With just over a month to go now until the start of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we’ve taken a look at the best theatre shows to check out in August.
The world’s largest arts festival has, as always, got hundreds of great theatrical treats to choose from, performing across the city in our theatres, function rooms, gym halls and even pubs.
Among the 42 theatre shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe we’ve highlighted are a great mix of returning shows, debuts and even some world premiere runs in Edinburgh.
Check out our galley below to help you choose which theatre shows you will be watching in Edinburgh this August.
37. Don't You Forget About Me
A love letter to 80s pop culture that urges the audience to step into the spotlight rather than live as a background character in their own lives, Don’t You Forget About Me explores how the films and music of our childhood irrevocably shape our identity. As the "forgotten" sixth student from the iconic 1985 film nervously awaits his peers’ arrival at the 40-year high school reunion, he begins to relive the events of that iconic Saturday detention. Revisiting with fresh eyes and desperately trying to find his place in a narrative that left him behind, his trip down memory lane quickly spirals into an identity crisis as he reckons with the quiet desperation of wanting to be seen. Assembly Roxy, Downstairs, August 5-31, (not 17 & 24), 2.20pm. | David Shopland
38. Dirty Dancer
The legacy of Dirty Dancing, the iconic 1987 film, and its place in our collective nostalgia is explored through creator and performer Melissa Firlit’s own childhood escapism and sexual awakening. Dirty Dancer transports audiences to the summer of 1963 at Kellerman’s Resort, where Firlit plays every character from the film, blending audience interaction, physical storytelling, and the classic soundtrack to recreate every unforgettable moment, including “that” big lift. By unpacking the film's controversial themes and its unwavering championing of the underdog, the show seeks to reignite the cult classic’s sense of dangerous excitement, inviting audiences to dream a little, dance a lot, and have the time of their lives. Underbelly Cowgate, Belly Laugh, August 5-30, (not 18), 7.25pm. | Mobius London
39. Day of the Locust
Drawing parallels between 2025’s anti-ICE protests in LA and the dark reality of Hollywood’s Golden Age from Nathanael West's The Day of the Locust, multi-instrumentalist and storyteller Callum Patrick Hughes examines the destructive nature of the Hollywood dream through the lens of modern political unrest. Told in second person narrative to draw the audience into the protagonist’s troubled mind, Day of The Locust follows a young scenic designer on his journey through the seedy underbelly of the film industry. In a machine that sells dreams while quietly breeding rage, the pressure to succeed and the feelings of exclusion push aspiring artists’ to breaking point resulting in a mob riot at a movie premiere. Featuring a live onstage soundscape using guitars, loop pedals, and guitar drones, Day of The Locust’s part-riot-part-protest-song form critiques the false promises of both the entertainment industry and the American Dream. Pleasance Courtyard, Attic, August 5-31, (not 17 & 24), 12.50pm. | David Shopland
40. The Bloody Ballad of Bette Davis
Set during the twilight of Bette Davis’s legendary career to a soundtrack that blends close harmony, disco, rock and wistful ballads inspired by musical greats like Kander and Ebb and Elton John, The Bloody Ballad of Bette Davis explores aging, motherhood and the darker underbelly of Tinseltown. With her star fading and finances dwindling, the Oscar winning actress reluctantly accepts a role in the now cult 1975 film Burnt Offerings. Though the movie is a haunted house horror, the real horrors occur off camera. Tormented by a set visit from her daughter BD Hyman, who accuses her of being a witch, and locked in bitter conflict with her co-stars – the notorious hellraiser Oliver Reed and younger star in her prime Karen Black – the iconic actress finds herself backed into a corner and surrounded by enemies. As the conflict escalates and the chaos ramps up, this camp horror musical fantasy imagines what would happen if the Hollywood titan unleashed her alleged dark powers and took her revenge on those who wronged her. Assembly Roxy Upstairs, Venue 139, August 6-30, (not 5,13,20 & 27), 3pm. | Vas Eli