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Welcome to the Free Festival Performers Area

Applications are open for 2026 - Apply now to perform with us at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026

On these performers pages you can find out information on performing with us, and how to submit your show details to us - all of this can be done online via this website. You can also find all of the downloads to use as a performer at this years Festival.

Things will run in the same way in 2026 as they did in 2022-2025 - if you haven't performed with us since before covid, do make sure you read all the details here before you apply, as we now have 'Free & Unticketed' shows AND 'Pay What You Can' Ticketed shows as options for performers, letting you choose the best way to run your show.


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Laughing Horse Free Festival

How to apply for a show with Free Festival - with shows running from August 6th to 30th in 2026


  • Please read through all of the information in this performers area, before submitting your application
  • Once you have done that, you can log in to apply online here
  • We will start to offer spaces to new shows from late-January/early-February, and then this will be an ongoing process with us aiming to programme as many shows as possible before Fringe programme deadlines.
  • Do note that all shows at our venues must be registered with the main Fringe programme for all of their dates, for maximum publicity for shows and venues and so all performers have the huge benefit of what being part of the Fringe provides.
If you wish to present more than one show, you need to complete a separate application for each show.

If you have performed with the Free Festival previously, or with the Laughing Horse at festivals in Brighton or Adelaide, you will already have a login, and you can use the same login again.



General Performer Information
Click here for general information about the Free Festival, what the Free Festival does and what you need to do.

Perform With Us in 2026
Click here for information on performing with us this year, our performers contribution and how to apply to perform with is this year.

Performer Venue Info
View our current 2026 venue list, room plans, and tech specs for each room. Most venues from 2025 will return and carry on in the same format as previous years.

Performer Downloads
Download Free Festival Images, Logos, maps, poster & flyer templates for use with shows at the Free Festival - these will be updated for 2026 later in the year.

Help and Advice
Articles by performers to help you decide on how to produce your show at the Fringe from their own experiences.