If we inserted emojis into our articles (and let's all be thankful that we don’t), we’d place a huge klaxon right here to emulate the sheer volume of massive Festival news careering into our inboxes. This week Gilded Balloon have announced their full 170-act strong line-up, Horizon launch a programme of experimental art and theatre, and a rabble-rousing comic announces his return after his controversial show provoked cancellation and ire last year.  

^{The Talent will be performed as part of the Horizon showcase}

Horizon rolls out its third showcase at the Festival…

… bringing ten ‘outstanding’ artists to Edinburgh. Included in the Arts Council England-funded showcase is Birthmarked, the autobiographical story of a young man growing up as a gay Jehovah’s Witness; The Talent, an experimental theatre piece which uses an actor in a voice booth as an analogy for the isolation of lockdown; TOM, a dance spectacular celebrating working class queer identity; The Trauma Show, Demi Nandhra’s exploration of childhood trauma, its lasting impact into adulthood and the rise of therapy culture; Little Wimmin, a feminist adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel; Things Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World, which attempts to solve the murder of famous 70s Iranian popstar Fereydoun Farrokhzad using only the internet and an avid interest in true crime podcasts; Always Already, an ‘eight-hour durational performance installation’ exploring womanhood and the labour of women; FORGE, in which writer and performance artist Rachel Mars will weld a replica of the gate to the Dachau Concentration Camp, which was stolen in 2014; BODIES, an immersive sensory experience which takes place in a swimming pool and provides a quiet meditation on the climate crisis; and A Crash Course In Cloud Spotting, an audio sensory installation with elements of live performance that explores invisible disability. Read the full programme here.

^{Megan Stalter is bringing the belly laughs to Gilded Balloon this year}

Gilded Balloon unveils its full programme…

…featuring more than 170 shows and hosted at four major Edinburgh venues. Comedy highlights include a new show from impressionist par excellence Jon Culshaw, rising star and TikTok botherer Paul Black, and US comic Megan Stalter. Joining them on the bill is Kathy Maniura, Robbie McShane, Kuan-Wen Huang, Shane Daniel Byrne, Joe White, Ginny Hogan, Jaz Mattu, Cam Gavinski, Chelsea Hart and more. 

Drag is also well represented on Gilded’s roster, with Rupaul favourites Lawrence Chaney, Trinity K. Bonet and Victoria Scone rolling out their stand-up in their show Drag Stars Of Comedy, alongside acts like A’Whora, Sminty Drop, Kiki Snatch and Coco Couture. 

For kids there’s the David Walliams adaptation The Slightly Annoying Elephant, the musical-comedy parody of the Bard in Smashing Shakespeare, a sojourn to a fantasy landscape in Glom Glom And The Musical Monster Milipede, and much more. Alongside this boatload of Festival flourishes, there’s also a dollop of musical events, theatre productions and interactive productions. Read the full programme here.

^{Iain Dale will be interviewing a variety of political heavy-hitters}

Iain Dale to interview Humza Yousaf and more...

…continuing his talk show format live on stage. He’ll be discussing politics with some of the major players in the political landscape. Guests included Jeremy Corbyn and Len McLuskey, Peter Hitchens, Harriet Harman, Penny Mordaunt, Polly Toynbee and Humza Yousaf. Dale’s presentation style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but his political interviews at the Festival have always offered something a little different if you want to slot some current affairs in between hearty helpings of comedy and theatre. Read the full programme here.

^{Jerry Sadowitz will be back for a three-night run at the Queen's Hall}

Jerry Sadowitz returns to the Fringe...

…a year after the second of his two shows at the Pleasance was cancelled for material which the venue described as ‘extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny.’ The news of the cancellation caused a dramatic rupture in last year’s Fringe, with many comics and fans viewing it as censorship, while others felt Sadowitz’ material was unacceptable in a modern context. Sadowitz himself claimed that the Pleasance ‘cheapened and simplified his material’, which he described as 'a lot of silly, exaggerated irony and nonsense, real fake and exaggerated anger and bile... for the purpose of the funny line which follows it.' Like him or loathe him, Sadowitz’s new show, titled …Last Year’s Show, will be performed at the Queen’s Hall this August. 

^{Chloe Petts' new show could be a winner/Picture: Matt Crockett}

Four stars or more

Chloe Petts is returning to the Fringe with her new show If You Can’t Say Anything Nice, performing at the Pleasance Courtyard from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 27 August. We gave her show Transience four stars last year. ‘There’s a real frisson to her crowd-work which suggests the confidence of a veteran,’ wrote our reviewer Murray Robertson. ‘She’s been misgendered so often that those experiences inform much of her material, including an impeccably staged anecdote detailing how men behave towards her in a bar depending on whether they think she’s male or female. Wrapping up the hour with a restorative epigram that neatly sums up her laissez-faire attitude to acceptance, this is an assured Fringe debut from a compelling new talent.’ Read the full review here.