The Best (and Worst) of the Edinburgh Fringe 2023

The 2023 Edinburgh Fringe might be the biggest one yet, with almost 4,000 shows to see. While we wish we could see every single one of them, it's simply not feasible, so we've picked our favorites to check out. While some shows have returned after past years of success, others are brand new and deserve their time in the spotlight.

So we're highlighting some old favorites, some newcomers, and the best comedy that the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe has to offer.

Barcelona-based Scottish comedian Stuart Kennedy brings his “thematically similar to Dungeons and Dragons but legally distinct Comedians and Dragons” to Edinburgh for the first time. On Day 1, the show did not get the audience it deserves — with three hilarious comedians, Stuart tries to guide them on a magical quest. But can they do it? Or will they simply use their queefing powers to inflate some “titties”?

Another Barcelona-based comedian, James Regal, brings his debut Fringe speed-dating show to Just the Tonic. LOLyamorous invites a crowd of people to try their hand at a first date … onstage! It might sound scary, but the show’s inclusivity and honesty make it uniquely funny for audiences, daters, and comedians.

The comedians chat with the audience about their love lives, making jokes along the way. With a different co-host and different dates every night, every show is completely spontaneous and different!

This Japanese game show began its run in New York City in 2011, but it made its international debut at the Edinburgh Fringe. BATSU! is essentially an improv show, but don’t let that stop you from attending if you’re an improv-hater. If the improvisers make a bad joke, they get punished.

On its first night, there was a lot of waiting around for the show to begin, but we’re sure that kink will be ironed out. By bringing silly energy, sake shots, and witty improvisation to the stage with a tried-and-true structure, BATSU! does not disappoint.

Host Moni Zhang puts together an expert lineup of unabashed and unashamed comedians who are ready to share their deepest darkest secrets. Every show has a different lineup, but that doesn’t stop Moni from creating a safe and welcoming energy in the room for anyone who wants to feel a little less alone in their own insanity.

This dating show has every audience member in stitches by the end. The show compiles audience members’ statistics of their worst dates and most embarrassing romantic (and/or sexual) stories with host Darius Davies at its helm. Darius seamlessly draws on the audience’s experiences to make jokes that leave us wondering how he could possibly be making this up on the fly. By the end, we’re not just an audience — we’re a group of friends having a laugh.

Moni once again knows how to compile a lineup. From women who sing songs about sleeping with your ex’s best friend to Jewish women making Holocaust jokes, this show had the perfect balance of femininity and profanity. Every comedian had their own style and experiences, which made this show a hoot for the full room it drew in.

Clown Bonnie He takes us on a journey from grief through to sexual healing. In the show’s darkest moments, she pulls out something obscenely sexual and is able to instill humor simply through movement and audience interaction. While the show was Bonnie’s highly anticipated Fringe debut, it lacked the deeper sadness and tragicomedy of clowning that we often look for. It was hard to tell if the audience was laughing from true joy or awkwardness, but it was an enjoyable 50 minutes.

In a different clown show, Julia achieves what Bonnie couldn't. She brings the audience fully on board as she solves each of their problems. By the end of the hour, her disappointment that she's unable to solve every audience member's problem descends into her own problem as she tries to figure out how to end her show.

Julia’s clown makes the audience laugh and cry in ways we never thought possible through fitting sound, unique movement, and a charmingly absurd personality. If you have one show to see at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, make it this one.

To say that WWYDITWY is unlike any other show would be an understatement. Andy Casper takes his contestants on a confusingly hilarious and absurd ride as they compete to win the ultimate prize of … who knows? But we promise it’s worth it. With his charm, snake, top hat, original songs, videos, and even computer games, Andy makes the show a gem not to be missed.

There has never been a more fitting name for a show in the history of shows. Chaotic Scotsman Stuart uses his infectious energy to encourage audience members to heckle his varied lineup. While the lineup is mostly comedians, there is the occasional clown or musician. This is a show for the audience member who’s just been itching to heckle—the comedians love it … and they might even heckle you back.

A comedy show for kids? The Edinburgh Fringe is one place where that’s a possibility. This show invites parents to bring their kids for some “PG” comedy. While some performers have kid-friendly sets under their belts, others are trying their hardest to keep the comedy above board, which is funny in its own right. Both parents and kids love the show; with a different lineup every day, it’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

Geordie comedian Raul Kohli picks his favorite comics at the Fringe to give their best ten-minute sets, and audiences will not be disappointed. Raul’s demeanor and charm open the audience up to whatever they might see, and his ability to crowd work can’t be understated. If you’re looking for a good laugh at a reliable comedy show, this is the show for you.

Annabel Marlow might be the single most charming performer at the Edinburgh Fringe ever. She has the voice of an angel and the lyrics of a relatable jester. Her dating anecdotes mixed with her raw vulnerability, fourth wall breaks, and unexpected twists make her Fringe debut an unforgettable hour. It’s more of a collection of songs and thoughts … But who organizes their brain into a cohesive story anyway?

Sid is a master at the craft of comedy—unlike many other shows that are just an amalgamation of jokes, Sid's show has a direct throughline that even ties into his bucket speech. He's an expert in writing jokes that call back to one another, telling a story, and sheer silliness all while being a "political comedian." The audience ate up everything Sid served at his "Table for One" and at the end, we learn that half of all payment will go to the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.

I’m normally a fan of the haunted and haunting, but Séance was unfortunately not my cup of tea. An £11 experience for 20 minutes, the “show” itself is a pre-recorded guide taking a group of about 20 people through a somewhat comedic, but mostly scary, séance. We can feel the table shake and hear voices in our headphones, but even the most committed audience members will pop back into reality too easily. The experience could have added more 4-D elements, such as scent and temperature, to really drive it home.

Likable hosts Oleg Denisov and Igor Mondae set up a safe and welcoming room for Europe’s most coveted comedians. Set at the Raging Bull, an impressive cocktail bar on Lothian Road, Europe’s Most Wanted! brings a hilarious lineup of comedians who can typically only be seen in continental Europe—a fun change from the more well-known comics of London, New York, and Australia.

Mike Rice may be the best rising comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe. A traveling comedian, Mike’s anecdotes keep the audience keeling over from start to finish. He has jokes—dating failures, stories of his youth, etc.—but he draws in specific audience members and calls back to moments that can only happen in real-time expertly.

Mike is a master class in the craft of comedy whom it would be a shame to miss. Although he's a 5-star comedian, this show is a compilation of his best jokes, so we're eager to see his next cohesive hour.

What is Josh Glanc? He’s not a clown, and he’s not a stand-up comedian. He’s essentially a character actor but with more audience interaction, stand-up tropes, and meta bits of humor, which make him one of the silliest and most unique performers on the circuit. He’s award-winning, and we can see why. From his niche Aqua bit to his beloved Spanish f--kboi, Josh doesn’t have an unlovable bone in his body.

Like Mike, Josh is worthy of five stars as a performer, although the show is mostly just a feel-good collection of character bits.

Going to Stamptown was the most fun I’ve ever had at a comedy show. There wasn’t a weak act in the pack. Highlights included Yuck Circus, an all-female acrobatic circus collective dressed and acting like “yucky” men, Elf Lyons, a truly absurd comedian who gets her patriarchal rage out by smashing fruits that represent penises, and the show’s knee-slappingly brilliant hosts Zach Zucker as old-school New Yorker Jack Tucker and Josh Glanc with an inexplicable jug of milk.

I may not have been the target audience for Laura’s show—I don’t follow her on TikTok, nor am I a tall American woman with a German mom and an Italian dad who recently went through a breakup. If that sounds very specific, it is. Laura’s talents lie in her acting. The funniest moment was as her German mother character when she broke the fourth wall and empathized with the stereotype of her mother as her mother.

But her prompted audience interaction and musical bits fell short. The story that weaves throughout is entertaining and its ending is very satisfying, but it feels like with some refinement, Laura has the potential for a better show next year.

This is not your typical drag show, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. Through impeccable storytelling that is both touching and witty, Monet X Change takes us on a journey of self-discovery. We're brought along for the ride as she navigates her sexuality, falls in and out of love, and ultimately, finds her voice. You don’t need death drops and tricks to be amazed; you’ll fall in love with Monet’s charisma and root for her until the very end.

As a comedian, Moses is a pro. But Perfect Cult is not just comedy. As a cult documentary and podcast aficionado, this comedy-show-meets-interactive-cult-experience was made for me. Moses was both silly and vulnerable while being an expert in drawing in the audience (and then calling out how groupthink is making us act). He's honest and self-aware. We’re excited to see where Perfect Cult will go—maybe his cult won’t get a Netflix documentary, but it could get a Netflix special instead.

20-year Fringe veteran Mark Watson demonstrates once again why audiences flock to his show every year. Search is another highly engaging demonstration of his masterful turn of phrase, hilarious asides, and observational jokes that feel both universally relatable and convincingly personal. Despite Mark clearly delivering prepared material, his shows always feel like having a warm conversation with an old friend, who just happens to be side-splittingly funny.

Not My Audience! is a panel show unlike any other. Hosted by the lovable Ollie Horn, the show is exactly what YOU, the audience, make it! Three Fringe performers join Ollie to pitch unlikely national holidays, try their hand at improvised stand-up comedy, and interact with the crowd in a way that puts no pressure on any specific audience members. It's easily a crowd favorite that will keep you coming back repeatedly.

Avital Ash opens the show with a shocking story about her mother’s suicide and follows this story by describing her own suicidal ideations. However, the seemingly dark start is jam-packed with jokes, giving the audience a complicated response to how we're supposed to think and feel.

Throughout the show, Avital continues to take spectators on a journey while navigating difficult feelings and reliving personal anecdotes. There is laughter, tears, and a suicide note at the end, but who does it belong to? This show beautifully fuses tragedy and comedy as an example of how to be genuinely brave onstage.

Ever thought about what it would be like to have sex with a clown? Clown Sex illustrates this in graphic and often uncomfortable detail, forcing us to look at our own innate sexual desires and question them. Natasha Sutton Williams' one-person show takes the audience on a journey through various sexual encounters that are both disturbing and absurd but simultaneously intriguing.

Its simplicity is key, and Natasha's acting impressively brings different characters to life. You might love it. You might absolutely hate it. But no matter what, you’ll never forget it.

John Spillane's immediate likability creates a warm ambiance in the room, which makes it safe to play with the audience and his internal dialogue. The self-described Irish madman knows how to draw on the audience's energy and follow through with whatever game or theme the show could become. Having been three times, I cried with laughter every time. John may be the most talented and naturally funny performer at the Fringe ... and he's at the top of his game.

Hello Kitty Must Die's music and talent are at a high caliber, but the show feels like it's still in the workshop stage. It suffers from the same fate as many other Fringe musicals and plays, in that it relies heavily on telling instead of showing. The plot was darker than expected, but as a true crime buff, I fell in love with the story, although I wondered what I learned by the end. However, it is still an inventive, entertaining, and witty hour of theater.

Andy Casper is a delight in his debut hour, which has consistently wowed audiences throughout the Fringe. Through hilariously weird bits, Andy depicts what it's like to deal with intrusive thoughts and OCD in a way that's both relatable and unexpected. He does what comedians do best—by playing with the audience's expectations, he's able to say the scary thoughts we've had out loud and make us all feel a little less alone. Andy is easily one of the best rising talents who can't be missed.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival ends Aug. 28—more shows can be found on the Edinburgh Fringe website.