With less than two months to go until the world’s largest arts festival returns in August, we’ve taken a look at 21 top stand-up comedians to check out at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
As hundreds of comedians get set to head to Scotland’s Capital for the comedy month of the year, it can be almost impossible to decide which funny men and women you are going to spend your hard-earned money on to see live.
Having already recommended the best children’s shows and household names to see in Edinburgh this year at the Fringe, we’ve hopefully helped you narrow your search for the best stand-up comedians to go and see.
Check out our gallery below of 21 great stand-up comedians to see at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including funny people you might already know and some under the radar future comedy stars you might just fall in love with.
17. Kate Dolan – Trout
Multi-award-winning comedian and breakout star Kate Dolan brings her third consecutive show to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Trout, for which she recently won the highly coveted Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026 Director’s Choice Award. Kate will be performing at Monkey Barrel 2 from August 3-30 at 8.35pm. Kate won the coveted Moosehead Prize to produce her new show in Australia, and with the prize money she commissioned a massive, realistic, silicon trout head. With terrifying fish helmet in tow, Kate’s award-winning show unspools the idea that in 2026 being a fish in the river might be nicer than being a woman on land. A wildly physical, superbly crafted hour of absurdist stand-up comedy, Trout brims with dance breaks, off-the-wall music interludes and tangential forays into success, sobriety, womanhood, PMDD and the sheer horrors of having a physical form. All tackled with a ridiculous joke-per-minute count. | Avalon
18. Larry Dean: Hellbent
Larry Dean has never been able to plan an Edinburgh show. One was supposed to be about a loving relationship. The relationship ended. Another was derailed by the death of his best friend and comedy director. His last show was meant to be about life with his grandma and her dementia. She died. Now Larry is attempting something radical: a nice comedy show about marriage, adulthood and becoming a reasonably functional human being. Fingers crossed. What could possibly go wrong? Speaking of bringing Hellbent to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Larry says: “This blurb was written before the Fringe and tour started. By the time you see the show, things have probably changed considerably. Maybe just expect some oversharing, silly faces, funny voices and a few leans thrown in.” Larry Dean is a cast member on the inaugural series of Saturday Night Live UK and has appeared on BBC’s Live At The Apollo, QI and the Royal Variety Performance. Larry Dean: Hellbent, at The Pleasance - Beyond, 6.30pm, August 5-30, not 16th, 6.30pm. | Matt Crockett
19. Dan Tiernan - Quartz and All
Dan Tiernan is back at it again: and this time he’s got magic rocks in his pocket. With a hat trick of sold-out Edinburgh shows, Dan's a double Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, who has received countless five-star reviews. No wonder the Guardian has named him 'one of comedy’s most distinctive new voices'. Dan returns to the Fringe armed with an amethyst, a bucketful of sage and a rose quartz the size of his impossibly large head. As seen on Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of Ten Cats Does Countdown, The Last Leg, and QI. Dan Tiernan - Quartz and All, at Monkey Barrel 1, August 7-30, not 18th, 10.25pm. | Jack Hauxwell
20. Rhys James - Chop Logic
Rhys made a discovery that could fix everything. It's been staring him in the face this whole time, in a mirror held behind his head. If he can somehow ignore his own problems, he might just be able to solve yours. A fast, forensic hour of big ideas and gag-dense overthinking from one of Britain's sharpest stand-ups. Rhys James - Chop Logic, at Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 8.10pm, August 17-30. | Matt Crockett