For three weeks every August, the city of Edinburgh welcomes an explosion of creative energy from around the globe. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and has launched the careers of countless top comedians.
So if you’re looking for guaranteed laughs or to discover your new favourite comedian this summer, you can’t go wrong with these top stand up comedians performing at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2024.
Scottish comedian Eleanor Morton returns to Monkey Barrel with a brand new hour of spooky standup about Edinburgh, ghosts and the dark side of the fringe.
Have you ever seen a ghost? Eleanor hasn’t… yet. Sharing her enthusiasm for the supernatural (and Pizza Express), she seamlessly weaves together hilarious anecdotes from her life in one of the most haunted cities in the world with chilling ghost stories in a whimsical exploration of identity, culture, and personal history.
Eleanor Morton: Haunted House – 12:05pm, Monkey Barrel 2, 31st July-25th August (no shows Mon/Tues)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/eleanor-morton-haunted-house
Award-winning Edinburgh based stand-up Sam Lake returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand new uplifting show about coming out as Spanish, grief and the Ice Age movie franchise. Esméralda is a heartfelt and hilarious romp through ludicrous anecdotes from Sam’s childhood, growing up in Cornwall, visiting Disneyland and the difficulties caused by not speaking the same language as half of his family. Setting out to better understand his Spanish Mum and the choices she made, Sam examines the lessons he learnt from her, the advice she shared and the lasting influence of her powerful last words.
Sam Lake: Esméralda -1:30pm, Monkey Barrel 2, 31st July -25th August (not 12th)
Tickets https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sam-lake-esmeralda
Incisive and intelligent, Australian comedian Amos Gill is back with more boundary pushing standup. At the 2024 Adelaide Fringe, Amos was on the receiving end of a tabloid hit piece and ‘cancellation’ for something he didn’t say. Against advice, he took legal action against the paper resulting in a win against click bait journalism. Going Down Swinging delivers huge laughs, taking aim at the unholy alliance of corporations and cancel culture, identity politics, and the inconsistencies of woke culture.
Amos Gill: Going Down Swinging – 7:45pm, Underbelly Bristo Square (Dairy Room), 31st July – 26th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/amos-gill-going-down-swinging
Join BBC New Comedy Award winner Yuriko Kotani (as seen on Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central, Pointless Celebrities, Pls Like and more) for a brand new hour of stand-up about culture, confusion and connection.
Yuriko was in Japan to celebrate New Year with her family when the earthquake came. Drawing on her experiences living in Japan and the UK, books she’s read and of course her extensive youtube wisdom, she was inspired to embark on a journey of philosophical reflection on The Meanings of Life.
Yuriko Kotani: The Meanings of Love – 1:55pm Monkey Barrel at The Hive, 29th July – 25th August (not 13th)
Tickets https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/yuriko-kotani-the-meanings-of-life
Award-winning comedian and proud Brit Raul Kohli is the son of a Hindu Indian and a Sikh Singaporean, raised in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where his best friend was a Pakistani Muslim. He has lived in every corner of this glorious nation and is fascinated by the diversity of these small isles. Imagine his surprise to hear from politicians and the media that multiculturalism has failed. ‘One of the best comedians in England’ (BBC Radio 4) explores what it means to be British.
Raul Kohli: Raul Britannia – 6:30pm, Just the Tonic at Cabaret Voltaire, 1st – 25th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/raul-kohli-raul-britannia
Acclaimed multimedia stand up Ted Hill returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand new hilarious and personal comedy show about identity, authenticity and self-acceptance.
Some people might think that Ted Hill and his multimedia comedy are a bit weird. But Ted is on a mission to prove that there’s absolutely nothing abnormal about being weird. 110 Percent Normal is a celebration of what makes each of us unique exploring neurodiversity, fitting in and having the freedom to make your own choices packed with multimedia mayhem, joyful computer chaos and a home-made robotic mannequin.
Ted Hill: 110 Percent Normal – 2:40pm, Assembly George Square Studio Four 31st July – 26th August (not 13th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ted-hill-110-percent-normal
Stand-up comedian turned dancer, Stephanie Laing returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a brand new comedy dance show about balance and happiness. Stephanie has a history of falling over a lot, accidentally knee-ing herself in the face, and falling in love with the wrong people making her the obvious choice for arts funding to learn to dance.
In this genre-busting show she uses a mixture of stand-up, dance and emotional cartoon bears to discuss bodies, sex, liking yourself, consent and healing.
Stephanie Laing: Rudder – 2:50pm Underbelly Wee Coo 31st July – 26th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stephanie-laing-rudder
A brand new stand-up show of story-based chaos with heart and peculiarities from award winning comedian Harriet Dyer (as seen on Comedy Central Live, Rosie Jones’s Disability Comedy Extravaganza & The Russell Howard Hour).
In Skin, Harriet weaves together a story of friendship during a wayward time in her life with extraordinary anecdotes from her childhood in Cornwall and candid reflections on personal identity, society and the cunning nature of squirrels.
Harriet Dyer: Skin – 3:40pm Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Coorie)31st July – 26th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/harriet-dyer-skin
In her brand new stand-up show, Louise Atkinson (Winner of Amused Moose Comedy Award for Best Debut Show 2023), revisits a piece of unsolicited feedback about her appearance from someone in the comedy industry who reported that she ‘Sounds good, looks like a mess’. She’s Got the Look is a frank and engaging hour that hilariously dissects prejudices and the absurdity of making presumptions about people based on their looks or first impressions (when really we should be judging them on their biscuit preferences).
Louise Atkinson: She’s Got the Look – 5pm Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose Coorie, 1st – 25th August
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/louise-atkinson-she-s-got-the-look
Fringe favourite and winner of a 2023 Comedian’s Choice Award, Sid Singh returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand new hour of stand up about American colonialism, British Taco Bell & mediocre Indian ancestors. Heard the one about the British Indian comedian whose brave
and wise ancestors overcame hardships and struggle to achieve incredible things? American Coloniser is not that story. Join Californian comedian Sid Singh as he hilariously delves into his
murky family history in his attempts to discover how to save the world from Imperialism using lessons learnt from his morally dubious Indian ancestors.
Sid Singh: American Coloniser – 5pm, Just the Tonic at Cabaret Voltaire 1st – 25th August (not 12th)
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sid-singh-american-coloniser
Having racked up over 18 millions views for her online sketches, stand up comedian and viral sensation Lou Taylor makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut with an hour of hilarious social commentary and nostalgia. Why live in the present when you could live in the past? Let Lou Taylor transport you back in time to her happy place: the 90s. Jeans and a Nice Top is a classic coming-of-age tale, but less Call Me By Your Name and more ‘text me on your Nokia’.
Lou Taylor: Jeans and a Nice Top – 8:30pm Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker Three, 31st July – 25th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/lou-taylor-jeans-and-a-nice-top
Abby Wambaugh awoke in hospital after a late miscarriage and, high on anaesthesia, decided to become a comedian. In this silly, goofy, heartfelt show Abby presents her best 17 ideas for her highly anticipated debut hour, including potential hits like Old Man Learns Parkour and a very long impression of the number nine. Funny Women finalist and co-host of Help Hole podcast alongside Sofie Hagen.
Abby Wambaugh: The first 3 minutes of 17 shows – 7:15pm Pleasance Courtyard, 31st July – 26th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/abby-wambaugh-the-first-3-minutes-of-17-shows
Rising star Bella Humphries ‘oozes charm’ (BlizzardComedy.co.uk) as she delves into every nook and cranny of her life so far to find out who she is, and why in this hotly anticipated stand-up debut about family, farmers and finding out that being yourself is really hard work! As heard on BBC Radio Wales and seen at Machynlleth Comedy Festival, Greenman Festival and supporting Kiri Pritchard-Mclean on tour.
Bella Humphries: Square Peg – 6:10pm Just the Tonic Mash House – Just the Bottle Room, 1st – 25th August (not 12th)
Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bella-humphries-square-peg
