By Grace Hatchell
Well, Edinburgh Fringe has packed away its posters, everyone’s feet are recovering and somewhere a performer is probably still finding glitter in places glitter really shouldn’t be.
And what a Fringe it was for the Pleasance.
The Pleasance Theatre Trust has revealed the figures from its 42nd Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and they’re rather enormous: more than 484,100 tickets issued, over 250 shows, 25 awards and more than £100,000 invested directly into supporting artists and developing the next generation of theatre-makers.
Shows appeared across the Pleasance Courtyard, Dome and EICC, as well as pop-up venues in the Grassmarket and Leith Arches. And judging by the awards cabinet, quite a few of them were rather good.
The Pleasance programme collected a Scotsman Fringe First, two Edinburgh Comedy Awards, three of The Stage’s Fringe Five, two List Festival Awards and three Bestie Awards among its haul.
But you know me. Awards are lovely – Theatre Village has a couple of satchels knocking around these days – but what interests this Yorkshire postie just as much is what happens to the artists who haven’t got the big award yet.
And that is where some of the most interesting numbers are hiding.
Through Pleasance Futures, more than £100,000 was put towards nurturing and supporting theatre-makers. The Charlie Hartill Fund supported WIT? Theatre’s gloriously titled Remember, Remember! and Maryam Garad’s one-woman play Reparations.
The Pleasance Comedy Reserve showcased Ciara O’Connor, Eli Hart, Laura Walsh and Roman Harris, while the Edinburgh National Partnerships programme supported MAN!FEST: The Drag Boyband Musical, The Pitch, CAMPITALISM: Three Gays Try to Fix The Economy, Meet Mayor Max and Amnesia.
That’s the bit of the Fringe ecosystem I love.
Yes, bring us the established names. But leave the door wide open for somebody arriving in Edinburgh with a brilliant idea, a suitcase and the slightly terrifying belief that this might actually work.
Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, summed that up rather nicely, describing curiosity as being at the heart of the Fringe – artists taking risks and audiences taking chances on things they know nothing about.
Amen to that.
Because some of my favourite moments this August came from walking into a room not entirely knowing what on earth I was about to see.
Accessibility was another major part of the Pleasance’s 2026 programme. There were 23 shows with captioning, eight with relaxed performances, six with audio description, three with British Sign Language interpreters and three offering a touch tour.
The accessible performance programme has grown by 26% since 2025.
The venue also continued its Welfare Programme with PlayWell and support from The Theatrical Guild, providing support for more than 2,000 artists, staff and volunteers through counselling clinics, drop-in sessions, social spaces and other resources.
And here’s a number I particularly like: 1,400 Edinburgh primary school children got to experience live theatre for free during the final week, with their transport provided too.
Because today’s slightly bewildered eight-year-old watching something magical on a Fringe stage might just be the performer we’re all queuing to see twenty years from now.
Then there were those awards.
Amnesia picked up a Scotsman Fringe First as well as the Holden Street Theatres Award, giving it the opportunity to perform in Adelaide. CAMPITALISM: Three Gays Try to Fix The Economy won the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence, while Trans People Are Awful received the Leading Light Award from the Scottish Theatre Awards on the Fringe.
I’m beginning to think we should stop acting surprised when this happens.
Comedy had a particularly impressive year. Five Pleasance comedians – Marty Gleeson, Dom McGovern, Freddie Meredith, Omar Badawy and Tom Towelling – were nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards’ Best Newcomer category, with Marty Gleeson’s Dog Ear taking the prize.
Li Jin Hao: Falling From a Moon and Spencer Jones: Dogs were also shortlisted for Best Comedy Show.
Three Pleasance productions collected The Stage’s Fringe Five awards: The Real Kyle McCarren, Trans People Are Awful and Gameplay. The Real Kyle McCarren also won Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical.
And then there’s one we at Theatre Village know rather well.
DUST.
Charlaina Thompson and Yellow Brick Theatre Company’s DUST won The List Festival Award for Best Show From Adelaide.
Yes. That DUST.
The one our guvnor Andrew wandered into, watched and promptly slapped five Theatre Village stars on.
I’m saying nothing.
Actually, that’s a lie. I’m Grace. Of course I’m saying something.
HE CALLED IT.
Also for Fringe Firsts, giving a little Theatre Village wave to Youth in Flames
Yes, another one Andrew gave five stars to.
Elsewhere, the Bestie Awards brought wins for Elf Lyons Is The Woman On The Edge, Dracula: Lucy’s Dream and Dane Buckley: Darling, while Theatre Weekly’s Best of the Fest Awards recognised Acid’s Reign, Dylan Thomas: Return Journey and Sanctuary.
The Pleasance’s Fringe wasn’t only about what happened on stage either. Its 34th year working with Waverley Care produced £11,250 from the Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit and another £52,342 through collections around the venue – a total of £63,592 raised for the charity.
And now, somehow, everyone starts thinking about Edinburgh 2027.
The Pleasance says it is already preparing another programme of comedy, theatre, circus, magic, dance and children’s shows for next August.
Which means hundreds more artists will shortly begin wondering whether their strange little idea could possibly work at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Please bring the strange little ideas.
Bring the show nobody quite knows how to describe. Bring the performer we’ve never heard of. Bring the tiny company arriving for its first Fringe alongside the household names.
Because among those hundreds of shows will be something extraordinary that almost nobody knows about yet.
And somewhere in Edinburgh next August, a Yorkshire postie and her guvnor will hopefully be sitting in the audience when it happens.
See you in 2027.
Grace x
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