The Road To Edinburgh Festival is our weekly round-up of the biggest announcements, controversies, council SNAFUS and programme line-ups happening as we career uncontrollably towards Edinburgh Festival season 2026. We’ll be spilling tea (are people still saying that?) about the Fringe, Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh Art Festival and really anything with the word ‘festival’ in its title. 

Of course, discussion of Festival season never really stops. We could have started earlier this year when Christopher Macarthur-Boyd declared that ‘The Edinburgh Comedy Awards are a morally bankrupt enterprise that add nothing to the Fringe', chucking a righteous molotov cocktail at an organisation that many continue to view as kingmakers of the comedy world. Or we could have dug into Edinburgh International Festival’s exciting programme (pictured above) marking 250 years of American Independence, not to mention superlative announcements from Summerhall, Gilded Balloon, Assembly, Pleasance and plenty more venues across Edinburgh. But we prefer to wait until we’re practically drowning in Festival-related news to share with you. 

In this edition, we're breathing in the natural world with Siobhan Wilson, breathlessly summarising the SNL UK acts visiting this year’s Fringe, hitting up Francesca Moody’s Shedinburgh, and covering a comic who we awarded four stars or more last year. 

SNL UK stars descend on the Fringe...

… proving that the wildly successful (and, despite my own initial cynicism towards it, actually quite good) sketch show hasn’t stopped its performers and writers workshopping their latest hour of material. 

Ayoade Bamgboye will appear with the work in progress Small Talk, which includes a Q&A, from Sunday 16–Thursday 20 August at Monkey Barrel. Edinburgh’s own Ayo Adenekan returns to the Fringe with Homeland Insecurity, from Sunday 2–Sunday 30 August, also at Monkey Barrel. Chris Cantrill, who writes for SNL UK and cameos as befuddled or sinister middle-aged men in an inordinate number of sketches, will perform Rewilding from Monday 3–Sunday 30 August at Monkey Barrel. Jonno, the show's head writer, will appear with Here Comes Mr Funny from Monday 3–Sunday 30 August at Monkey Barrel. Bella Hull will froth at the mouth with Mad Cow Disease from Monday 3–Sunday 30 August at Monkey Barrel. Celya AB is back with We Must Stop Meeting Like This from Tuesday 4–Sunday 30 August at Monkey Barrel. Lorna Rose Treen has an untitled Work In Progress from Wednesday 26–Sunday 30 August at Monkey Barrel, and will perform Now That's What I Call Characters from Monday 17–Sunday 23 August at Pleasance Courtyard. Omar Badawy will take audiences on a Guided Detour from Wednesday 5–Sunday 30 August at Pleasance Courtyard. Larry Dean will appear with Hellbent from Wednesday 5–Sunday 30 August at Pleasance Courtyard. Ania Magliano will hit Monkey Barrel with Peach Fuzz from Wednesday 5–Sunday 30 August. And finally, Paddy Young will present his oddball variety show A Night With The Stars from Thursday 20–Sunday 22 August at Monkey Barrel, and his new solo show Will Sir Be Laughing Alone? (great title, Pad) from Wednesday 4–Sunday 30 August, also at Monkey Barrel. 

A lot of shows and most of them are at at Monkey Barrel, so plenty of reasons to camp out there for your SNL UK fix. I’d put money on a surprise SNL UK themed meet-up at some point during the Fringe, too. They’d be missing a trick not to, surely? 

Siobhan Wilson announces Flowercore immersive gigs….

… returning to a trilogy of albums she worked on while soul-searching in the Scottish countryside. Her rambles with her dog McTavish led to a ‘wildflower diary’ consisting of sketches, lyrics and thoughts about the natural world of flowers, their resilience and how they could provide inspiration both artistically and in Wilson’s wider life. 

The live shows promise to expand on the premise of the albums, with visual projections featuring flower videography and art from makers such as Libby Walker (Landscape Artist Of The Year finalist 2026), Hannah Longmuir, Karolina Franceschini, Ewan Grant (Edge Photography), Justin Capes, and plenty of others. 

If you haven’t heard Flowercore yet, all three albums are well worth a bash, flitting between romantic beauty and wistful ruminations. The Flowercore performances will take place from Monday 17–Saturday 21 August at Gilded Saloon. 

For more info, here’s Wilson herself explaining the inspiration behind Flowercore. 

Shedinburgh set to return to Edinburgh…

… once again curated by the highly regarded Francesca Moody Productions, who remain best known as the nurturers of Fleabag. The purpose-built Shed will be at Assembly Checkpoint in partnership with Assembly Festival, and will expand its programme to feature more than 70 shows. 

Francesca Moody said: ‘At a time when many feel we are in a crisis of new writing, Shedinburgh is creating pathways and space for artists to take risks in a supported environment. Work at this scale is the foundation of the cultural sector, and without it we wouldn't have Fleabag, Baby Reindeer, Mischief Theatre or Six, to name a few, so I'm delighted we're able to continue to champion it.’

Starting as an online event to help artists in 2020 when lockdown was in vogue, Shedinburgh has developed in a unique space during the Fringe, promising shows that are ‘acoustic, stripped-back and reimagined for the Shed.’ It’s good to see it back. 

Four stars or more 

Amy Annette is returning to the Fringe with Say What You Like About Me, which she simply describes as a ‘show about being hot (or not)’. We awarded four stars to the comic's last hour, Busy Body, writing: 'Busy Body may touch on difficult topics like diet culture and weight, but Annette always manages to keep it relatable, using these subjects as a way to bond with her audience, something at which she just so happens to be brilliant at. She remembers little details about audience members’ lives, chats with them about their TikTok algorithms, and freely gives her opinion on their footwear, so that by the end of the show Annette feels like an old friend.’ Read the full review. 

Catch Say What You Like About Me at Pleasance Dome from Wednesday 5–Sunday 30 August. 

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