3,000 plus shows announced for Edinburgh Fringe Festival

The programme for this year's Edinburgh Fringe has been revealed

Author: Jessica MatthewsonPublished 7th Jun 2023

The Edinburgh Fringe Society has launched this year’s official programme detailing the eclectic range of shows and exciting theme for the festivities this summer.

The theme for this year is ‘Fill Yer Boots’.

The festival which spans from 4th-28th August contains genres of theatre, dance, circus, physical theatre, comedy, music, musicals, opera, cabaret, variety, children’s shows, spoken word, exhibitions and events.

This year’s programme features work across 3,013 shows, with themes tackling some of the most topical issues in the world today, from the NHS to mental health, gender and gender identity, neurodiversity, race & racial identity, politics, class and climate action.

Launching the 2023 Fringe programme, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “The ideas, originality and passion that performers bring to Fringe stages every year is testament to the role that Edinburgh plays in celebrating and promoting their work to the world.

The Fringe ‘23 programme is bursting with every kind of live performance, so whether theatre premieres are your thing, or the best of live comedy, street arts or circus, jump straight in and Fill Yer Boots with as much as you can.”

"The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is recognised internationally as one of the most important culture events in the world and a place for career development.

"The platform the Fringe offers to artists can be transformational, and many participate with the desire to be seen and be recognised for their work, which may also lead to further broadcast opportunities."

This August marks the 10th anniversary of that moment for Fringe Society President Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose Fringe show Fleabag debuted in August 2013.

With first-hand experience of the importance of the Fringe, Phoebe said: "I am so proud to continue to be a part of this phenomenal event, 10 years after Fleabag premiered there. This programme will hit the Fringe with the creative wildness, political provocation and huge cultural impact that the festival delivers year after year, at a time when we need it most.

"We need help processing what the hell is going on in the world as well as being treated with the imaginative escape that only the immersive experience of the Fringe can provide."

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