It just sneaks up on you, doesn’t it? The endless carousel of launches, press releases and new Fringe initiatives is enough to make lesser reporters wilt. But we’re made of sterner stuff at List HQ, and have weathered a wine-soaked week of schmoozing to bring you the latest launches below. 

It’s quite the jamboree, this one: the official Fringe brochure is out and about, EdFest have gone all-in on Love The Fringe, and Stewart McPherson is back with more of his warming comedy about the minutiae of daily life.

Full fringe programme launched…

… in a brochure so long it puts Infinite Jest to shame. This year’s programme features 3,352 shows across 265 venues, with work from 58 countries. 

Launching the 2025 Fringe programme, Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: 'Programme launch is such an exciting moment for everyone involved making the Fringe happen. Thank you to all the Fringe-makers – the artists, venues, workers, producers, technicians, promoters, support staff and audiences that bring their un-matched, exceptional energy to Edinburgh in August.

‘This year’s Fringe programme is filled with every kind of performance, so whether you’re excited for theatre or circus, or the best of comedy, music, dance, children’s shows, magic or cabaret; get ready to dare to discover this August. Jump right in, book your favourites, shows that intrigue you and take a chance on something new.’

Read more about the programme here. 

Love The Fringe Day announced…

… with the promise of deals and discounts for ticket buyers and performers. The day will take place on Saturday 2 August and will encourage punters, promoters and acts to use the hashtag #LoveTheFringe to spotlight their favourite acts in a bid to reflect the enormous scale and diversity of festival season. 

The day is part of a larger initiative happening under the banner of Love The Fringe, a tiered membership scheme which offers limited free tickets, rewards and early-bird advantages. 

William Burdett-Coutts, artistic director of Assembly, said: ‘Love The Fringe is an exciting opportunity that complements the Fringe Society’s box office by offering a scheme that’s of benefit to performers and venues. By keeping box office commission on EdFest.com at 3% as opposed to 5%, it puts money back into our artists and producing companies’ pockets. Love The Fringe also provides artists with an alternative platform to run discount offers, whilst allowing Edinburgh’s businesses a chance to give back to audiences. Value for artists, perks for the public: it’s a win-win that shows we all Love The Fringe.’

Check out the Love The Fringe site for more details. 

Monkey Barrel to showcase scripts from emerging writing talent…

… in a brand-new show from DLT Entertainment called Table Reads: New Comedy Script Showcase. Taking place each day of the Fringe at Monkey Barrel 4, one of four selected scripts will be brought to life by a cast of top comedians, after a brief warm-up by an MC, with between five and six performers per show. The writers will then enjoy realtime feedback on their work, giving audiences a peek behind the showbusiness curtain, as well as the chance to see scripts before channel commissioners do. Directing the shows will be Ed Bye, best known as the helm of beloved sitcoms like Red Dwarf and Absolutely Fabulous.

Check out that news in full here. 

Fringe By The Sea announces full programme…

…adding Jim Moir (AKA Vic Reeves), Steph McGovern, Dave Rowntree from Blur, Hamza Yassin, Christopher Biggins, Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, and Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch to its bill. 

This looks to be a red letter year for Fringe By The Sea, which has already launched a brand-new film strand (fronted by Vic Galloway) and announced big names like Hamish Hawk, The Bluebells, Billy Nomates and plenty more. 

Check out the full programme here. 

Edinburgh Art Festival Full Programme announced…

…with their biggest programme to date, featuring 82 exhibitions and 45 partner galleries and venues. It’ll take place from Thursday 7— Sunday 24 August and feature work from Lewis Hetherington, CJ Mahony, Ellis Jackson Kroese and Halley, amongst others.

Also returning is the Jupiter Rising x EAF partnership, a one-night only party featuring Jonathan Baldock, Queer As Folklore writer Sacha Coward, with a headlining act from TAAHLIAH and performances from Florence Peake and Roxanne Tataei. That’ll happen on Saturday 16 August

Kim McAleese, Director of EAF, said:  ‘We’re so excited to be announcing our EAF25 programme. At the heart of this year’s programming is the call to reflect on how ancestral knowledge can guide us in addressing contemporary challenges. We are inviting audiences to reflect on our collective relationship with the natural world, drawing inspiration from the wisdom of those who came before us—those who foster cycles of care, sustenance, and resilience. There are also recurring motifs of classical myths, folklore, modern feminist empowerment, queerness through the lens of Scottish history as well as thoughts on what it is to be human - exploring concepts of the body as a temporary vessel that is often shaped by societal expectations.’

Check out the full programme here.

Students priced out of Fringe…

… according to a piece in the The Guardian, in which members of student troupes like the Durham Revue claim they can no longer afford to perform at the Festival. Comedian Annie McGrath said: ‘Edinburgh has already become wildly unaffordable for so many acts and punters, and landlords have a lot to answer for. It’s really sad as it could wipe out a generation of new talent. It also means there’s a lack of diversity in what is being created if only the wealthiest acts and biggest names are able to go.’ Read the full article here. 

While some might breathe a sigh of relief at not having to endure another shonky student revue, this is yet another sign of a Festival buckling under the pressure of an accommodation crisis. First they came for the working-class acts and we did nothing. Then they came for the circuit comedians and we stayed silent. When even members of elite universities are feeling the squeeze, something has to change fast. 

Four stars or more 

Chillaxed observational maestro Stuart McPherson is heading back to the Fringe with Crisps And A Lie Down, which promises yarns about ‘settling down, growing up and how he’s being controlled by his step-dog’. We were big fans of last year's effort, Horse, awarding it four stars and writing, ‘You may well have heard jokes about all these things before, but it’s unlikely they’ve been as effectively told as McPherson manages. This is an act who has honed his craft over a number of years, and now seems more than ready for the big time.’ Read the full review here. 

Catch Stuart McPherson: Crisps And A Lie Down at Monkey Barrel from Monday 28 July – Sunday 24 August. 

Main picture: Jess Shurte.