Palestinian Comedy Club returns to Edinburgh Fringe for 2026
The club will bring a number of productions to the Fringe, including award-winning theatre producer Alaa Shehada’s The Bridge
The Palestinian Comedy Club is returning the Edinburgh Fringe this year following a successful run of shows in 2025. As with last year’s The Horse Of Jenin, the club is championing a tentpole production in the form of The Bridge, which combines stand-up, physical theatre and storytelling from award-winning Palestinian theatre maker Alaa Shehada.
Following Shehada himself as he travels from his home in West Bank to Jordan bringing olive oil from the year’s harvest, it charts the history of British imperialism in the country, traces the absurdity of Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian checkpoints, and highlights the cultural importance of the journey Shehada embarks on.
Shehada said: ‘Every Palestinian knows the bridge. It is a place of waiting, frustration, reunions, goodbyes and hope. For some people, it represents freedom, for others, separation. It is the place where journeys begin and end.
‘The olive oil I carry in the show is something very ordinary, but it represents so much more. It's family, memory, home and connection. The Bridge is ultimately about people and the things that bind us together, even when we are separated by borders and distance.
‘After the response to The Horse Of Jenin, I wanted to tell another story that audiences may never have encountered before, but one that is instantly recognisable in its themes of family, belonging and the desire to stay connected to the people we love.’
In part because of the genocide ongoing in the country, last year’s Fringe featured many discussions of Palestine and its culture across comedy, theatre, book talks and film. Welcome To The Fringe, Palestine returned to Portobello after a lengthy hiatus, and hit number seven in our Hot 100 for giving a marginalised community a significant voice.
‘At a time when many feel hopeless in the face of global conflict and the geopolitical impotence of Britain’s government, this was a deftly handled celebration of the power of art to foster hope, connection and understanding,’ we wrote. ‘More importantly, it broadened the perception of a Palestinian culture which has been viewed through a stubbornly myopic western lens.’ Read the full article.
The Bridge, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Thursday 6–Sunday16 August 2026.