Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Five children's shows for the whole family

A.L.Ex and the ImproBots: How To Train Your Robot

An interactive science theatre experience for the whole family that blends comedy with STEM, A.L.Ex and the ImproBots: How to Train Your Robot explores what makes kids laugh – and whether a robot can learn the art of comedy. The Improbots, a team of human performers, are on a mission to train their robot pal A.L.Ex to become the funniest AI in the galaxy.

Part scripted, part improvised, the show follows the little humanoid robot, who’s powered by advanced speech recognition and custom-built AI, as he discovers his inner silly. With help from the younger members of the audience, the performance transforms into a real-time filmmaking adventure where children are invited on stage to co-create a short film using greenscreens, silly costumes and audience-generated scripts. How To Train Your Robot is a joyful, imaginative hour designed to spark curiosity about technology and AI while celebrating laughter, creativity, and collaborative storytelling.

The Alphabet of Awesome Science will travel to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 from Australia

Gilded Balloon, The Nip, 30 July – 17 Aug 2025, 11.40 (12.40)

Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/a-l-ex-and-the-improbots-how-to-train-your-robot

The Little Prince

In a true celebration of life on Earth and what it means to be part of it, this one-person adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved novel blends the silly with the serious, drawing on the rich philosophical threads of the original tale. Audiences are invited to join the Little Prince on a whimsical journey as he wanders the universe in search of the true meaning of friendship, encountering loneliness, love and real happiness along the way.

The Little Prince at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 is a playful and curious one-person adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic tale

A love letter to young generations, it addresses how important it is to recognise everything that is beautiful in the world, providing hope for children growing up in a society full of challenges. Written and performed by performance poet Toby Thompson—whose first children’s show I Wish I Was A Mountain received international acclaim—The Little Prince is told in his signature poetic style. With playful projection and curious insights into the human condition, Thompson brings the story to life with wide-eyed wonder, cheekiness, and a zest for life.

Pleasance Courtyard, Beyond, 30 July – 25 Aug 2025 (not 11 & 18), 12.00 (13:00)

Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-little-prince

Cantonese Opera x Children's Interactive Theatre: Dic Dic Chang Chang Playground

In an adventure to defeat the Boring King that combines drama, live music and audience interaction, Dic Dic Chang Chang Playground is a lively introduction to Cantonese opera for children and families. On stage, two young guardians of Cantonese Opera Land, Captain Dic Dic and Chang Chang - named after the distinctive sounds of the Muyu and Gong instruments in the show - must protect their magical world from the Boring King, a puppet villain determined to make everything dull.

With help from the Cantonese Opera Fairy, they learn traditional performance techniques including gesture, song, and symbolic staging. The audience is invited to take part in simple routines, speak key Cantonese opera phrases, and join the mission as secret agents. Recognised for its inventive blend of storytelling and cultural education, this interactive production brings Cantonese opera to life in a playful, accessible way.

The Space at Surgeon’s Hall, 1-9 Aug, 13:10 (14:10)

Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/cantonese-opera-x-children-s-interactive-theatre-dic-dic-chang-chang-playground

Cinderella Ice Cream Seller - A Musical

A prince, a ball, and a single glass slipper filled with an ice cream sundae: this is the classic Cinderella fairytale deliciously reimagined into a new musical experience. Cinderella Ice Cream Seller – A Musical unfolds through the narration of two ice cream parlour employees, Talvi and Caldwell. Blending storytelling, live music, theatrical magic and multi-rolling, Talvi and Caldwell recount through song the story of how Cinderella rose up from her humble roots to become the business owner of the kingdom’s most beloved ice cream parlour empire.

But as they tell their story, conflict builds between Caldwell and his aspirational assistant Talvi, who dreams of concocting her own ice cream creations. Set within the colourful world of an ice cream parlour, this musical is for children, families, and everyone in between, delivering a farcical, fantastical, and quirky experience.

Bristo Square, Underbelly , Ermintrude , 30 July – 17 Aug 2025 (not 13 & 14 ), 11.40 ( 12.40 )

Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/cinderella-ice-cream-seller-a-musical

The Alphabet of Awesome Science

A high-energy kids' show, The Alphabet of Awesome Science rockets through 26 words, each sparking a wild, messy, and often explosive experiment. Performed in a different order every time, as chosen live by the audience, Professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge (the Word Nerd and the Science Freak) introduce a carefully curated collection of favourite words from ‘annular’ to ‘zephyr’, one for each letter of the alphabet.

Accompanying them are 26 scientific demonstrations ranging from squishy and squirty to floating and exploding, with props from a simple water bottle to balloons that explode in a ball of burning hydrogen, super cool liquid nitrogen that erupts into a massive cloud, and a leaf blower that covers the audience in Rice Krispies. With some experiments that kids can try at home, and even a few that adults might find useful in everyday life, The Alphabet of Awesome Science makes science fun, messy, and memorable.

Underbelly George Square, Udderbelly, 30 July – 24 Aug 2025, 12.00 (13.00)

Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-alphabet-of-awesome-science