packed with Whose Line Is It Anyway?-style games, brought to life by Oxford's wittiest minds. Be prepared for improvised scenes, punning, raps, Shakespeare, musicals and much more! Perfect for teens and families.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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Dark Comedy, sketch show

Situations and Confr/plications

1 - 11 AUG - 14:00
Logic, you say? Thank you. But, no thank you. Introducing Situations and Confr/plications. A 60-minute sketch comedy, made up of standalone scenes that cross between all decades and have no relation to each other whatsoever. Apart, of course, from the unfortunate fact that they go slightly – awry. 12 actors, 12 scenes. A rapid fire of short, dynamic, bold and outrageously unusual sketches – leaving the audience with a healthy sense of joy, fulfilment, provocation and sense of relief. Not physical though, we urge you (literally). May the Audacity be with you.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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stand-up

Njambi McGrath

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 15:00
Njambi McGrath returns to Edinburgh Fringe with a hilarious hour. Everyone wants to give Africans aid. Water, food, vision, sanitary towels, indeed everything except visas. We need a charity for Africans to get visas, they are bl**dy difficult to get. Njambi McGrath muses over the concept of giving. Especially to Africa. Poverty porn, white saviours, kids on a gap year, missionaries, volunteers, IMF, World Bank, international development and 3,000 charities, it seems there's a new scramble for Africa. What's it about? Njambi's scrutiny on the giving to Africa is both hilarious and fascinating.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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clown, physical theatre

Ketch Sketch

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 16:00
Japan's best silent comedian is back! And you're invited to his pet Max's birthday party... After 15 years at the Fringe with the award-winning duo Gamarjobat, Ketch returns with his explosive new solo comedy show. He needs your help to throw the best birthday party ever, jam-packed full of juggling, clowning, music, magic and mime. Don't miss this heartwarming and hilarious hour of slick, silent and silly slapstick for all ages.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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compilation, Character Comedy

Friend (The One With Gunther)

1 - 25 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 16:15
One barista, 10 seasons, 70 minutes! All 236 episodes of Friends retold through the eyes of Gunther, Central Perk's "seventh Friend". Discover the true insider story of what happened, from the character who kept everyone caffeinated! Performed by Joseph Maudsley. From the team behind Buffy Revamped (creator Brendan Murphy, director Hamish MacDougall). 'Out of five stars, it should be seven... seven... SEVEN.' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). 'Both a commentary and a greatest hits... For a reduced, Shakespeare-style telling of the Friends saga, this can't be beaten' ***** (ReviewsHub.com).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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storytelling, stand-up

Louise Atkinson: She's Got the Look

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:00
With this new comedy show, the Amused Moose Best Debut Show winner revisits the unsolicited feedback she once received; 'Louise Atkinson – sounds good, looks like a mess'; and discusses our incorrect assumptions about people. 'Reminiscent of Victoria Wood and Peter Kay' (Stuart Maconie). 'Her innate funny bones reassure you that you're in safe hands' (Chortle.co.uk). 'An instantly likeable comic' **** (TheArtsDesk.com). ***** (TheWeeReview.com). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (EdFringeReview.com). **** (MervSpotFringe.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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cabaret

Síomha Hennessy: 30 Under 30

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 21:40
Do you ever find yourself at a party telling a stranger everything that has ever happened to you? Some of us, not content with cornering poor unfortunates in smoking areas, will actually go one step further and hire out an actual theatre to make people pay for the experience. And they'll even include songs... "original" songs.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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comedy, magic

1 Hour of Insane Magic: After Dark

1 AUG - 4 AUG, 8 AUG - 11 AUG, 15 AUG - 18 AUG, and 22 AUG - 25 AUG - 23:00
After their sell-out sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Insane Magic are back... but this time After Dark! Join the Insane Magic boys – along with some hand-picked special guests from the world of magic, circus and variety – for an hour of naughty, wild and sometimes extreme late-night magic. This show is full of stuff a little too raunchy for their daytime show! May contain: adult themes, naughty language, traces of nuts and a little nudity... and one cast member doesn't go to the gym!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

22 (Brooke's Version)

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 11:00
New York comedian/Moth StorySLAM Champ's debut comedy hour follows sold-out short-form workshops. Come laugh with Brooke as she trips and falls fighting spacetime continuum, economy, patriarchy, fertility, herself, while trying to get a date. In her pop-culture/Broadway mental musical (Swifties enjoy an invisibly-strung Eras tour), Brooke campaigns to lead a better future. Join Brooke's New Year's Eve- celebration, reflection, resolution. She'd like to change her life New Year's Day. Ideally, February 2nd. Audience reviews: 'Smart comedy for smart people'; 'Wild ride'; 'Fast-paced, quick-witted stand-up/storytelling mashup'; 'Never experienced anything like that'; 'Highly inspirational message.' Previous: **** (Skinny, TheatreWeekly.com, LondonTheatre1.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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improv, theatre

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show

2 - 26 AUG - 13:00
Shakespeare hasn't written anything new for an age, so we thought we would give him a hand... Using your audience suggestions and our overactive imaginations, we create a brand-new Shakespeare play live on stage, complete with live music, songs and plenty of laughs. Join ShakeItUp for bard-based bedlam! 'Quick witted, inexhaustible and absolutely hysterical' ***** (LondonTheatreReviews.co.uk). 'Brilliantly bonkers... one of the best improvised shows at the Fringe' ***** (WestEndBestFriend.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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cabaret, revue

I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical

1 - 25 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 18:00
The award-winning musical comedy revue revealing all about musicals and the people who love them – on both sides of the curtain. Updated 2024 version featuring new songs! Lauded with an unprecedented 50 five-star reviews for its previous sell-out Fringe and London seasons. By Alexander S Bermange, directed and choreographed by Matthew Parker (Offies Best Director). 'Flawless' ***** (BritishTheatre.com). 'Sharp satire... undiluted fun' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Delightful' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). 'Hilarious... Wonderfully witty!' ***** (EdinburghGuide.com). 'Crisp, perfect, immaculate, hilarious.' ***** (Musical Talk podcast). 'Full of wit and musical pastiche' ***** (TheArtsDesk.com). 'Must-see' (Tim Rice).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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stand-up

Grace Campbell Is On Heat

2 - 11 AUG - 19:40
The unwaveringly honest comedian returns to the Fringe with a brand-new show. After getting a dog, and her dog coming on heat, a series of strange events started to happen in Grace's life. These events made her question everything. And now? She's turned it into a hilarious and unhinged exploration of adulthood, relationships, and mental health. As seen on BBC, Channel 4, Comedy Central and Dave. 'Destined to become famous just about everywhere' ****½ (Chortle.co.uk). 'Hysterically hilarious woman who doesn't take herself too seriously' ***** (Entertainment-Now.com).

Tickets for Grace Campbell Is On Heat @ Queen's Hall (12 - 13 Aug) linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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Character Comedy

Jack Docherty in The Chief – No Apologies

2 - 15 AUG - 20:00
The BAFTA-winning star of Scot Squad and cult classic Absolutely, returns to the Fringe as Scotland's favourite cop. The People's Chief looks back on his career righting wrongs, crushing crime, battling bams and never, ever apologising! 'Docherty's mighty presence fills the room' (ThreeWeeks). It's simply impossible not to love what he does on stage' (Scotsman). 'Masterful, superlative' (Chortle.co.uk). 'A hugely talented comic performer' (Sunday Times) 'A maverick genius' (Herald). Recommended Show and Best-Reviewed Fringe Shows 2023 (Comedy.co.uk). **** (Guardian). **** (List). **** (Evening Standard). **** (Entertainment-Now.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

Abigail Rolling: Shit Lawyer

2 AUG - 25 AUG - 20:20
Dark. Funny. Underfunded. And that's just Abby. The criminal justice system is too. With three decades on the front line, Abby shares hilarious real cases from her own experience as a practising defence solicitor, speaking to all that's wrong with a justice system in existential crisis. From the Post Office scandal to a one-woman shoplifting epidemic, Abby's new show warns that any one of us could get caught up in it at any time. But with the justice system in a death spiral, will there be any legal-aid defence lawyers left to help you?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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compilation, stand-up

Late'n'Live

2 - 26 AUG - 23:30
The original late-night show returns with stellar line-ups of your favourite acts from the festival, hosted by the best MCs in the country, every single night of the Fringe. 'The best late-night show on the Fringe' (Scotsman). 'A Fringe institution for a reason' (TheRecs.co.uk). Previous acts include: Johnny Vegas, Bill Bailey, Rich Hall, Jason Byrne, Mawaan Rizwan, John Bishop, Larry Dean, Maisie Adam, Reuben Kaye, Jordan Grey, Viggo Venn and just about every notable name in comedy. Late'n'Live guarantees an unforgettable night of live comedy and is an essential addition to any Fringe bucket list.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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theatre, puppetry

Wood Owl and the Box of Wonders

5 - 12 AUG - 10:40
'The love we show can make us grow.' A lonely little owl wants nothing more than to fly into the night and join his friends. But how can he, when he is made from wood? The arrival of another lonely soul changes his life as he strives to help. Join Hoglets Theatre on a journey of singing owls, fantasy worlds and pirates. Featuring beautiful handmade puppets, original songs and music and an age-old message that the love we show to others comes back to us in time.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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new writing, drama

Fix Your Mind

7 - 21 AUG - 18:00
Two siblings feel disconnected from life in their rural hometown. Online, 16-year-old James finds solace in a community of struggling young men. Sasha, his older sister, is adopted by a house of like-minded queer friends looking for a better life. But as James is drawn deeper into his online world, love between the siblings is stretched to breaking point, and Sasha is faced with a choice between her old and new families. From the company behind Dazzling ('Gen-Z's answer to Fleabag' **** (Scotsman)) comes a contemporary exploration of patriarchy, love and the internet.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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Musical Comedy, Podcast

Mark Black and the Ewart Bros: The Drink. The Drugs. The Scratchcairds. Podcast Live!

7 AUG, 14 AUG - 18:00
Boom wer on! With guests, naughty and nice, Mr English will host former serial killers, gangsters, as well as facing his own demons through a spiritual journey live on stage. After a sell-out show at the Glasgow Pavilion, Mark Black and the Ewart Bros are bringing The Drink, The Drugs, The Scratchcairds Podcast live to the Edinburgh Fringe, awrite. With a four-star rating in the Glasgow Herald, Mr English brings the worlds biggest pod to the worlds biggest comedy festival.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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improv, stand-up

Comedy Night at the Museum

09 - 24 AUG - 22:30
Join the greatest comedians from across the globe as they blur the line between arteFACT and arteFICTION in a wholly improvised set, prompted by genuine artefacts housed in the National Museum of Scotland! This unrehearsed and unrestrained show-and-tell might not be historically – or even culturally – accurate but it's guaranteed to be utterly entertaining. With different comics taking to the stage each night to deliver their unscripted, uneducaTED talks on Scotland's most cherished relics, what could possibly go wrong...? 'Hugely enjoyable' **** (Scotsman). 'One of the more ingenious late-night shows' **** (Herald).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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Alternative Comedy, Game Show

Hot Rubber

9 AUG, 16 AUG, 23 AUG - 23:45
The world's only late-night Scalextric tournament/comedy show. Four comedians have decked out their cars, ready for victory or destruction on the race track. The winner of each race takes one step closer to glory, the loser has their car smashed with a baseball bat. Hosted by Imogen Trusselle and Hudson Hughes with live music from our house band Formula One Direction.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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theatre, workshop

Sing, Sign and Sensory

12 - 17 AUG - 10:15 AND 11:00
Sing, Sign and Sensory offers sensory-based performance workshops tailored to infants between 0-24 months. They are first of their kind and offer an immersive, creative experience in customised, inflatable sensory pods. Each session has an engaging narrative, songs to singalong with and visually captivating animations. The pods are equipped with projectors, fans, textured objects and pleasant aromas to make for an enriching sensory journey. Funded by Lottery Funded Arts Council England and Little Lives UK.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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a cappella, Musical Comedy

The Techtonics: 44 Days of Liz Truss (A Cappella)

12 - 26 AUG (NOT 19) - 11:30
It's been a bumpy few years in UK politics, and one story is particularly comical: Liz Truss's stint as prime minister. In 44 days, Trussonomics tanked the economy, her cabinet made more U-turns than Mr Bean on a roundabout and, after one meeting, the Queen passed away. Who could be more fitting to tell this story than an all-male a cappella group of nerds from Imperial College London? Not just any group though: the only UK group to have won the ICCAs! Yes, that's the competition in Pitch Perfect.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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comedy, Food and Drink

Le Wine Club

12 - 26 AUG - 13:40
Anna Lou is back in her wine bar to talk wine and let you in on her darkest secrets. Wine-tasting musical comedy from cabaret performer and qualified wine geek Anna Larkin. For anyone who ever wondered what wine to pair with revenge. Ticket price includes red wine sample. 'Delightful' **** (Indiependent.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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a cappella, live music

The A Cappella Xperience

12 - 24 AUG (NOT 18) - 14:00
The Bristol Suspensions take you on a journey through their 10th year as a group – their triumphs, their pressures and everything in between. This student group from the University of Bristol have just hit their 10th year and want you to celebrate with them in this concert-style show. The Suspensions deliver stunning vocals, slick choreography, beautiful arrangements and leave you wondering why you didn't join an a cappella group at university. The group will give you a glimpse into the world of a cappella and leave you wanting more!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, comedy

Carter Ford: Lessons for an Incomplete Black Boy

12 - 13 AUG - 15:40, 18:20
True stories ranging from age 8 to 18 about a racially ambiguous biracial boy tackling racism and colorism in his community. Teaching himself how to live his life true to himself when some only see him as black, some say he's not black, and others say he's something else entirely. In Ford's second solo show, he really explores the growth from innocence in himself and the growth of ignorance in others.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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In Conversation, talk

Juliette Burton's Talking Crazy

12 - 13 AUG - 17:30
In crazy times, what keeps us sane? Comedian, activist and charity ambassador Juliette Burton was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, diagnosed with 15 mental illnesses, an inpatient five times and in therapy 20+ years – but she's not mad about that. What drives her crazy is the lack of change. For two nights only – armed with research, personal and scientific – this mad harpy and her special guests talk madness for your info-tainment. 'Drips with charm' (Times). 'Huge talent' ***** (Mirror). 'A force to be reckoned with' ***** (EdFestMag.com). 'Liberating' ***** (VoiceMag.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

Event Image
Podcast

The Guilty Feminist

12 - 14 AUG - 19:40
The live comedy podcasting phenomenon is back. With over 150 million downloads, Deborah Frances-White's frank and hilarious look at the noble goals of 21st-century feminists and the hypocrisies which undermine them features stand-up comedy, deep-dive conversation, music and more. The multi award-winning show has toured venues around the world including the Sydney Opera House, the Wellington Arena, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall. 'Essential for the planet' (Emma Thompson). 'Hilarious, irreverent, eternally surprising, classy as hell, genius… breathing life into conversations about feminism' (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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stand-up

Grace Campbell Is On Heat @ Queen's Hall

12 - 13 AUG - 20:00
The unwaveringly honest comedian returns to the Fringe with a brand-new show. After getting a dog, and her dog coming on heat, a series of strange events started to happen in Grace's life. These events made her question everything. And now? She's turned it into a hilarious and unhinged exploration of adulthood, relationships, and mental health. As seen on BBC, Channel 4, Comedy Central and Dave. 'Destined to become famous just about everywhere' ****½ (Chortle.co.uk). 'Hysterically hilarious woman who doesn't take herself too seriously' ***** (Entertainment-Now.com).

Tickets for Grace Campbell Is On Heat at Gilded Balloon @ The Museum (2 -11 Aug) linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon at The Queen's Hall

subvenue Queen's Hall

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political, talk

The Political Party With Matt Forde

13 AUG, 19 AUG - 13:15
Following ten years of sold-out shows in London's West End, Matt Forde (Spitting Image, The Last Leg) returns to Edinburgh for two live podcasts. The UK's leading political podcast has over nine million downloads, is regularly an iTunes Top 10 comedy podcast and was listed by The i as one of the 50 Greatest Podcasts. Previous guests include: Tony Blair, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Rayner, Anthony Scaramucci and Alastair Campbell. ***** (Telegraph). ****½ (Chortle.co.uk). **** (Sunday Times).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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cabaret

Rave New World

13 - 26 AUG - 19:30
Take a strobe down memory lane with the UK's premier rave raconteur. Tales of revolution, acid-house storytelling and musical mischief to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1989 headline-making acid house explosion. Discover the true identity of DJ Roofrack, play Rave Family Fortunes and Have I Got Acid House News for You, embrace the absurdity of rave flyers, learn the real words to your favourite 90's dance anthems, and spin the songwheel of steel to choose the last tune of the night.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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variety

The Humour Mill Live

13 AUG - 13:00
A jam-packed comedy variety show from The Humour Mill, featuring some of the best stand-up, sketch and alternative acts in Scotland. The Humour Mill is a writing, networking and skills exchange group based in Glasgow for any and all comedy writers and performers – from open mics to seasoned professionals, from stand-ups to drag acts, from clowns to musicians and everything in-between.

Tickets for The Humour Mill Live on the 21st linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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a cappella

Aquapella

14 - 24 AUG - 13:00
'Forget Pitch Perfect, Aquapella are the real deal!' (TheWeeReview.com). Bath's premier award-winning a cappella group are back for their eighth year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Subsequent to their success performing on Broadway last year, the group seeks to showcase the power of the human voice through an array of unique arrangements. From indie and pop bangers to contemporary ballads, their latest set delivers a diverse and eclectic selection of music genres that ensures there's something for everyone. With a passion for performing, Aquapella invite you to experience vocal music like never before.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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theatre

Chemo Savvy

15 - 24 AUG - 19:40
Inspired by the experiences of late great Scottish comedy legend, Andy Gray, as he battled leukaemia, Chemo Savvy follows Rab's heartbreaking and heartwarming journey as we join a family broken by a similar experience, and ultimately reunited by it, discovering forgiveness, redemption, hope and rekindled love. Unsentimental, with the gallows humour permitted by those who have been on that journey, Chemo Savvy shows Rab that even his childhood hero, The Lone Ranger, couldn't do it on his own. A rollercoaster ride of tears and laughter... just like real life. Starring Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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historical, pop

Broadside Ballads

15 - 21 AUG - 21:30
Step into history as members of iconic Scottish bands Del Amitri, Orange Juice, Bluebells and more take audiences on an immersive journey into the heart of Scotland's rich cultural heritage through a captivating blend of dynamic music and projection. Featuring stellar performances from specially selected musicians, this immersive experience blends history, entertainment and surprise, promising visually and sonically captivating moments throughout. Broadside Ballads is performed by Alston/Kirk Overdrive and the Internationale: Andy Alston (Del Amitri), James Kirk (Orange Juice), Jim MacDermott (Simple Minds) and Brian Docherty (Bluebells), plus singers including Justin Currie (Del Amitri) and Ken McCluskey (Bluebells)

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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theatre, sketch show

Mind Milk

16 - 26 AUG - 14:20
What are you storing in the back rooms of your brain? Who's lurking behind your eyes? Hold still. Let's plug you in. A kaleidoscope of characters collide in this hallucinatory sketch comedy feast from award-winning duo The Awkward Silence. Dreams struggle with nightmares; fact arm-wrestles fiction; and truth gives lies a wedgie. You wouldn't dream of missing it. The Awkward Silence have been shortlisted for a BBC Writer's Prize and a Writers' Guild Award. ***** (TheNewCurrent.co.uk). **** (Chortle.co.uk). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (Oxford Theatre Review). **** (EdFringeReview.com). **** (TheReviewsHub.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up, sketch show

Paul Black: All Sorts

16 AUG - 25 AUG (NOT 22) - 20:00
After three consecutive sold-out runs, Paul Black returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand-new hour. Featuring a blend of stand-up and sketches with characters new and old. Paul Black's online comedy sketches have garnered over half a billion views and a cult following. As seen on Pity Party (BBC Scotland), First Footing (BBC Scotland) and Nostalgia (BBC iPlayer). Billy Connolly's Spirit of Glasgow Award Nominee. ***** (TheWeeReview.com). **** (Chortle.co.uk). **** (Herald). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (CityLiveGlasgow.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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improv, theatre

Holy Shit Improv

16 - 26 AUG - 21:00
'LA's very best improvisers' (TheComedyBureau.com) create an hour of comedy so funny you'll be screaming 'Holy Shit!' See why Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) says 'Holy Shit Improv is fucking great!' and Scott Auckerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!) claims they're 'the funniest people alive, and they might be even funnier than the dead ones!'. Fast, funny, silly and smart. As consistently hilarious as any written show. You won't believe it's improv! Watch past performances at Patreon.com/HolyShitImprov.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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drama, Dark Comedy

Logan, a One-Woman Show (Because Only One of Us Survived)

17 - 26 AUG (NOT 21) - 19:40
The true story of my brother's murder so of course, it's comedy. I know it sounds dark, but I can't think of a better way to honour Logan's memory. Funny, raw and exploring all the ways he was failed; by the legal system, addiction, mental health services and his family. Welcome funeral attendees (yes, you the audience!) to hear the conflicting evidence surrounding Logan's death. The perfect set-up for a macabre game show – with prize money! – what are you waiting for?! You could be our next winner!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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jazz, a cappella

The Oxford Gargoyles

18 AUG - 25 AUG - 11:45
Internationally renowned jazz a cappella ensemble the Oxford Gargoyles return to the Fringe, bringing their unique blend of close harmony, slick choreography and black tie charm. Performing a mixture of well-known jazz standards, classic pop hits and contemporary tunes, this show has something for everyone. Do not miss this eclectic hour of music and chat showcased by the brightest young talents in jazz vocal harmony, sure to leave you dancing in your seats!

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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comedy, stand-up

Kabsa and Kilts: A Saudi-ish Show

19 - 26 AUG - 19:40
Our show brings you a Saudi-ish line-up of comedians – two Saudis and a Scot – with diverse experiences and styles of comedy. Our headline act is the co-founder of the first comedy club in Saudi Arabia, pioneer stand-up comedian and leading actor of Saudi blockbuster SATTAR: Ibrahem Al Hajjaj is coming back to Fringe after his first stint in 2023. His new show takes up where he left off last August with new weird and wonderful parallels and surprising cultural similarities between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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I Mostly Blame Myself

20 - 25 AUG - 21:00
In 2018, Nick Shanman hired a bunch of his idiot friends to make a ridiculous YouTube pilot... Today, IMBM has over 500 million views worldwide and has found a home performing live monthly shows in NYC. Our shows are a series of dark, weird, hilarious sketches ranging from Disney parodies to historical musicals, to some slightly controversial topics you've always wanted to address. Every show is brand new, completely original, and absolutely absurd. Ready to laugh your ass off?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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variety

The Humour Mill Live

21 AUG - 19:40
A jam-packed comedy variety show from The Humour Mill, featuring some of the best stand-up, sketch and alternative acts in Scotland. The Humour Mill is a writing, networking and skills exchange group based in Glasgow for any and all comedy writers and performers – from open mics to seasoned professionals, from stand-ups to drag acts, from clowns to musicians and everything in-between.

Tickets for The Humour Mill Live on the 13th linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up

Jay Lafferty: Bahookie

22 - 26 AUG - 18:00
Star of BBC's Breaking the News, 'Jay has cemented herself as one of the strongest comedians on the circuit today. It's a marvel how consistently brilliant her shows are' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'One of Scotland's top stand-ups' (Herald). 'Set the bar incredibly high for other comics of the Fringe' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Engages with such playfulness and genuine curiosity we have no choice but to cling to her every word' ***** (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine). 'Beautifully observed' ***** (One4review.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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compilation, stand-up

So You Think You're Funny? Competition – Grand Final

22 AUG - 20:00
Finalists battle it out to take the crown in the climactic stage of the UK's most prestigious comedy newcomer competition! Following months of regional showcases around the UK and Ireland, see comedy's rising stars give their best performances in a bid to win So You Think You're Funny? 2023. 'Showcasing the stand-up stars of the future' (Comedy.co.uk). Previous winners and finalists from the competition include Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and more.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

Laura Belbin: Too Much

23 AUG - 25 AUG - 21:30
The comedian behind Knee Deep In Life is known as Laura Belbin, she's the perfect tonic in a world of perceived perfection and filtered happiness. She says the things everyone is thinking but doesn't dare to say. Her comedy is for those who chase the raw, filthy and honest truth about how life can really be; and that with empowerment comes unity. She's taking to the stage with her brand-new show with one question: is there such a thing as too much??

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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improv, Podcast

Pitch It Good – Live

24 - 26 AUG - 18:40
Step into the uproarious world of Pitch It Good, where laughter meets lunacy in a show unlike any other. Watch as comedians pitch the most outlandish movie ideas imaginable to hapless hosts, Jim and Paul. From sci-fi spectacles with heart to genre-fusion madness, our hosts navigate a maze of cinematic what-ifs. Expect the unexpected, from ghostly romances to culinary assassins, in a show that's as wildly entertaining as it is unpredictably hilarious. Your next obsession awaits; don't just listen, experience Pitch It Good!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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music, Musical Comedy

CANCELLED Amy Webber: no previous experience

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 17:00
Armed with her mini keyboard and an opera degree that's never been useful, Amy Webber is job hunting. You may pity her, you may love her, but you will definitely want to employ her. Amy is an award-winning comedian as heard on BBC Radio 4, winner of Best Comedy at Manchester Fringe 2023, and featured on the Telegraph's 35 Funniest Shows of the Fringe, 2023. Amy's shows have been recognised as 'playful and charismatic' (Chortle.co.uk) and 'a divinely constructed comedy hour' (Playbill). Expect banging pop songs, networking and world-class vocals.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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stand-up, Food and Drink

Edinburgh Comedy Social

30 MAY, 27 JUN, 25 JUL, 1 AUG, 8 AUG, 15 AUG, 22 AUG - 20:00

A stellar night of live comedy set in the city's favourite local hang-out, Edinburgh Street Food. Expect a smorgasbord of the UK's funniest folk performing their best material served up alongside delicious street food available to order throughout the show.

Curated by leading comedy producer Gilded Balloon, the show follows on from the success of sell-out hit Leith Social, promising the biggest laughs from top comedians and even more mouthwatering scran from the likes of multi-award winning Junk, Homies Pizza, Mr Boney, Chix, Harajuku and more. Even better, this Edinburgh’s only dog friendly comedy night!

"The ultimate dinner and a show" (List)

Line ups to be announced soon!

Limited student tickets available, must present valid student ID on arrival.

Doors: 19:30, Show: 20:00

Location Gilded Balloon @ Edinburgh Street Food

subvenue Food Hall

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music, magic

Baby Shark and Tails of the Seven Seas

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 10:20
Join Fiddlefox and Baby Shark as they travel to different lands around the world around the world seeking a lost friend, while experiencing the sights and sounds of each culture represented in a multimedia format with live music, animated video, magic and story.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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comedy

The Chairs Revisited

31 JUL - 11 AUG, 18 AUG - 26 AUG - 10:30
Following five-star success with Miss Julie (*****, ThreeWeeks) and The Nine Lives of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (*****, CafeBabel.com), the veterans are back with a perfect lockdown party. Picture an ancient couple, beached in life and marooned in some isolated spot, inviting many imaginary guests. Sometimes life is more absurd than fiction. 'Brilliant new version of Eugene Ionesco's surreal, funny and moving mini-masterpiece with rhyming rhythms and sizzling dialogue' (Scotsman). 'A pot-pourri of word-plays, slapstick and physical comedy. Well-paced theatre and highly entertaining. A wee bit like Waiting for Godot meets The Marx Brothers' ***** (Herald).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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storytelling, comedy

The Brilliance of Broken Glass: Button

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 11:00
New York Comedian/Moth StorySLAM Champion Brooke weaves award-winning storytelling, poetic narrative, wry comedy to fashion a uniquely styled, kaleidoscopic identity exploration and invitation to reflect on outtie and innie worlds. Following sold-out solo shows Off-Off Broadway and Edinburgh Fringe, Brooke's infectious energy and unique voice crafts a celebration of indomitable human spirit. Previous: 'Writing and delivery is first class'; 'A proper performer to balance the comedy and drama'; 'Brilliant tour de force' (Audience reviews). 'Sharp comedic timing' **** (Skinny); 'Endearing wit… thoroughly worth seeing' **** (TheatreWeekly.com); 'Intriguing and heartfelt' **** (LondonTheatre1.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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theatre, Family-friendly

Lost in the Woods

31 JUL - 11 AUG - 11:30
Once upon a time, a little girl and a little boy were lost in the woods... That is usually how these things start. Only this time they are not only lost in the woods, but within their own story! An absurd comedy for all ages (5+) written and performed by Arran R Hawkins (Black is the Color of my Voice) and Hila Meckier (Gorki Theatre, Berlin). 'Outstanding... a true gem... go see this!' ***** (GetYourCoatsOn.com). 'Hilarious comedy... great storytelling' **** (EdinburghFestivalsForKids.com). 'An engaging and energetic experience' **** (LondonTheatre1.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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Science and Technology, comedy

A.L.Ex and The ImpRobots Present: An AI Show for Kids!

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 11:40
Sixty minutes of hilarious fast-paced interactive science theatre for the whole family featuring real robots, AI, and laughs. Join A.L.Ex. the fully autonomous improvising-comedy robot and The Improbots, a trio of comedian scientists as they explore the science of humour. Mixing slapstick and improv comedy with provocative questions about human and artificial intelligence, kids big and small will have an opportunity to interact with A.L.Ex through improv games, dance, and silly challenges while exploring funny science.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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improv

The Cambridge Impronauts

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 11:40
This short-form improvisation show includes famous games, such as Party Quirks, led by audience prompts. Celebrating its 21st birthday and sold-out shows in 2023, Cambridge University's improvisers return after seven years resident at the Gilded Balloon. This year, to celebrate our coming of age, we are hosting a range of mystery guests. The cast includes ex and current Footlights. Our director works with the National Theatre, and just wrote a book on applying improv in drama with Katie Mitchell. This year's show is not to be missed!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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comedy, Game Show

The Kids Always Win

31 JUL - 18 AUG AND 24 - 25 AUG - 11:40
Tired of grown-ups being know-it-alls? Do you want to win prizes? Kids Always Win is a game show where the kids always win. A brand-new game show from Tom Whiston ('Funnyman' (Mirror)) and Max Prentice (140k Tiktok followers), where grown-ups compete against kids in a series of stacked decks, moved goalposts and impossibly unfair questions. The outcome is in the title: the kids always win.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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live music, variety

Primary School Assembly Bangers Live!

31 JUL - 17 AUG - 11:45
Join James for an hour of pure nostalgia, stepping back in time with some joyous singalong tunes to take you back to your Primary School days. You won't have to sit cross-legged on the school hall floor, but you will be encouraged to sing along! As well as the assembly bangers, there will be other musical surprises, throwback mashups and comic reflections on growing up in the 90s. 'James is the definition of a showman, and an outstanding one at that' ***** (TheReviewsHub.com).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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music, comedy

A Transcriber's Tale

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 12:00
Welcome to a bustling transcription office in 2001 New York City, where typists are busy listening to – and typing out – raw interviews for pulpy television shows and other mass media. The ultimate eavesdropper in a storm of sound bites, clichés and unexpected confessions, Joanna Parson presents a unique musical monologue that shows you what happens when a young woman with a sense of humour and a guitar tries to keep her sanity and heart intact in the centre of the news cycle. 'I laughed, hummed, and was deeply touched' (Kathryn Markey, Plays For Us).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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satire, Musical Comedy

Fringe! The Musical

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 15) - 12:00
Chantelle Duprée always dreamed of becoming a star! From her "humble" upbringing in an American mid-western town, she decides to travel across the pond to perform a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in search of fame and fortune. Will she get her big break? Or will she discover some uncomfortable truths? Fringe! The Musical tackles the deep relationship between an artist's ego and their art. Crammed full of catchy tunes, witty humour, and larger-than-life characters. #LiveTheDream

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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comedy, Musical Theatre

The Steamie

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 12:00
Through everyday conversation, hilarious comedy, and music-hall style songs, we learn from four working-class women about their lives; husbands, technology and the approaching New Year in this time capsule of Glasgow in the 1950s. The show pays tribute to the unsung domestic labour of women, and the importance of female friendships – both of which keep it relevant today – along with the iconic comedy lines recited throughout Scotland. Laugh and cry along with Tony Roper's loveable characters in this nostalgic show, steeped in Scottish culture and social history, which continues to entertain local audiences and tourists alike.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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poetry, stand-up

Elvis McGonagall: Gin & Catatonic?

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 12:20
The Radio 4 regular kicks down the rotting doors of power with his trademark blend of anarchic wit, satirical verse and dazzling Weltschmerz. Metaphorically, obvs. He's really on the sofa drinking cocktails with his cat. 'Righteous ire directed at very deserving targets' **** (Guardian). 'Funny, angry, tightly written quick-fire verse' **** (Scotsman). 'Tack-sharp humour and uncompromising politics. Hilarious' **** (List). 'Wonderfully acerbic, exactly the sort of thing the Fringe was made for' **** (ThreeWeeks). 'Astute observation, thrilling hyperbole, utterly hilarious' ***** (EdFestMag.com). 'Beautifully worded invective and brilliant wit' ***** (BritishTheatreGuide.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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storytelling, comedy

Julie Flower: Grandma's Shop

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 12:20
Clothes. Cats. Counter-culture. Sheffield. 1989. Loveable, eccentric septuagenarian, Hilda, has run a second-hand clothes shop for decades. She does it to make money to feed 30 stray cats. One day, a journalist from the Guardian walks in... Join Hilda's granddaughter for a solo show about family history subverting expectations. Step inside Hilda's shop, a nostalgic world of old carrier bags, pools coupons and vintage clothes... presided over by an unlikely punk icon. Julie Flower presents a multi-character comedy drama about love, memories and the stories our clothes have to tell.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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stand-up

Dr Jo Prendergast: The Cool Mum

31 JUL - 25 AUG - 13:00 (NOT 12)
A clean, award-winning parody of a personal development seminar for Gen Z-ers to Boomers. See why it sold out and got five-star reviews around Australia and New Zealand! Performed by psychiatrist Dr Jo Prendergast, author of teen mental health book When Life Sucks. ***** (SeeDoEatReview.com). 'One show you don't want to miss' ***** (PlayAndGo.com.au). 'Had the audience in stitches... thoughtful, well-paced, sharply-observed comedy grist and the mixed-age group audience was totally on board' (TheatreTravels.org).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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Character Comedy

Serious Theatre from Serious People

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 13:00
At Bet On It Youth Theatre, aspiring actors will do anything to climb the ladder of success. Teachers and students alike believe in taking the work seriously. They also believe in taking themselves seriously. Prepare to get serious. Returning after sell-out Edinburgh Fringe shows in 2023, join writer-performers Charlotte Anne-Tilley (Almost Adult) and Mabel Thomas (Sugar) for big egos, emotional outbursts and a whole lot of drama in this unmissable character-driven satire. 'Tilley's engagement with the crowd is exceptional' (EdFestMag.com). 'Mabel Thomas is an incredible performer' (BingeFringe.com). ***** (ThreeWeeks).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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a cappella

Sing It! Northern Lights: From Retro to Remix

31 JUL - 13 AUG (NOT 7) - 13:00
Sing it! From Retro to Remix. Join us, Durham University's premier a cappella group and previous national champions, for 60 minutes of an exciting journey through time and music, featuring classic songs from the past 60 years. Expect dynamic choreography, award-winning arrangements and a guaranteed unforgettable experience for all ages at the iconic Doonstairs venue at Gilded Balloon!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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spoken word

Mhairi Black: Politics Isn't For Me

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12, 13) - 13:15
In 2015, at the age of 20, Mhairi Black became the youngest person ever elected to the House of Commons. Nearly 10 years on, she has announced she will stand down at the next election and looks forward to embracing her dark sense of humour. For £13 you could buy 491 teabags, 43 Freddos, six and a half lottery tickets, or one alcoholic beverage at the Edinburgh Fringe. Even better, for £13 you could buy a ticket to this first hand, behind the scenes, ruthlessly honest look at politics in 21st-century Britain.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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comedy, drama

My Mother Had Two Faces: Reflections on Beauty, Aging and Acceptance

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13, 20) - 13:20
Presented in pseudo-fairytale style, this one-woman dramatic comedy dares to expose what lies beneath the mask of the perfect mother. Discovering her mother's diaries after her passing, the heroine Karin begins to examine the history of their complicated relationship: from the gritty, urban streets of New York to her Swiss mother's manicured orderliness. Engaged in conversations with her mirrored reflection, Karin wrestles with her own inner demons. A riveting and poetic journey employing multimedia and masks that asks, when we strip away the make-up, what is revealed? ****½ (TheFrontRowCenter.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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Dark Comedy, Musical Theatre

Potty the Plant

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 15) - 13:30
The totally adult, dark, comedy musical, returns! Starring Potty, a little green, singing, talking, tap-dancing pot plant. Annoyingly catchy songs, heartwarming friendships, and twisted humor. 'An unholy crossover between Sesame Street and a B-movie horror' (LostInTheatreland.co.uk). Musical Talk's Pick of the Fringe 2023. ***** (Mickey-Jo Theatre, YouTube).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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storytelling, spoken word

Andrew Clover: A Wild Call

31 JUL - 11 AUG - 13:40
The idea: to sail the Atlantic, find ruined rainforest, and rewild. The reality: he nearly drowned, got lost in Colombian jungle... where in the Lost City of the Kogis, he made a life-changing discovery. Andrew Clover has been a Comedy Award nominee, an actor (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Ashes to Ashes) and Sunday Times columnist (Dad Rules). 'I shall never forget the irresistible madness of Andrew Clover' ***** (Scotsman's Highlights of 30 Years of the Fringe). 'He exits to a standing ovation' (Observer).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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new writing, comedy

Barbies and Drillas

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 13:40
'Hey, we're not students anymore – who the fuck stole my avocado?!' A comedy about five housemates gloriously wasting their youth as they try to avoid the hell of growing up. They bicker, wail, dance and endlessly mock. They reluctantly go to their terrible jobs. They fall furiously in and out of love. They fail to write their masterpieces. But will they learn to appreciate that the connection between them is lifelong?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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comedy, true-life

Mutant Olive 2.0

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 13:40
(Mommy's a whore, Daddy's a hitman). Laugh, cry and see God in this award-winning solo show by writer/performer Mitch Hara. Strap yourself in for a heart-wrenching rollercoaster ride you'll never forget, featuring sex, drugs, disco balls and blackouts. All during an audition for Hamilton Unplugged. Directed by Carlyle King. 'Genius! Run!' ***** (LA Times). 'Insanely entertaining' ***** (IndieWire.com). 'Dark and seductive' ***** (StageRaw.com). 'Hilarious!' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). Winner: Best Show, Hollywood Fringe. United SoloFest NYC. Whitefire Solofest. 'Hilarious and heartbreaking' ***** (TheaterMania.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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magic

2 Become Wand: Hudson & Hudson – Magic

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 14:20
When real-life married funny magicians decided to perform a double-act, they thought it would be the perfect combination of fun and tricks. However, their personal-life bickering tends to get in the way of the magic. 'Climaxes ranging from silly to mind-blowing. Two immensely engaging and talented performers' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'You fooled us' Penn & Teller. 'Ace. Brilliant. Authentic' (Amanda Holden).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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stand-up, historical

Gabey Lucas: A Berkshire Boar Walks Into a Bar (and Gets Shot in the Face)

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 14:20
'Witty yet strangely informative' Gabey Lucas (Rip City Comedy Festival, Martin Foundation Full Artist 2020 finalist) wants to talk to you about hard-hitting subjects like unicorn propaganda, snake abs, and kidnapping Abe Lincoln – who could totally beat the crap out of Alexander The Great, by the way. Unfortunately, to do so she first has to stop getting sidetracked by the silliest pig-based almost-war in human history. She's not great at that. 'A f*cking great writer' (Patrick Borelli, The Tonight Show).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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absurdist, sketch show

Mime Club

31 JUL - 15 AUG - 14:20
Sexy dads, vacuum cleaners, the German State Theatre... Welcome to Mime Club. Enjoy the pandemonium. From the minds of acclaimed idiots Jon and Ollie comes a new show packed with psychical comedy, chaos and clowning. Prepare yourself for an hour of multi award-winning sketches from the Jon and Ollie universe, each one more ludicrous than the last. Mime Club is a dream* come true for comedy lovers. *If your dreams are about Kenneth Branagh and houmous-loving fawns.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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Science and Technology, magic

Kevin Quantum: Anti-Gravity

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 20) - 14:30
Following award-winning, sell-out performances around the world, Kevin returns to Edinburgh. Enter a space where the rules of gravity are bent and broken... Impossible illusions and levitations presented by the magician/scientist adventurer tutored by Penn & Teller. Having spent half of his adult life studying physics and half studying magic, Magic Circle member Kevin explores the exotic space where science and magic meet. Magic is real. And he'll prove it to you. 'Epic stunts' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Will leave you picking your jaws off the floor' **** (Advertiser, Adelaide). 'All the hallmarks of Penn & Teller' ***** (BookmarksAndStages.home.blog).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Chris Weir: Well Flung

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 14:40
For his debut hour, Chris Weir (BBC Scotland, Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year finalist) leads us through his first ever holiday fling, set in the sunny cruising beaches of Gran Canaria. In this modern-day romcom, Chris navigates the grey areas and accelerated relationship of a five-day romance. He explores the ups and downs of sudden monogamy, romantic expectations, financial imbalances, inevitable fallouts, wandering eyes, gay romps – all to ask the question: is companionship worth it, or are we better off alone?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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Family-friendly, magic

Almost Impossible: Martin Brock

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 19 AUG) - 14:45
Fresh from his USA/Australia tour, Danish magician Martin Brock presents completely original magic, enhanced by unique music, witty comedy and high-tech video production. 'Brock is polished, humorous, slick, smooth' ****½ (GlamAdelaide.com.au); 'See this show' ****½ (FringeWorld.com.au/FringeFeed).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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new writing, drama

Knives and Forks

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 15:00
From the company that brought you Bluewater ('a true original' ***** (BingeFringe.com)), Knives and Forks is a relatable and joyous new play by Danielle James. Sharing hilarious and heartwarming moments from their lives together, best friends Iris and Thalia invite you to step into their living room and join them in an exploration of female friendship. We see these girls love and learn from each other, and as the world as they know it begins to fall apart, we learn that friendship and love is the strongest force on earth.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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improv, theatre

Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 15:00
Pinch Punch are back to welcome you aboard Locomotive for Murder, an improvised comedy murder-mystery where killing the cast and cracking the case is in your hands. Expect outrageous accents and shaky alibis! Four characters board a train but not everyone will survive. Thankfully, a world-famous detective is ready to solve the case. But who is the murderer? Only one person knows: the murderer themselves. Using audience suggestions and stories, Pinch Punch create a never-to-be-repeated whodunnit. If you love comedy or murder mysteries then this is the show for you!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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stand-up

Stephanie Bradshaw: Big Fish

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 15:00
Big Fish is Stephanie Bradshaw's debut stand-up show, inspired by her life as an attention-seeking (anxious, delicate, shy) mega diva, based in the small rural town of Keswick, Cumbria. She's a big fish in a small pond... and she bl**dy loves it! Big Fish explores themes of community, small-town life, battling with imposter syndrome and finding your way as 'the funny one'. As seen and heard on Only Fans Creative Fund: Comedy Edition 2023, BBC Cumbria, BBC Radio 5 Live.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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improv, comedy

The Improv Musical

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 15:30
Returning to Fringe for our ninth year, smash-hit production The Improv Musical is coming back to take the Fringe by storm. Each show is a completely improvised, never-before-seen musical based on the audience's suggestions! You choose the setting, characters and title, then sit back and watch as our performers bring your suggestions to life – complete with a live band playing totally improvised music! So get your suggestions ready, and come along for an hour of improvised fun for all ages where the show really is in your hands!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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comedy, stand-up

Anu Vaidyanathan: BC:AD – Before Children, After Diapers

31 JUL - 21 AUG (NOT 12 AUG) - 15:40
BC:AD (Before Children, After Diapers) is a stand-up comedy show and one mad, mommy's take on how the definitions of words change before and during motherhood. Through a number of stories from before she had children and after she changed loads of diapers, survived the institution called marriage and then found herself amidst two short roommates who insist on calling her 'mom', Anu paints a peripatetic picture of the life and times of a comedian, filmmaker and sometime engineer who loves endurance sports, including parenting.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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absurdist, sketch show

Biscuit Barrel: Not Another 69-Sketch Show

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 15:40
'Most reliable sketch group in the game' **** (EdFringeReview.com). 69 sketches in an hour! Featuring slapstick and wordplay at break-neck speed. 'An excellent comedy show' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). Featuring DazzReviews, as seen on YouTube (500,000 subscribers; 100 million views). Following 1,700 tickets sold in 2023, the Barrel return for their fifth year at Edinburgh! This is the speed of TikTok put on a stage. 'The hot, young comedy act you promised yourself' **** (GetYourCoatsOn.com). 'The hit-rate of their sketches is high' (List).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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storytelling, stand-up

Harriet Dyer: Skin

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 15:40
Give us a cheer if you've got skin? Well then, this is the show for you! A new show of story-based chaos with heart and peculiarities from acclaimed stand-up Harriet Dyer (Comedy Central Live, Rosie Jones's Disability Comedy Extravaganza, The Russell Howard Hour and winner of 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Neurodiversity Representation Award). 'Harriet Dyer is everything I love about the Fringe' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'We shouldn't underestimate the importance of Harriet Dyer's show' ***** (NeurodiverseReview.co.uk). 'A fabulous hour with a sense of the joyful absurdity of life. Entirely charming' ***** (One4Review.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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storytelling, stand-up

Kate-Lois Elliott: How to Belong Without Joining a Cult

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 19) - 16:00
Kate-Lois Elliott's family lived in a secretive cult until her mum escaped. One generation later, a teenage Kate finds herself in the clutches of an equally militant operation... just your average group of teenage girls. Because, as it turns out, cults are everywhere – ask anyone with a Tesco Clubcard. British Writers' Guild Award nominee, British Comedy Guide Awards finalist. 'Such funny business' (Jessica Fostekew). 'Elliott commands the stage, charming delivery, quality callbacks' (ASpyInTheStalls.com). 'Zeitgeisty' (Dominic King, BBC Radio Kent). 'Could sniff vodka from the plinth' (Helen Lederer). Directed by Esther Manito.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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stand-up, solo show

John Meagher: Big Year

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 16:20
After a sell-out run at Dublin Fringe, host of Radio 4's The Divil's Own John Meagher makes his debut at The Gilded Balloon with his debut show Big Year. 'John is a very sharp comedian... with a subtlety to his stuff I didn't have (in younger days)' (Patrick Kielty, Irish Independent).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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stand-up, solo show

Kathleen Hughes: Cryptid!

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 16:20
Kathleen isn't sure of anything anymore. She's not even sure she exists. Cryptid is the dark and hilarious debut hour from Glasgow comic Kathleen Hughes – a show about identity, imperfection and the mortifying ordeal of allowing yourself to be seen. Sort of. 'A ridiculously talented comic' (Billy Kirkwood). One of the fastest-rising comedy stars' (Jay Lafferty).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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spoken word, variety

Tom Crosbie: I Came, I Saw, I Conq-Nerd

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 16:20
Friends, nerds, countrymen! Lend me your cubes! What's your Roman Empire? The thing you can't stop thinking about? Tom has collected a few obsessions over the years. He's bundled them into a charming, funny and heartfelt show. You're invited to an hour of nerdistry, in which his Rubik's Cube skills will be tested to their limits, his prodigious memory will be stretched more than the Hobbit movies, and he will make the world feel a little more magic with a wit that could sink battleships. At least in the board game...

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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comedy, magic

1 Hour of Insane Magic

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 16:30
After a sell-out sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Insane Magic are back even bigger and even more Insane! Witness some of the most incredible acts of magic from 'three of the best magicians in the country' (EdinburghLive.com). Cameron Gibson, Elliot Bibby and Luke Osey return with everything from insane magic tricks and impossible illusions, to amazing acts of mind-reading, this is a show that's 'so insanely good' (WorldMagicReview.com) it has to be seen to be believed!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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cabaret, magic

Hypnotist Matt Hale: Top Fun! 80s Spectacular – Remix

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 17:00
The unmissable sell-out smash-hit comedy hypnosis show with 80s party vibes returns! Remixed for 2024! With multiple sell-out Fringe runs and 50 million+ views online, enjoy from stage or audience – you choose! All-ages friendly. 'The laughter is uncontrollable!' ***** (FringeFeed.com.au). 'Fun-filled show!' ***** (One4Review.co.uk). 'Laugh until your sides hurt!' ***** (WeekendNotes.com). 'Rollicking good time' ***** (SeeDoEatReview.com). 'Spectacular silliness! Absolute feel-good must-see show' ****½ (XPressMag.com.au). Hypnotist Matt Hale is a multi-award winner, seen on Best Shows, Top 10s and Picks of the Fringe.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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new writing, comedy

PALS

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13, 20) - 17:00
Pals is a Scottish adventure-comedy play telling the story of four crude, chaotic yet completely normal gal pals as they embark on a camping trek in the west of Scotland. In amidst the buzz of Edinburgh life, budding photographer Sadie and her three friends are suffering from the modern affliction of being in their early 20s. In a bid to escape their lives, have a riotous time and avoid several mental breakdowns, Sadie takes her friends on what should be a wholesome holiday. However, these lassies are completely out of their depths, in more ways than one.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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stand-up, solo show

Joshua Bethania: Coming Home

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:20
A debut from the 2022 So You Think You're Funny? winner. The show is an Indian immigrant's attempt at fixing the UK, filled with anecdotes and observations about how his life has always been influenced by England. Joshua touches upon his childhood, his adulthood, his religion, his relationships and the contractually-obligated topic of colonialism, all sprinkled with subtle political views (yes he does have ADHD).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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comedy, true-life

Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 7, 12, 13, 20) - 17:30
Winner: Best of Fringe Toronto 2023! What does a 31-year-old theatre kid do when a DNA test reveals that his biological parents aren't quite who he thought they were? Write a musical, of course! In this hilarious, moving and true story, Noam Tomaschoff grapples with questions of family, identity and just how many brothers and sisters he really has. Blending comedy, drama and addictive music, Noam takes the audience on an unforgettable journey, ending with a message of optimism that will make you hold your family just a little bit tighter.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up, solo show

Nate Kitch: Tomorrow Might Not Happen; Now

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:40
What is anything? The basically-award-winning*, 'real WTF comic' (Chortle.co.uk) walks in like a postman with a love letter of his past, present and future. Expect: poems, bags, chess, big ideas, poems and bigger bags, small ideas, paper, hope and diagrams. What's comedy about? It'll be like if Kazimir Malevich and James Joyce and/or Samuel Beckett did something (probably). 'Bold... Truly stood out' **** (List). 'Hints of Simon Munnery... Something very special' (BeyondTheJoke.co.uk). 'So special and inventive it's frustrating' (Jin Hao Li). **** (Scotsman). Timing. *So You Think You're Funny? finalist 2021.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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storytelling, stand-up

Pernille Haaland: Not Related

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:40
Comedian Pernille Haaland leaves no ball unkicked as she tackles the existential crisis of her post-35, single life, realizing her hot-girl summer days are over. In her new stand-up hour, she questions slut shaming, hookup culture and emotional instability in her pursuit of truth. Can freezing your eggs relieve the pressure of dating? Is the Kardashian-dominated Instagram era exposing our innate humanity? All while everyone assumes she is related to footballer Erling Braut Haaland. With credits on BBC One, BBC Three, Netflix, Warner Bros, Discovery, NRK and TV2, she offers hope through laughter.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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Dark Comedy

Tartan Tabletop in a Dungeons & Dragon Comedy: The Never-Ending Quest – The Return

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 17:40
A quest that began at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, and completed a sold-out run, returns for a sequel – the popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast team lands at the Fringe with the Never-Ending Quest – The Return! Improvised comedy at the roll of a dice, expect teamwork, nerdy jokes and guest-star comedians playing Noblin the Goblin. Don't worry about the plot, we don't! Expect laughs, adventure and random acts of sorcery from the Tartan Tabletop gang of misfit adventurers.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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compilation, stand-up

So You Think You're Funny? Competition – Heats

31 JUL - 6 AUG - 18:00
The search for comedy's next big star continues as contestants battle for a place in the grand final of the UK's biggest newcomer competition! Following months of regional showcases across the UK and Ireland, see the future faces of comedy before they make it big! 'Showcasing the stand-up stars of the future' (Comedy.co.uk). Previous winners and finalists from the competition include Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and more.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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stand-up, Alternative Comedy

Alexander Bennett: Emotional Daredevil

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 18:20
I'm the emotional daredevil, and for my next feat, I need someone's help. A show about risk, for the unsatisfied and traumatised, from a Chortle Award nominee. 'Surprisingly powerful' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). 'Balances hilarity with poignant themes' **** (EdFestMag.com). ***** (MumbleComedy.net). **** (One4Review.co.uk). **** (TheQR.co.uk). **** (ScottishField.co.uk). 'Undoubtedly a funny man' (List). 'He holds the audience in the palm of his hand, pulling big laughs from every quadrant – his act doesn't get the attention it should do' (Chortle.co.uk). 'Courageous and thought-provoking' (Scotsman). Creator and host of the Born Yesterday podcast.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up, true-life

Graham Kay: Pete and Me

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 18:20
Kay's Pete and Me uses cheerful humour to talk about growing up with his profoundly autistic brother, exploring their relationship from childhood through today. From daily calls pretending to be Bert and Ernie to Graham getting arrested and his brother hanging up on the cops. Underneath heartfelt anecdotes and witty punchlines, Graham (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) is ultimately confronting his life's biggest fears while providing a space for the conversations we rarely get the chance to have. 'Brilliantly funny' (Huffington Post). 'An awesome comedian' (Nate Bargatze).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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Alternative Comedy, sketch show

We Forgive You, Patina Pataznik

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 19) - 18:20
Jake and Liv deserve the world. But Jake and Liv have nothing. And it's all Patina Pataznik's fault. Patina was the It Girl™ of Homebush High. And she's definitely, totally, 100% the reason Jake and Liv's lives suck. So when they time travel back to Year 8, it's obvious what they have to do. Patina Pataznik must die. A camp horror revenge tale for anyone who's ever wished their high school bully would disappear... forever. 'Glanc and McLeod are a winning combination' (MyMelbourneArts.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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comedy, LGBTQ+

Pop Off, Michelangelo!

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 18:30
A world-premiere musical comedy about Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, two best friends growing up in Florence who decide to become the greatest artists of all time so that God will forgive them for being gay. Also Marisa Tomei is in it? This queer, camp, coming-of-age musical with an infectious pop score is by the writer of M3gan: The Unauthorised Parody Musical and the sold-out The Real Housewives of New York: The Parody Musical, which was featured on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live. Prior show reviews: 'Smash-hit' (BroadwayWorld.com), 'Triggered my choke-laughter' (Mercedes Vizcaino, Medium.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Sophie Garrad and Leigh Douglas: Daddy's Girls

31 JUL - 22 AUG (NOT 19) - 18:40
Sophie and Leigh are Daddy's Girls on the loose. With Sophie's dad in and out of prison and Leigh's dead dad only contactable via the help of a clairvoyant, these girls are doing it for themselves and taking a split-bill to the Fringe, because 'what, like it's hard?' They're ready to order the business woman special and spice up your life. Out of the sea of Edinburgh shows, they wanna be part of your world. Everyone's invited because it does not say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Aaron Twitchen: Himbo

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 19:00
Dumped during his best friend's wedding, Aaron has decided to laugh it off. 'Hilarious, warm, energetic... Twitchen is a quadruple threat' (Skinny). After making poor choices himself, Aaron hands you control to choose the comedy topics you want. Expect jokes about dating disasters, pop-culture and geriatric millennials in this camp, energetic hour. 'Fierce, fresh and fabulous' (Alesha Dixon). From star of Channel 4's Dumped and host Top 20 Apple charting podcast Pod of the Pops. A show for anyone who has loved, lost or longed for a diamond the size of their fist.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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interactive, theatre

Bad Clowns: HOSTAGE

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 19:00
It is the opening night of the Fringe theatre show The Worrisome Troubles of Timothy Potts. However, the playwright has escaped from prison to see his "masterpiece". He takes control of the show and audience! Are you ready to be taken HOSTAGE? 'Slick, briskly paced and wonderfully anarchic production' ***** (LondonTheatre1.com). 'Witty and entertaining' ***** (WestEndBestFriend.co.uk). 'Fast-paced hour of idiotic nonsense' **** (Daily Express). 'Takes high-concept comedy to new and perilous heights' **** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Fast-paced hour of delectable silliness' **** (ThreeWeeks).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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solo show, magic

Caspar Thomas: The Art of Close-Up Magic

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 19:00
Stunning magic. Unbelievable skill. Elegant performance. Pure close-up magic and sleight of hand, with no stooges, no electronics, no camera tricks! All presented in style by an understated showman. 'You won't see this level of skill anywhere else in the world. He should be charging £100 per ticket' (Jerry Sadowitz). 'Master of sleight of hand... [Caspar] drew the audience in to the point where he had them eating, almost literally, out of his hand' (FringeReview.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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Musical Comedy, Character Comedy

Michelle Brasier: Legacy

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 14) - 19:00
Sold-out run, Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Michelle Brasier (Aunty Donna) is on a plane watching a documentary about pandas trying to solve a mystery. In 2022 she was handed an envelope with her name on containing $10.50 in mostly coins. But it wasn't for her. Legacy is the search for another Michelle Brasier and the exploration of all the other women she might have been if she'd made different choices. 'Endlessly charming' ***** (Chortle.co.uk). 'A sharply relevant, hysterically funny story' ***** (Time Out). 'Howlingly funny, emotionally generous and, ultimately, profound... a miracle of a show' ***** (Sydney Morning Herald).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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satire, Character Comedy

Jamie Denbo: Beverly Live!

31 JUL - 12 AUG - 19:30
Jamie Denbo, writer/producer Grey's Anatomy, presents her alter ego Beverly (meddling mother to all) as she takes audiences on a comedic rollercoaster ride through her golden years in California, exploring everything from sound baths to how not to get cancelled. She even has a system in place where a bell will ding if she says something "problematic". (No trigger warnings needed!) Join Beverly on her journey of starting over at age 70(ish), becoming an entrepreneur and STILL parenting her twin girls, Lainie and Rachelle, now 37 – one still thin, one still a little heavy. DING!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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improv, Science and Technology

Artificial Intelligence Improvisation

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 19:40
Since 2016, award-winning Improbotics has brought robots to stages worldwide! In this pioneering science comedy show hosted by an endearing robot, improvisers wearing augmented reality glasses are inspired by artificial intelligence! The result is an unpredictable work of human-machine hilarity and human creativity. 'Groundbreaking work', 'high quality comedy theatre... raises important philosophical questions' (FringeReview.co.uk, 2022). ***** (TheatreAndTonic.co.uk, 2023). ***** (Everything-Theatre.co.uk, 2023). **** (BingeFringe.com, 2020). Most Innovative Show Award, Paris Fringe (Online), 2020. ***** (ThePhoenixRemix.com, 2019). **** (Edmonton Fringe 2018). 'I will stick with artificial stupidity' (Colin Mochrie, 2017). Featured in the New York Times and BBC.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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storytelling, stand-up

Elaine Malcolmson: Joik

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 19:40
A comic journey from lost to found in the company of a reindeer. Written and performed by award-winning Northern Irish comedian, writer and actor Elaine, Joik explores human emotion, memory and connection with the help of a hardy Arctic mammal. Elaine is currently a regular on BBC Scotland's Breaking the News and is also recognised as Penny from BBC's Soft Border Patrol and Eliza from Scot Squad. Her live performances include the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe and the New York Comedy Festival. 'Bone-dry and talented... exquisite material' (Edinburgh Evening News). 'A downbeat delight' (List).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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stand-up, solo show

Juliette Burton: Hopepunk

31 JUL - 16 AUG - 19:40
In a negative world, hope is a rebellion. Award-winning comedian Juliette has been through hopeless times in her life. Join her as she questions where hope ends and naivety begins. Is positivity passé? Or is despair a deception? Could relentless optimism be our friend or is hope punking us? Total sold-out Edinburgh Fringe shows 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023. As seen on BBC and ITV. 'Huge talent' ***** (Mirror). 'A force to be reckoned with. Hilarious' ***** (EdFestMag.com). 'Intelligent, emotional, liberating' ***** (VoiceMag.uk). 'Burton drips with charm. Joyous' (Times). 'Fringe favourite' (Guardian).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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multimedia, solo show

Dave Ahdoot: Ethnically Ambiguous

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 20:00
Dave Ahdoot's enigmatic shade of brown has helped him land parts in over 40 TV ads for huge brands like Ford and McDonald's. In this high-energy show, Dave presses play on some of his biggest TV milestones, including his very first speaking part and the ad many still mock him for today. Follow Dave on his humbling journey from "token ethnic guy with no lines" to "token ethnic guy who just might have been hired for his talent"

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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cabaret, magic

Cameron Young: The Scottish Magician

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 20:20
Step into the enchanting world of Cameron Young: The Scottish Magician! Immerse yourself in a modern magic show featuring mind-bending illusions, captivating mind reading, and uproarious comedy. This extraordinary experience promises an unforgettable evening that defies tradition. Join us for a performance that transcends expectations, where magic meets innovation and astonishment knows no bounds. Secure your tickets now for a night of wonder that will leave you spellbound and eager for more. Don't miss the chance to witness the magic unfold – it's an experience you won't want to miss!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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storytelling, Musical Comedy

Christian Dart: Bigger Than The Christmas Turkey

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 20:20
Bigger Than The Christmas Turkey is a laugh-out-loud musical hour spent inside the whimsical world of Christian Dart, you'll hear about his birth weight, less-than-successful love life, childhood theatrical aspirations and even his lust for guacamole. As one-third of the award-winning, five-star comedy trio The Bad Clowns, Christian Dart now brings his first solo project to the stage! Previous praise for The Bad Clowns: 'A slick, briskly-paced and wonderfully anarchic production' ***** (LondonTheatre1.com). 'Brilliantly put together, witty and entertaining' (WestEndBestFriend.co.uk). 'A fast-paced hour of idiotic nonsense' **** (DailyExpress).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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comedy, magic

Lewis Fuller – Ungentlemanly Conduct

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 20:30
Suits, smiles and side-splitting shenanigans! Are you ready for the ultimate triple threat of magic, music and comedy? Debuting this year at Edinburgh Fringe is a world-renowned performer Lewis Fuller who brings you his all new stage spectacle that will leave you breathless with wonder, humming with joy and laughing until your cheeks ache. Don't miss out on this unforgettable fusion of talent and charisma!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Kim Blythe – Might As Well

31 JUL - 18 AUG - 21:00
Embracing her innate comedic flair, Kim Blythe, aka Kimbo from TikTok, ventures into the world of stand-up comedy in her twice sold-out show Might as Well. This show offers a candid glimpse behind the camera, sharing tales from her childhood to navigating the pitfalls of adulthood. As she takes her humour beyond the screen, Might as Well dives into Kim's unique perspective as she attempts to live up to previous online comments such as 'for a woman, you're quite funny' and 'I don't like lgbt but ur the exception'.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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stand-up, Musical Comedy

Mark Black: The Drink. The Drugs. The Scratchcairds.

31 JUL - 13 AUG (NOT 7) - 21:00
New stand-up/musical hour from Mark Black. Follows his journey from drug addict to men's mental-health advocate, from gaffs to ice baths. Mark Black proves anyone can change! Even if you've smoked too many blunts or you've dismembered 20 c***ts, YOU can change. Featuring songs from Mark and some wild characters! After a sell-out show at the Glasgow Pavilion, receiving a four-star rating in the Glasgow Herald, Mark Black brings The Drink, The Drugs, The Scratchcairds to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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comedy, solo show

Naomi Grossman: American Whore Story

31 JUL - 24 AUG - 21:00
Emmy-nominated actress, Naomi Grossman made a name for herself as Pepper on American Horror Story, the fan-favourite and first crossover character. This side-splitting one-woman show shares her darkly fabulous and profoundly revealing behind-the-scenes experiences leading up to AHS and its afterglow. Winner of the BroadwayWorld Award for Best Solo Production, this love letter to AHS fans chronicles Naomi's history of hustling, from her odd jobs to her even odder love life. Off-Broadway critics tout, 'This is a one-of-a-kind performance from a one-of-a-kind person. If HBO isn't calling, they should be... not to be missed' (EljNYC.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up, Dark Comedy

Reels of Regret: Confessions of a Failed Filmmaker

31 JUL - 25 AUG - 21:00
You know those people who tell you to aim for the moon and you'll land on the stars? Yeah, those people are a**holes. Filmmaker Christina Jobe's new stand-up show explains how a strict Conservative Christian upbringing isn't the best foundation for a career in entertainment. From accidentally going on a date with a septuagenarian, escaping the grasp of a frenzied holistic nutritionist, filming people who are filming porn, with a smattering of opioids along the way, this show explores how what you get is rarely what you want.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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stand-up, LGBTQ+

Christopher Hall: Girl For All Seasons

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 21:10
Social media sensation Christopher tells of his life, as a 'boy who's a bit girly really'. From obsessions with pop princesses, falling in line behind the school classroom queen bees, and gaining life lessons from the cast of Bad Girls: why wouldn't everyone strive to be girlier? Men are from Mars, but girls are from Venus, and, according to Christopher, life's way more fun over there. Christopher's sketches featuring Background Singers, Your Cat and The Millennial have over 12 million likes, 50 million views and spawned collaborations with Kylie, Shania Twain and JoJo.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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Dark Comedy

Abrasion

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12 AUG) - 21:20
A one-woman show (written and starring Meg-Rose Dixon) following a diagnosis journey set at the anniversary of her surgery. A dark comedy filled with turbulent embarrassing moments flipped in a comical way, verbatim anecdotes highlighting the importance of patient care, terrible doctors, and a few genuine heroes. This is a darkly funny show that laughs in the face of pain while shedding light on a condition that affects 1.5 million people, but has an average diagnosis wait time of 7.5 years.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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improv, Musical Theatre

Impromptunes – Naughty Broadway

31 JUL - 13 AUG - 21:30
Impromptunes takes its musical mayhem into overdrive in this risque, rambunctious ride. Strap in while Australia's finest improvisers hit the high notes and the low brows. Contains mature themes for immature audiences. The cast of Impromptunes will go to any length so that 'the show must go on.' Any length. With impossible hoops to jump through, any cast member can be cancelled at any moment. A raw orchestral score of raunchy choruses by a raucous caucus!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

Isabella Charlton: So My Dad F****d The Nanny

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12) - 21:40
LA comedian tells of a dark steamy affair between her father and the family's nanny. From London to Hong Kong, this twist-turning and ironic show takes us through the highs and lows of adolescence and adult love life, unveiling family secrets, power plays and salacious surprises while also displaying her personal growth, self actualization and redemption. If that's not enticing enough, naked photos, audio transcripts included free of charge!.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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storytelling, stand-up

Kyle Dolan: No Place Like Home

31 JUL - 25 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 21:40
Recipient of the Adelaide Fringe Funding Grant, filmmaker and comedian Kyle Dolan makes his highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe solo-show debut. Using stand-up comedy and storyboard illustrations, Kyle pitches the audience a movie about what the concept of "home" means when you are drawn in so many different directions, as well as what happens when you are the only Scottish kid in school when Shrek is the biggest movie in the world. 'Certainly one to keep an eye on' (AdelaideInsider.wordpress.com). Illustrations by Alex Mills. ***** (Funny Tonne, Melbourne International Comedy Festival).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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improv, Game Show

John Robertson's The Dark Room

31 JUL - 25 AUG - 22:00
The audience is trapped in a retro video game with a sadistic, end-of-level boss. Escape and win £1000 or be brutally murdered by the rest of the crowd! Will you: A) Find the light switch? B) Go north? C) Abandon hope? New deathtraps for 2024! 'A Rocky Horror for nerds... reader, I howled' **** (Telegraph). 'Not to be missed' (Guardian). 'Irresistibly dangerous' **** (Stage). Winner: Chortle Award. Sold out Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Nominated: Best Comedy, FringeWorld 2023. Runner-Up: Best Comedy, NextUp 2022. As seen at Glastonbury and Insomnia Gaming Festival.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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stand-up

Best of So You Think You're Funny?

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 22:15
A line-up show starring the top three acts from the 2023 edition of So You Think You're Funny? The UK's biggest new comedy competition, with Samira Banks, Christopher Donovan and Lizzie Norm. See the best up-and-coming comedians before they make it big! Previous winners and finalists from the competition include: Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and many more.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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Carter Morgan: The Death of Cool

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 22:20
This show is about death, being cool before then and giving a f*ck. Which isn't cool, but someone's gotta tell hard truths, like: if we're going have to eat billionaires to survive, I choose Rihanna. And someone tell Elon he looks like a half-squeezed tube of toothpaste, which is fine – I'm not body-shaming – you can be fat, you can be skinny, but Elon is a billionaire so he can afford to pick one. This show contains American references like war, racism, a general disregard for intelligent discourse, and wealth hoarding.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny

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improv, absurdist

Chris and Seán Are Two Sailors Who Are Nuts

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 22:20
Chris and Seán are two sailors who are nuts! Comedians Chris Locke and Seán Cullen are on shore leave for an hour of hilarious madness! Learn about the sea! Milk a sea cow! Make love to a scallop! Fight a squid's mother! Date a mermaid! They've done everything briny and will share their nautical knowledge with lots of laughter, the occasional sea shanty, and delicate fish encounters! Two men whose minds are insane want to make you insane too!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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cabaret, solo show

Sarah McGuinness Sings Cabaret

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 22:35
Late-night delights from sultry songstress Late-night delights from sultry songstress Sarah McGuiness. The moving and melodic story of how a young Derry girl with stars in her eyes and music in her veins undertook an epic voyage to the centre of her soul to find her authentic voice. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll sing along – you will sing along! – and you'll come to see how your life's been shaped by your own personal playlist. Enjoy tuneful tales of temptation, sensation, in a perfect manifestation of your heart's desires against a backdrop of killer tracks. Live life to the full!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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cabaret, LGBTQ+

Mark T Cox: Paddy Daddy

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 22:40
An Irish Gay Guide to Romance. A juicy hour of comedy, filth and pop bangers from very busy, very famous, international cabaret star Mark T Cox. If you enjoy Irish charm. If you enjoy naughty queer comedy. If you enjoy looking at a handsome man with a moustache and leather trousers... You will enjoy this show. 'Bit rude for my liking' (Mark's mam).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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Alternative Comedy, Musical Comedy

Shitty Mozart

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 23:00
They cloned Mozart, it went horribly wrong and now we're stuck with the consequences. Making his UK debut in a cheap wig, Shitty Mozart (Aaron Nemo, a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) performs a dazzlingly chaotic, vulgar one-man multimedia concerto. Terrified that the audience will realize he lacks the musical genius of his predecessor, Shitty Mozart shows off his own talents – playing makeshift instruments he's invented, performing duets with cartoons he drew, even conducting a brief laser light show – in a futile attempt to escape Wolfgang's shadow and make a name for himself.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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comedy, physical theatre

Funny Bones

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 13, 20) - 11:00
In Funny Bones, a clown contemplates life, death, and other laughing matters. After a disastrous bicycle accident, a professional circus performer is left to tame a stubborn soul who refuses to cooperate with his broken body. Featuring large-scale puppetry and high-energy physical comedy, Funny Bones juggles distinctive storytelling with dynamic audience interaction. Audiences of all ages are invited to step right up and enjoy this powerful story of redemption.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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improv, Family-friendly

The Oxford Imps

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 22) - 12:20
A fun, fast-paced comedy show, made up entirely on the spot from your suggestions! The Imps have been bringing critically acclaimed improv performances and up-and-coming comedic talent to the Fringe for over ten years. These high-energy shows come packed with Whose Line Is It Anyway?-style games, brought to life by Oxford's wittiest minds. Be prepared for improvised scenes, punning, raps, Shakespeare, musicals and much more! Perfect for teens and families.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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Dark Comedy, sketch show

Situations and Confr/plications

1 - 11 AUG - 14:00
Logic, you say? Thank you. But, no thank you. Introducing Situations and Confr/plications. A 60-minute sketch comedy, made up of standalone scenes that cross between all decades and have no relation to each other whatsoever. Apart, of course, from the unfortunate fact that they go slightly – awry. 12 actors, 12 scenes. A rapid fire of short, dynamic, bold and outrageously unusual sketches – leaving the audience with a healthy sense of joy, fulfilment, provocation and sense of relief. Not physical though, we urge you (literally). May the Audacity be with you.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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stand-up

Njambi McGrath

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 13) - 15:00
Njambi McGrath returns to Edinburgh Fringe with a hilarious hour. Everyone wants to give Africans aid. Water, food, vision, sanitary towels, indeed everything except visas. We need a charity for Africans to get visas, they are bl**dy difficult to get. Njambi McGrath muses over the concept of giving. Especially to Africa. Poverty porn, white saviours, kids on a gap year, missionaries, volunteers, IMF, World Bank, international development and 3,000 charities, it seems there's a new scramble for Africa. What's it about? Njambi's scrutiny on the giving to Africa is both hilarious and fascinating.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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clown, physical theatre

Ketch Sketch

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 16:00
Japan's best silent comedian is back! And you're invited to his pet Max's birthday party... After 15 years at the Fringe with the award-winning duo Gamarjobat, Ketch returns with his explosive new solo comedy show. He needs your help to throw the best birthday party ever, jam-packed full of juggling, clowning, music, magic and mime. Don't miss this heartwarming and hilarious hour of slick, silent and silly slapstick for all ages.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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compilation, Character Comedy

Friend (The One With Gunther)

1 - 25 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 16:15
One barista, 10 seasons, 70 minutes! All 236 episodes of Friends retold through the eyes of Gunther, Central Perk's "seventh Friend". Discover the true insider story of what happened, from the character who kept everyone caffeinated! Performed by Joseph Maudsley. From the team behind Buffy Revamped (creator Brendan Murphy, director Hamish MacDougall). 'Out of five stars, it should be seven... seven... SEVEN.' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). 'Both a commentary and a greatest hits... For a reduced, Shakespeare-style telling of the Friends saga, this can't be beaten' ***** (ReviewsHub.com).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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storytelling, stand-up

Louise Atkinson: She's Got the Look

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 17:00
With this new comedy show, the Amused Moose Best Debut Show winner revisits the unsolicited feedback she once received; 'Louise Atkinson – sounds good, looks like a mess'; and discusses our incorrect assumptions about people. 'Reminiscent of Victoria Wood and Peter Kay' (Stuart Maconie). 'Her innate funny bones reassure you that you're in safe hands' (Chortle.co.uk). 'An instantly likeable comic' **** (TheArtsDesk.com). ***** (TheWeeReview.com). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (EdFringeReview.com). **** (MervSpotFringe.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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cabaret

Síomha Hennessy: 30 Under 30

31 JUL - 26 AUG (NOT 12) - 21:40
Do you ever find yourself at a party telling a stranger everything that has ever happened to you? Some of us, not content with cornering poor unfortunates in smoking areas, will actually go one step further and hire out an actual theatre to make people pay for the experience. And they'll even include songs... "original" songs.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Nip

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comedy, magic

1 Hour of Insane Magic: After Dark

1 AUG - 4 AUG, 8 AUG - 11 AUG, 15 AUG - 18 AUG, and 22 AUG - 25 AUG - 23:00
After their sell-out sensation at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Insane Magic are back... but this time After Dark! Join the Insane Magic boys – along with some hand-picked special guests from the world of magic, circus and variety – for an hour of naughty, wild and sometimes extreme late-night magic. This show is full of stuff a little too raunchy for their daytime show! May contain: adult themes, naughty language, traces of nuts and a little nudity... and one cast member doesn't go to the gym!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

22 (Brooke's Version)

31 JUL - 26 AUG - 11:00
New York comedian/Moth StorySLAM Champ's debut comedy hour follows sold-out short-form workshops. Come laugh with Brooke as she trips and falls fighting spacetime continuum, economy, patriarchy, fertility, herself, while trying to get a date. In her pop-culture/Broadway mental musical (Swifties enjoy an invisibly-strung Eras tour), Brooke campaigns to lead a better future. Join Brooke's New Year's Eve- celebration, reflection, resolution. She'd like to change her life New Year's Day. Ideally, February 2nd. Audience reviews: 'Smart comedy for smart people'; 'Wild ride'; 'Fast-paced, quick-witted stand-up/storytelling mashup'; 'Never experienced anything like that'; 'Highly inspirational message.' Previous: **** (Skinny, TheatreWeekly.com, LondonTheatre1.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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improv, theatre

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show

2 - 26 AUG - 13:00
Shakespeare hasn't written anything new for an age, so we thought we would give him a hand... Using your audience suggestions and our overactive imaginations, we create a brand-new Shakespeare play live on stage, complete with live music, songs and plenty of laughs. Join ShakeItUp for bard-based bedlam! 'Quick witted, inexhaustible and absolutely hysterical' ***** (LondonTheatreReviews.co.uk). 'Brilliantly bonkers... one of the best improvised shows at the Fringe' ***** (WestEndBestFriend.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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cabaret, revue

I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical

1 - 25 AUG (NOT 7, 14, 21) - 18:00
The award-winning musical comedy revue revealing all about musicals and the people who love them – on both sides of the curtain. Updated 2024 version featuring new songs! Lauded with an unprecedented 50 five-star reviews for its previous sell-out Fringe and London seasons. By Alexander S Bermange, directed and choreographed by Matthew Parker (Offies Best Director). 'Flawless' ***** (BritishTheatre.com). 'Sharp satire... undiluted fun' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Delightful' ***** (BroadwayWorld.com). 'Hilarious... Wonderfully witty!' ***** (EdinburghGuide.com). 'Crisp, perfect, immaculate, hilarious.' ***** (Musical Talk podcast). 'Full of wit and musical pastiche' ***** (TheArtsDesk.com). 'Must-see' (Tim Rice).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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stand-up

Grace Campbell Is On Heat

2 - 11 AUG - 19:40
The unwaveringly honest comedian returns to the Fringe with a brand-new show. After getting a dog, and her dog coming on heat, a series of strange events started to happen in Grace's life. These events made her question everything. And now? She's turned it into a hilarious and unhinged exploration of adulthood, relationships, and mental health. As seen on BBC, Channel 4, Comedy Central and Dave. 'Destined to become famous just about everywhere' ****½ (Chortle.co.uk). 'Hysterically hilarious woman who doesn't take herself too seriously' ***** (Entertainment-Now.com).

Tickets for Grace Campbell Is On Heat @ Queen's Hall (12 - 13 Aug) linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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Character Comedy

Jack Docherty in The Chief – No Apologies

2 - 15 AUG - 20:00
The BAFTA-winning star of Scot Squad and cult classic Absolutely, returns to the Fringe as Scotland's favourite cop. The People's Chief looks back on his career righting wrongs, crushing crime, battling bams and never, ever apologising! 'Docherty's mighty presence fills the room' (ThreeWeeks). It's simply impossible not to love what he does on stage' (Scotsman). 'Masterful, superlative' (Chortle.co.uk). 'A hugely talented comic performer' (Sunday Times) 'A maverick genius' (Herald). Recommended Show and Best-Reviewed Fringe Shows 2023 (Comedy.co.uk). **** (Guardian). **** (List). **** (Evening Standard). **** (Entertainment-Now.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

Abigail Rolling: Shit Lawyer

2 AUG - 25 AUG - 20:20
Dark. Funny. Underfunded. And that's just Abby. The criminal justice system is too. With three decades on the front line, Abby shares hilarious real cases from her own experience as a practising defence solicitor, speaking to all that's wrong with a justice system in existential crisis. From the Post Office scandal to a one-woman shoplifting epidemic, Abby's new show warns that any one of us could get caught up in it at any time. But with the justice system in a death spiral, will there be any legal-aid defence lawyers left to help you?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Blether

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compilation, stand-up

Late'n'Live

2 - 26 AUG - 23:30
The original late-night show returns with stellar line-ups of your favourite acts from the festival, hosted by the best MCs in the country, every single night of the Fringe. 'The best late-night show on the Fringe' (Scotsman). 'A Fringe institution for a reason' (TheRecs.co.uk). Previous acts include: Johnny Vegas, Bill Bailey, Rich Hall, Jason Byrne, Mawaan Rizwan, John Bishop, Larry Dean, Maisie Adam, Reuben Kaye, Jordan Grey, Viggo Venn and just about every notable name in comedy. Late'n'Live guarantees an unforgettable night of live comedy and is an essential addition to any Fringe bucket list.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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theatre, puppetry

Wood Owl and the Box of Wonders

5 - 12 AUG - 10:40
'The love we show can make us grow.' A lonely little owl wants nothing more than to fly into the night and join his friends. But how can he, when he is made from wood? The arrival of another lonely soul changes his life as he strives to help. Join Hoglets Theatre on a journey of singing owls, fantasy worlds and pirates. Featuring beautiful handmade puppets, original songs and music and an age-old message that the love we show to others comes back to us in time.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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new writing, drama

Fix Your Mind

7 - 21 AUG - 18:00
Two siblings feel disconnected from life in their rural hometown. Online, 16-year-old James finds solace in a community of struggling young men. Sasha, his older sister, is adopted by a house of like-minded queer friends looking for a better life. But as James is drawn deeper into his online world, love between the siblings is stretched to breaking point, and Sasha is faced with a choice between her old and new families. From the company behind Dazzling ('Gen-Z's answer to Fleabag' **** (Scotsman)) comes a contemporary exploration of patriarchy, love and the internet.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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Musical Comedy, Podcast

Mark Black and the Ewart Bros: The Drink. The Drugs. The Scratchcairds. Podcast Live!

7 AUG, 14 AUG - 18:00
Boom wer on! With guests, naughty and nice, Mr English will host former serial killers, gangsters, as well as facing his own demons through a spiritual journey live on stage. After a sell-out show at the Glasgow Pavilion, Mark Black and the Ewart Bros are bringing The Drink, The Drugs, The Scratchcairds Podcast live to the Edinburgh Fringe, awrite. With a four-star rating in the Glasgow Herald, Mr English brings the worlds biggest pod to the worlds biggest comedy festival.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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improv, stand-up

Comedy Night at the Museum

09 - 24 AUG - 22:30
Join the greatest comedians from across the globe as they blur the line between arteFACT and arteFICTION in a wholly improvised set, prompted by genuine artefacts housed in the National Museum of Scotland! This unrehearsed and unrestrained show-and-tell might not be historically – or even culturally – accurate but it's guaranteed to be utterly entertaining. With different comics taking to the stage each night to deliver their unscripted, uneducaTED talks on Scotland's most cherished relics, what could possibly go wrong...? 'Hugely enjoyable' **** (Scotsman). 'One of the more ingenious late-night shows' **** (Herald).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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Alternative Comedy, Game Show

Hot Rubber

9 AUG, 16 AUG, 23 AUG - 23:45
The world's only late-night Scalextric tournament/comedy show. Four comedians have decked out their cars, ready for victory or destruction on the race track. The winner of each race takes one step closer to glory, the loser has their car smashed with a baseball bat. Hosted by Imogen Trusselle and Hudson Hughes with live music from our house band Formula One Direction.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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theatre, workshop

Sing, Sign and Sensory

12 - 17 AUG - 10:15 AND 11:00
Sing, Sign and Sensory offers sensory-based performance workshops tailored to infants between 0-24 months. They are first of their kind and offer an immersive, creative experience in customised, inflatable sensory pods. Each session has an engaging narrative, songs to singalong with and visually captivating animations. The pods are equipped with projectors, fans, textured objects and pleasant aromas to make for an enriching sensory journey. Funded by Lottery Funded Arts Council England and Little Lives UK.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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a cappella, Musical Comedy

The Techtonics: 44 Days of Liz Truss (A Cappella)

12 - 26 AUG (NOT 19) - 11:30
It's been a bumpy few years in UK politics, and one story is particularly comical: Liz Truss's stint as prime minister. In 44 days, Trussonomics tanked the economy, her cabinet made more U-turns than Mr Bean on a roundabout and, after one meeting, the Queen passed away. Who could be more fitting to tell this story than an all-male a cappella group of nerds from Imperial College London? Not just any group though: the only UK group to have won the ICCAs! Yes, that's the competition in Pitch Perfect.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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comedy, Food and Drink

Le Wine Club

12 - 26 AUG - 13:40
Anna Lou is back in her wine bar to talk wine and let you in on her darkest secrets. Wine-tasting musical comedy from cabaret performer and qualified wine geek Anna Larkin. For anyone who ever wondered what wine to pair with revenge. Ticket price includes red wine sample. 'Delightful' **** (Indiependent.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Snug

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a cappella, live music

The A Cappella Xperience

12 - 24 AUG (NOT 18) - 14:00
The Bristol Suspensions take you on a journey through their 10th year as a group – their triumphs, their pressures and everything in between. This student group from the University of Bristol have just hit their 10th year and want you to celebrate with them in this concert-style show. The Suspensions deliver stunning vocals, slick choreography, beautiful arrangements and leave you wondering why you didn't join an a cappella group at university. The group will give you a glimpse into the world of a cappella and leave you wanting more!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, comedy

Carter Ford: Lessons for an Incomplete Black Boy

12 - 13 AUG - 15:40, 18:20
True stories ranging from age 8 to 18 about a racially ambiguous biracial boy tackling racism and colorism in his community. Teaching himself how to live his life true to himself when some only see him as black, some say he's not black, and others say he's something else entirely. In Ford's second solo show, he really explores the growth from innocence in himself and the growth of ignorance in others.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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In Conversation, talk

Juliette Burton's Talking Crazy

12 - 13 AUG - 17:30
In crazy times, what keeps us sane? Comedian, activist and charity ambassador Juliette Burton was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, diagnosed with 15 mental illnesses, an inpatient five times and in therapy 20+ years – but she's not mad about that. What drives her crazy is the lack of change. For two nights only – armed with research, personal and scientific – this mad harpy and her special guests talk madness for your info-tainment. 'Drips with charm' (Times). 'Huge talent' ***** (Mirror). 'A force to be reckoned with' ***** (EdFestMag.com). 'Liberating' ***** (VoiceMag.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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Podcast

The Guilty Feminist

12 - 14 AUG - 19:40
The live comedy podcasting phenomenon is back. With over 150 million downloads, Deborah Frances-White's frank and hilarious look at the noble goals of 21st-century feminists and the hypocrisies which undermine them features stand-up comedy, deep-dive conversation, music and more. The multi award-winning show has toured venues around the world including the Sydney Opera House, the Wellington Arena, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall. 'Essential for the planet' (Emma Thompson). 'Hilarious, irreverent, eternally surprising, classy as hell, genius… breathing life into conversations about feminism' (Phoebe Waller-Bridge).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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stand-up

Grace Campbell Is On Heat @ Queen's Hall

12 - 13 AUG - 20:00
The unwaveringly honest comedian returns to the Fringe with a brand-new show. After getting a dog, and her dog coming on heat, a series of strange events started to happen in Grace's life. These events made her question everything. And now? She's turned it into a hilarious and unhinged exploration of adulthood, relationships, and mental health. As seen on BBC, Channel 4, Comedy Central and Dave. 'Destined to become famous just about everywhere' ****½ (Chortle.co.uk). 'Hysterically hilarious woman who doesn't take herself too seriously' ***** (Entertainment-Now.com).

Tickets for Grace Campbell Is On Heat at Gilded Balloon @ The Museum (2 -11 Aug) linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon at The Queen's Hall

subvenue Queen's Hall

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political, talk

The Political Party With Matt Forde

13 AUG, 19 AUG - 13:15
Following ten years of sold-out shows in London's West End, Matt Forde (Spitting Image, The Last Leg) returns to Edinburgh for two live podcasts. The UK's leading political podcast has over nine million downloads, is regularly an iTunes Top 10 comedy podcast and was listed by The i as one of the 50 Greatest Podcasts. Previous guests include: Tony Blair, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Rayner, Anthony Scaramucci and Alastair Campbell. ***** (Telegraph). ****½ (Chortle.co.uk). **** (Sunday Times).

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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cabaret

Rave New World

13 - 26 AUG - 19:30
Take a strobe down memory lane with the UK's premier rave raconteur. Tales of revolution, acid-house storytelling and musical mischief to mark the 35th anniversary of the 1989 headline-making acid house explosion. Discover the true identity of DJ Roofrack, play Rave Family Fortunes and Have I Got Acid House News for You, embrace the absurdity of rave flyers, learn the real words to your favourite 90's dance anthems, and spin the songwheel of steel to choose the last tune of the night.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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variety

The Humour Mill Live

13 AUG - 13:00
A jam-packed comedy variety show from The Humour Mill, featuring some of the best stand-up, sketch and alternative acts in Scotland. The Humour Mill is a writing, networking and skills exchange group based in Glasgow for any and all comedy writers and performers – from open mics to seasoned professionals, from stand-ups to drag acts, from clowns to musicians and everything in-between.

Tickets for The Humour Mill Live on the 21st linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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a cappella

Aquapella

14 - 24 AUG - 13:00
'Forget Pitch Perfect, Aquapella are the real deal!' (TheWeeReview.com). Bath's premier award-winning a cappella group are back for their eighth year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Subsequent to their success performing on Broadway last year, the group seeks to showcase the power of the human voice through an array of unique arrangements. From indie and pop bangers to contemporary ballads, their latest set delivers a diverse and eclectic selection of music genres that ensures there's something for everyone. With a passion for performing, Aquapella invite you to experience vocal music like never before.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Doonstairs

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theatre

Chemo Savvy

15 - 24 AUG - 19:40
Inspired by the experiences of late great Scottish comedy legend, Andy Gray, as he battled leukaemia, Chemo Savvy follows Rab's heartbreaking and heartwarming journey as we join a family broken by a similar experience, and ultimately reunited by it, discovering forgiveness, redemption, hope and rekindled love. Unsentimental, with the gallows humour permitted by those who have been on that journey, Chemo Savvy shows Rab that even his childhood hero, The Lone Ranger, couldn't do it on his own. A rollercoaster ride of tears and laughter... just like real life. Starring Grant Stott, Jordan Young and Gail Watson.

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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historical, pop

Broadside Ballads

15 - 21 AUG - 21:30
Step into history as members of iconic Scottish bands Del Amitri, Orange Juice, Bluebells and more take audiences on an immersive journey into the heart of Scotland's rich cultural heritage through a captivating blend of dynamic music and projection. Featuring stellar performances from specially selected musicians, this immersive experience blends history, entertainment and surprise, promising visually and sonically captivating moments throughout. Broadside Ballads is performed by Alston/Kirk Overdrive and the Internationale: Andy Alston (Del Amitri), James Kirk (Orange Juice), Jim MacDermott (Simple Minds) and Brian Docherty (Bluebells), plus singers including Justin Currie (Del Amitri) and Ken McCluskey (Bluebells)

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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theatre, sketch show

Mind Milk

16 - 26 AUG - 14:20
What are you storing in the back rooms of your brain? Who's lurking behind your eyes? Hold still. Let's plug you in. A kaleidoscope of characters collide in this hallucinatory sketch comedy feast from award-winning duo The Awkward Silence. Dreams struggle with nightmares; fact arm-wrestles fiction; and truth gives lies a wedgie. You wouldn't dream of missing it. The Awkward Silence have been shortlisted for a BBC Writer's Prize and a Writers' Guild Award. ***** (TheNewCurrent.co.uk). **** (Chortle.co.uk). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (Oxford Theatre Review). **** (EdFringeReview.com). **** (TheReviewsHub.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up, sketch show

Paul Black: All Sorts

16 AUG - 25 AUG (NOT 22) - 20:00
After three consecutive sold-out runs, Paul Black returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand-new hour. Featuring a blend of stand-up and sketches with characters new and old. Paul Black's online comedy sketches have garnered over half a billion views and a cult following. As seen on Pity Party (BBC Scotland), First Footing (BBC Scotland) and Nostalgia (BBC iPlayer). Billy Connolly's Spirit of Glasgow Award Nominee. ***** (TheWeeReview.com). **** (Chortle.co.uk). **** (Herald). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (CityLiveGlasgow.com).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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improv, theatre

Holy Shit Improv

16 - 26 AUG - 21:00
'LA's very best improvisers' (TheComedyBureau.com) create an hour of comedy so funny you'll be screaming 'Holy Shit!' See why Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) says 'Holy Shit Improv is fucking great!' and Scott Auckerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!) claims they're 'the funniest people alive, and they might be even funnier than the dead ones!'. Fast, funny, silly and smart. As consistently hilarious as any written show. You won't believe it's improv! Watch past performances at Patreon.com/HolyShitImprov.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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drama, Dark Comedy

Logan, a One-Woman Show (Because Only One of Us Survived)

17 - 26 AUG (NOT 21) - 19:40
The true story of my brother's murder so of course, it's comedy. I know it sounds dark, but I can't think of a better way to honour Logan's memory. Funny, raw and exploring all the ways he was failed; by the legal system, addiction, mental health services and his family. Welcome funeral attendees (yes, you the audience!) to hear the conflicting evidence surrounding Logan's death. The perfect set-up for a macabre game show – with prize money! – what are you waiting for?! You could be our next winner!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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jazz, a cappella

The Oxford Gargoyles

18 AUG - 25 AUG - 11:45
Internationally renowned jazz a cappella ensemble the Oxford Gargoyles return to the Fringe, bringing their unique blend of close harmony, slick choreography and black tie charm. Performing a mixture of well-known jazz standards, classic pop hits and contemporary tunes, this show has something for everyone. Do not miss this eclectic hour of music and chat showcased by the brightest young talents in jazz vocal harmony, sure to leave you dancing in your seats!

Location Gilded Balloon at the Museum

subvenue Auditorium

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comedy, stand-up

Kabsa and Kilts: A Saudi-ish Show

19 - 26 AUG - 19:40
Our show brings you a Saudi-ish line-up of comedians – two Saudis and a Scot – with diverse experiences and styles of comedy. Our headline act is the co-founder of the first comedy club in Saudi Arabia, pioneer stand-up comedian and leading actor of Saudi blockbuster SATTAR: Ibrahem Al Hajjaj is coming back to Fringe after his first stint in 2023. His new show takes up where he left off last August with new weird and wonderful parallels and surprising cultural similarities between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Dram

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I Mostly Blame Myself

20 - 25 AUG - 21:00
In 2018, Nick Shanman hired a bunch of his idiot friends to make a ridiculous YouTube pilot... Today, IMBM has over 500 million views worldwide and has found a home performing live monthly shows in NYC. Our shows are a series of dark, weird, hilarious sketches ranging from Disney parodies to historical musicals, to some slightly controversial topics you've always wanted to address. Every show is brand new, completely original, and absolutely absurd. Ready to laugh your ass off?

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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variety

The Humour Mill Live

21 AUG - 19:40
A jam-packed comedy variety show from The Humour Mill, featuring some of the best stand-up, sketch and alternative acts in Scotland. The Humour Mill is a writing, networking and skills exchange group based in Glasgow for any and all comedy writers and performers – from open mics to seasoned professionals, from stand-ups to drag acts, from clowns to musicians and everything in-between.

Tickets for The Humour Mill Live on the 13th linked here!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Coorie

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stand-up

Jay Lafferty: Bahookie

22 - 26 AUG - 18:00
Star of BBC's Breaking the News, 'Jay has cemented herself as one of the strongest comedians on the circuit today. It's a marvel how consistently brilliant her shows are' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'One of Scotland's top stand-ups' (Herald). 'Set the bar incredibly high for other comics of the Fringe' ***** (BroadwayBaby.com). 'Engages with such playfulness and genuine curiosity we have no choice but to cling to her every word' ***** (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine). 'Beautifully observed' ***** (One4review.co.uk).

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Other Yin

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compilation, stand-up

So You Think You're Funny? Competition – Grand Final

22 AUG - 20:00
Finalists battle it out to take the crown in the climactic stage of the UK's most prestigious comedy newcomer competition! Following months of regional showcases around the UK and Ireland, see comedy's rising stars give their best performances in a bid to win So You Think You're Funny? 2023. 'Showcasing the stand-up stars of the future' (Comedy.co.uk). Previous winners and finalists from the competition include Aisling Bea, Tommy Tiernan, Maisie Adam, Peter Kay, Lee Mack, Fern Brady, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Daniel Sloss and more.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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storytelling, stand-up

Laura Belbin: Too Much

23 AUG - 25 AUG - 21:30
The comedian behind Knee Deep In Life is known as Laura Belbin, she's the perfect tonic in a world of perceived perfection and filtered happiness. She says the things everyone is thinking but doesn't dare to say. Her comedy is for those who chase the raw, filthy and honest truth about how life can really be; and that with empowerment comes unity. She's taking to the stage with her brand-new show with one question: is there such a thing as too much??

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Big Yin

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improv, Podcast

Pitch It Good – Live

24 - 26 AUG - 18:40
Step into the uproarious world of Pitch It Good, where laughter meets lunacy in a show unlike any other. Watch as comedians pitch the most outlandish movie ideas imaginable to hapless hosts, Jim and Paul. From sci-fi spectacles with heart to genre-fusion madness, our hosts navigate a maze of cinematic what-ifs. Expect the unexpected, from ghostly romances to culinary assassins, in a show that's as wildly entertaining as it is unpredictably hilarious. Your next obsession awaits; don't just listen, experience Pitch It Good!

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue Bothie

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music, Musical Comedy

CANCELLED Amy Webber: no previous experience

1 - 26 AUG (NOT 12, 19) - 17:00
Armed with her mini keyboard and an opera degree that's never been useful, Amy Webber is job hunting. You may pity her, you may love her, but you will definitely want to employ her. Amy is an award-winning comedian as heard on BBC Radio 4, winner of Best Comedy at Manchester Fringe 2023, and featured on the Telegraph's 35 Funniest Shows of the Fringe, 2023. Amy's shows have been recognised as 'playful and charismatic' (Chortle.co.uk) and 'a divinely constructed comedy hour' (Playbill). Expect banging pop songs, networking and world-class vocals.

Location Gilded Balloon Patter House

subvenue The Penny