The Road To Edinburgh Festival 2026: Friday 22 May
In which cheese crackers become the kingmakers of the Fringe, Kathleen Hughes invites audiences to brag about their platelets, Bebe Cave rounds off an impressive trilogy, and more
We’re in a (perhaps mercifully) slow news week for Edinburgh Festival season, albeit a strange one given that our top story involves cheesy crackers. But there are still some tantalising Fringe morsels, show recommendations and industry news to pore over. We’ll be having a bit of a break from the Road next week, but expect a bumper-sized return on Friday 5 June.
Cheez-It becomes official snack partner of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe…
… and unveils plans for an award for the ‘cheeziest’ joke of the Fringe. If you’re not aware of Cheez-It (and I wasn’t), it’s an American brand of crackers apparently baked with real cheese. The tagline on its website is ‘Notoriously cheesy satisfaction’, which sounds incredibly unappealing, but perhaps cheesiness and notoriety are a killer combination, a Bonnie & Clyde-esque taste sensation. According to a press release from the Fringe, free samples of Cheez-It will be available in numerous locations across Edinburgh during the first week of the Fringe, so you can decide for yourself if ‘notorious cheese’ is your vibe.
More promisingly, the brand will introduce an award for the Cheeziest Joke Of The Fringe. Artists will be invited to submit their joke which will be reviewed by a panel of comedy experts, and the top five qualifying jokes will then be put to a public vote at the start of the Fringe (giving the artists some welcome exposure at the start of their run), with the winner receiving a cash prize of £1,000. Given that Dave’s Funniest Joke Of The Fringe award was unceremoniously canned last year, this could become a welcome replacement.
Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘I was tempted to make my own cheesy jokes here – you wouldn’t brie-lieve it, gouda on them, that sort of thing – but on second thoughts I think I’ll leave that to the professionals! Suffice it to say I’m so thrilled to have Cheez-It on board as the official snack partner of the Fringe – they’ve already shown such amazing support of the Keep it Fringe fund, and their Cheeziest Joke Of The Fringe initiative is another way to give Fringe artists cash and exposure when they need it most.’
Rui Frias, senior marketing manager of Cheez-It, said: ‘In our opinion the best companion to a cheesy snack is a cheesy laugh. That’s why we’re proud to be the official snack partner of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It aligns perfectly to our brand’s commitment to comedy and dealing in laughs. So, whether you’re cracking a smile or cracking open a bag of Cheez-It, we hope to make every moment at the Fringe just a little bit cheesier.’
Kathleen Hughes to perform limited run of shows after breast cancer diagnosis…
… and a round of chemotherapy treatment, in a commitment to performance that can only be applauded. The Scottish comic announced that she’ll do three nights of her show Twig at Gilded Saloon on Tuesday 18, Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 August. She won’t be promoting her shows with traditional poster campaigns and social media spamming because, as she stated in an Instagram post, ‘I’ll be taking a cocktail of toxins directly to the face, destroying and rebuilding myself cell by cell so that I can come back for a bigger and better show next year. I’ll see you in August, with much less hair.’
Watch Hughes’ discussion of her show in full below.
From The List team, get better soon Kathleen.
Edinburgh International Book Festival announces details of Global Ink 2026…
… with plans to host 20 international festival directors from 17 countries. The Global Ink strand of EIBF is intended to foster connections between book festivals the world over. Confirmed participants include directors of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Toronto International Festival Of Authors, Gothenburg Book Fair, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival and San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Festival, alongside festivals and cultural organisations from India, Argentina, China and across Europe’s major cultural centres.
Jenny Niven, director of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: ‘When Global Ink began three years ago, our ambition was to build something more durable than a conference - a network of trust between people doing similar work in very different contexts. What’s emerged is broader than a festival network alone. Global Ink is also about recognising the many partners, organisations and individuals involved in making literature international, and the collective effort behind international exchange. Seeing this year’s group come together – from Kraków to Kerala to Calgary – it feels like that shared momentum is really taking hold.’
This is an amuse bouche before the entire EIBF offering is revealed next month. Expect full details of the programme as soon as we receive them.
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The economic benefits of the Fringe to be studied by leading historian…
… exploring how the world’s biggest arts festival supports businesses and jobs across Scotland. The University Of Glasgow’s Professor Murray Pittock will lead the investigation, having previously spearheaded a paper on the economic impact of Robert Burns.
Pittock said: ‘This study will be an important opportunity to articulate the extent of the Fringe’s value to Edinburgh and Scotland as a distinctive global offer and core brand.’
Read Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco’s full story for The Scotsman.
Four stars or more
Bebe Cave has been consistently brilliant in the past few years of the Fringe, so it’s a pleasure to see her return with Swoon, the concluding part of her ‘trilogy exploring historical female main character syndrome’. This time she’s skewering Victorian London, particularly the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood who arguably kickstarted the cliché of the ‘difficult male artist’.
We loved last year’s Christbride enough to award it Best Comedy Show at The List Festival Awards. ‘Cave’s show is a masterclass of anarchic comedy, blending historical detail and shameless modern humour,’ wrote Robyn Bell in a five-star review. ‘Her performance is chaotic, clever and brimming with genuine love for the absurdity of the past. This will make you laugh until your sides hurt and secretly glad you weren’t born in the Middle Ages. Unmissable.’ Read the full review.
Catch Swoon at Pleasance Dome from Wednesday 5–Sunday 30 August.