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Welcome to the Fringe

Welcome to the 2025 Free Fringe Festival!

We are back in Edinburgh again, July 31st to August 24th this year with 320 free and Pay What You Can shows!

In 2025 we have a brand new bumper packed programme for you, with over 6,000 performances of our shows through the Fringe. You can check out all of the shows we have on this website, on our app or in the Fringe programme!

We have some brilliant new shows, as well as some old favourites returning, and everything from Comedy to Music, Theatre and Cabaret to kids shows, and a whole lot more - discover our programme now and plan for a fun, free and fabulous Fringe...

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Discover the Free Fringe Festival in 2025!

The Free Festival is back with a bang for 2025, with a new and huge programme of art, entertainment and laughter which comes to you from venues around Edinburgh.

Come and discover something new, something amazing and all of the best things Fringe!

Laughing Horse Free Festival is one of the biggest comedy producers at the Fringe - but don't forget we also have cabaret, theatre, music, children's shows and much, much more!

In 2025 we have over 6,000 performances of 320 shows across our venues, raging from the very best in new talent through to big name shows. Just what a Fringe should be!

Would you like Free Fest shows in YOUR venue?

If you have a venue in central Edinburgh, and would like to host Fringe shows we are always looking for extra venues for future years - click here to find out more about all of the benefits of hosting shows.

Latest News & Reviews

The Free Fringe Festival 2025 Programme is Live!

 Click Here For Article

Article about Nathan Cassidy: Piracy

How to make money and get noticed at the Edinburgh Fringe

 Click Here For Article

Review of Barbara Fernandez: Singing, Sagging and Shagging

Singing, Sagging and Shagging - A Hilarious, Unfiltered Ode to Aging and Audacity

 Click Here For Review

Review of Raul Kohli: Kohl and the Gang

Best & Worst of Edinburgh Fringe

 Click Here For Review

Article about Raul Kohli: A British Hindu's Guide To Spirituality

Making You Laugh While Challenging How You See The World

 Click Here For Article

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Best in Free: Best of the Fringe

With an award winning programme, Festival director and many award winners and nominees for shows and projects which are part of Free Festival over the years, we've had many critically acclaimed Fringes, alongside a bucket-load of four and five-star reviewed shows.

This means our shows are free and also some of the best of the Fringe - while we allow performers and audiences experience the freedom to experience the Fringe, with a chance to experiment and enjoy, just without the huge costs.

'Free & Unticketed' and 'Pay What you Can' shows - how show entry works

Our shows are either 'Free & Unticketed' or 'Pay What You Can' depending on how the performers have chosen to run their shows. This is how it works:

Free & Unticketed: Entry to a show is first-come, first served at the venue - just turn up and then donate to the show in the collection at the end.

Pay What You Can: For these shows you can book a ticket to guarantee entry and choose your price from the Fringe Box Office, up to 30 mins before a show. After that all remaining space is free at the venue on a first-come, first-served bases. Donations for walk-ins at the end of the show.

As always 100% of the ticket price or donations for each shows goes directly to the performer, which helps them benefit as much as possible from what audiences can give to them, after a tough couple of years for performers and show producers.

Free Fringe Festival shows in Edinburgh
We have over 6,000 Performances of 320 Shows in August 2025

And we have pulled out all the stops to put our 21st annual programme together... So have a look around, see many shows... and enjoy Fringe 2025!

Running the Free Festival costs a lot of Money

Some of this money is recouped through sponsorship & advertising. If you would like to contribute and help keep these venues free for performers and audiences click here