We cannot believe it’s that time of year again. Just as we were catching our breath from Fringe 2023, the shows started dropping by the 100s and 1000s, and before we knew it, we were once again swimming under a pile of 3,500+ listing for acts ranging from circus to comedy, theatre to cabaret and everything in between. If you're going to the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, what should you see?

But fear not, we are Fringe experts who can help.

Ghost Light Global is composed of best friends, travel companions, and lovers of theatre: Chris Crouch and Molly Morris. We now have over 25 years of collective Edinburgh Fringe experience as producers, punters, and patrons. And we have made our passion for the festival into a business, curating travel for individuals, families, groups, and theatre organizations from around the county to the world’s largest arts festival in Edinburgh. It is our hope to demystify the Fringe for others, because we think everyone should experience it and love it as much as we do.

So, we have read all 3,723 listings. Every one of them. And we have sorted out our highlights and “not-to-be-missed” picks from this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe Program.

But before we share our top picks, we wanted to share three quick pieces of advice on how you can navigate the 3,500 show offerings and pick something to see on your own. 

• Talk to strangers. Sometimes our moms were wrong. People waiting in lines with you to get into a show will have great advice on what to see. Ask them what they’ve loved.
• Take a “lucky dip.” Take a flier and see their show. Walk up to a box office and book whatever’s next. Or using the EdFringe app (co-sponsored by Playbill). On the app, you can use the “nearby now” function or the “Shake to Search” function to activate a random suggestion by simply shaking your phone. Some hidden gems are often found with a “lucky dip.”
• If you have the time, we’d suggest taking a day each at two big Fringe venues in particular: the Traverse Theatre and Summerhall. Both offer strong and carefully curated programs of new-writing theatre, music, immersive experiences and installation theatre. You can't go wrong popping into either venues and check out what's playing.

Now, without further ado, here are a few of the things we can’t wait to see and experience this summer in Edinburgh:

The Edinburgh International Festival always has a top notch line up. This year we are excited to see Penthesilea, a visceral fusion of theatre and rock by International Theatre Amsterdam, Please Right Back by wildly inventive 1927 (whose members starred in season two of Interview with the Vampire on AMC), Assembly Hall by choreographer Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young/Kidd Pivot, The Outrun by Stef Smith and directed by Vicky Featherstone presented by the Lyceum, and The Fifth Step presented by the National Theatre of Scotland by David Ireland and directed by Finn den Hertog.

Summerhall always has one of the strongest, most exciting programs we see at the Festival. Sure to be a hit is June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, a collaboration between the National Theatre of Scotland and GridIron, directed by Cora Bissett. Fringe favorites Wright&Grainger with Oliver Tilney are presenting their two-part Half Man // Half Bull, reimagining the myths of Thesius and the minotaur and Daedalus and Icarus through spoken word and music. Strap in for a wild ride with Pony Cam’s Burnout Paradise. From Francesca Moody, producer of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, comes a new musical called I’m Almost There. Show Pony by Bryony Kimmings and still hungry looks to be a personal glimpse into femininity and aging through the eyes of three acrobats.

Also with an exceptional line up is the Traverse Theatre where we are excited to see So Young by Douglas Maxwell; Same Team by Robbie Gordon & Jack Nurse, created with the women of Street Soccer Scotland; and A History of Paper—a new musical co-produced with Dundee Rep by Oliver Emanuel & Gareth Williams directed by Andrew Panton. Also worth checking out at Traverse are their reimagined Cyrano called My English Persian Kitchen, and A Knock on the Roof which will premiere at the Traverse before a highly anticipated run at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop.

The Zoo venues always has a bold line up and this year we can’t wait to see Sawdust Symphony. New Zealand company Trick of the Light returns with The Bookbinder and Suitcase Show. The Made in Scotland showcase is filled with a vast array of interesting entertainment including the new musical A Giant on the Bridge. Another showcase worth exploring is Here and Now. For some exciting circus, look to Gravity and Other Myths with Ten Thousand Hours, YUCK! Circus, and Recirquel: Paradisum. Expect a visually stunning piece of theatre from Love Beyond directed by Matthew Lenton of Vanishing Point. Physical theatre company ThickSkin returns with I Really Do Think This Will Change Your Life. 

For something absolutely ridiculous and miles of fun turn to Hold on to Your Butts, Willy’s Candy Spectacular, and Drop Dead Gorgeous. You can be the judge of which Gwyneth Paltrow ski trial musical is more fun by seeing both Gwyneth Goes Skiing and I Wish You Well. If you’re looking for what might be next in musical theatre trends, check out The Greatest Musical The World Has Ever Seen by Randy Thatcher, written by Matt Haughey; Diva! Live From Hell; and House of Cleopatra. For dance, check out the works by Lewis Major, The Flock and Moving Cloud by Scottish Dance Theatre and the line up at DanceBase. 

From consecutive 2022 and 2023 Fringe First Award winners Xhloe and Natasha comes a new absurdist two-hander about the idealized American childhood and the boys it left behind with A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God, Whoever Reads This First. And for some acts that always deliver a great time be sure to check out Reuben Kaye, Camille O’Sullivan, The Thinking Drinkers, Jonny & The Baptists, Ellie Macpherson and Ricki Lindhome.

These shows only scratch the surface of the festival, but we feel it is a great place to start! For those of you whose curiosity has been piqued by this article, it’s certainly not too late to make Fringe 2024 a part of your summer plans. There are still tickets available to purchase for productions (last-minute ticket purchases, even day of purchases, are common at the Fringe). We admit hotels can get expensive as you near August. But the Fringe can be done for travelers on any budget with creative accommodations such as camping in public parks, hostels, and student housing.

We’ll see you at the Fringe!

Chris Crouch and Molly Morris are the founders of Ghost Light Global. Ghost Light Global’s Edinburgh FRINGE Adventure is now booking for 2024 private clients. And we are happy to report we are hosting some special events for guests staying aboard the Playbill FringeShip. For more about this exciting and unique travel experience, visit fringeship.com. Learn more about us at Ghostlightglobal.com.