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Scotsman
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Free Children's Shows: Here are 11 shows for the kids with completely free entry
August is fast approaching which means it's time to scour the Edinbugh Festival Fringe programme for the best shows to see. The physical programme has over 3,350 shows across 265 venues, meaning it can be a daunting task to work out what exactly you are going to see. It can be an expensive business too, with many shows at the bigger venues now costing over £20 for the first time - and that's doubly the case if you are booking tickets for the while family Luckily, there's a Fringe experience for all budgets, including hundred of free shows that just ask you to turn up early and queue to be sure of a seat - and that includes shows for kids. Of course, they're not necessarily entirely free - you'll be asked to check some money into a bucket (or increasingly make a contactless payment) on the way out, with £5-£10 being a ballpark figure for a show that you have enjoyed. Some shows also give you the opportunity to 'pay what you want' in advance to secure a seat. There are two main sources of free shows - the Free Festival and PBH's Free Fringe - both of which operated in similar ways and tend to take place in pubs around the Scottish Capital. Here are 11 that caught our eye. You can check out the programmes at the Free Festival's website here and PBH's Free Fringe here . Remember not all shows are included in the Fringe official programme. 1 . Olaf Falafel's Stupidest Super Stupid Show – New Improved Recipe The title says it all - Olaf Falafel's shows are very stupid in just the way that kids love. Expect plenty of jokes about bodily functions in the show billed as "comedy show comedians take their kids to". It's on at the Ballroom at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House at 11.30am most mornings from July 31-August 24. | Contributed Photo Sales 2 . A Magic Morning Tim the magician is performing a range of tricks sure to entertain the kids each morning at 11.10am from August 2-24 at the Little Plaza venue as part of the PBH Free Fringe. | Contributed Photo Sales 3 . The Buttons Show It may not be Christmas, but there's still some pantomime fun in Edinburgh this August courtery of The Buttons Show. It promised an hour of "amazing puppets, fabulous stories, dazzling magic and catchy Scottish singalong songs (including, of course, 'Oh Ye Canny Shove Yir Granny Aff The Bus'). It's all happening at noon each day at Murphy's from August 2-24. | Contributed Photo Sales 4 . CeilidhKids at the Fringe What better way to start a day at the Fringe with the wee ones than with a Scottish ceilidh. Taking place most mornings from July 31-August 24 at the Ballroom at the Counting House, this is the perfect introduction to Scottish country dancing for kids, with simplified versions of many old favourites. | Contributed Photo Sales
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe Free Shows 2025: Here are 11 must-see free shows at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe
August is fast approaching which means it's time to scour the Edinbugh Festival Fringe programme for the best shows to see. The physical programme has over 3,350 shows across 265 venues, meaning it can be a daunting task to work out what exactly you are going to see. It can be an expensive business too, with many shows at the bigger venues now costing over £20 for the first time. Luckily, there's a Fringe experience for all budgets, including hundred of free shows that just ask you to turn up early and queue to be sure of a seat. Of course, they're not necessarily entirely free - you'll be asked to check some money into a bucket (or increasingly make a contactless payment) on the way out, with £5-£10 being a ballpark figure for a show that you have enjoyed. Some shows also give you the opportunity to 'pay what you want' in advance to secure a seat. There are two main sources of free shows - the Free Festival and PBH's Free Fringe - both of which operated in similar ways and tend to take place in pubs around the Scottish Capital. The likes of Richard Gadd, Ahir Shah and Austentatious have performed for free in recent years, so there's plenty of quality on offer - you might just see the next big thing. Here are 11 that caught our eye. You can check out the programmes at the Free Festival's website here and PBH's Free Fringe here. Remember not all shows are included in the Fringe official programme. Here are 11 that caught our eye. 1 . Mark Simmons: His Latest Jokes Last year's winner of the Funniest Joke of the Fringe Award (I was going to sail around the globe in the world's smallest ship but I bottled it), Mark Simmons is back with more of the same. There's likely to be much in the way of structure of narrative arc here, but the laughs are all but guaranteed. He's on at the Liquid Room at 1.45pm from August 2-23. | Contributed Photo Sales 2 . Sooz Kempner is Ugly Known to many as the title character in multimedia scifi spinoff 'Doctor Who's Doom's Day', Sooz Kempner is back in Edinburgh with a show about "beauty, ageing, trolling and Barbra Streisand". Catch her at the Counting House at 4.15pm from July 31-August 24. | Contribited Photo Sales 3 . Tevor Lock Trevor Lock's shows merging the line between comedy and interactive performance art have been making the Fringe a more interesting place for years - and are a must for any visit to Edinburgh in August. This year he has a scripted show in the paid-for programme, along with two of his more esoteric shows at the PBH Free Fringe. 'Trevor Lock, an audience with', promises to "turn a bunch of strangers into an extended family" at Bannermans at 2.45pm from August 2-24. Meanwhile 'Trevor Lock - Let's Start Another Cult' sets out to do exactly what it says on the tin at 5.55pm in the Voodoo Rooms from August 2024. The Scotsman called it "funny moving and clever". | Contributed Photo Sales 4 . John Robertson: Plays With The Audience Aussie comedian John Robertson is a real Fringe favourite for his improv game show 'The Dark Room'. That's back this year, but he's also trying a new show at the Free Festival, offering "improv, mayhem, gaming comedy, crowd work and songs". Sounds like an action-palced hour at the Counting House at 7pm from July 31-August 24. | Contributed Photo Sales
Scotsman
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Spreading the Fringe further across the city makes a lot of sense
The Stand comedy club celebrates its 30th year with a special exhibition With only three weeks to go until the start of this year's Fringe there's already a sense of excitement among creative businesses in the city. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Posters for festival shows are already going up in pubs and shops across town. The year-round venues like The Stand and Monkey Barrel are already giving a big push to their Fringe line-ups, and there's still another 20 days until the opening night. In two weeks' time, like it or not, it will be impossible to ignore it. It looks like there is going to be much livelier Fringe presence in the New Town this year, which can only be a good news for local businesses and festival punters alike. There is a much more relaxed vibe north of Princes Street, away from the mayhem on the other side of town. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Old Town, particularly the Cowgate, is well beyond saturation point. With crowds spilling off pavements onto the roads, getting from A to B on foot is time-consuming and dangerous. Likewise, the University quarter is similarly over-crowded, despite the Teviot Building undergoing renovation. Queues at bars and food outlets in these parts of the city can be prohibitively long. It's exciting to be out and about among crowds of people, but the festival experience is somewhat diminished if you have to wait in line for 15 minutes to buy a pint. It will make for a better atmosphere city-wide if the Fringe has a larger geographical spread. This year, for the first time there will be events in St James Quarter and at Edinburgh Street Food next to the Omni Centre. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Free Festival are opening new venues alongside the Assembly Rooms in George Street and St Andrew Square Garden will be hosting shows once more, which is very welcome news indeed. The Famous Spiegeltent returns there for the first time in eight years and The Stand are staging an exhibition which charts the 30-year history of this Scottish comedy institution. This will include some fascinating archive photos of the club's beginnings, plus some audio and video material which can be accessed by scanning a QR code. The Stand itself will have a full programme in its four venues on York Place, including my show. On sale now. Only three weeks to go.
