Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 Wrap Up

And just like that, the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 has closed its doors.

The iconic festival is flooded with top reviews annually, being a one-stop-shop for all things comedy, cabaret and theatre.

Loved for its diverse line-ups, innovative performances and unique venues, the festival is a hit every year as there really is something for everyone.

When was the Edinburgh Fringe?

Running from 1st August to 25th August 2025, this year they sold a whopping 2.6 million tickets for 3.8k shows!

2025 attracted 1.7k accredited producers, programmers, bookers, talent agencies and festivals from 68 countries.

Where was the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Held?

301 venues hosted a whole range of shows across 53,942 performances.

Ranging from the legendary Pleasance Courtyard and Monkey Barrel Comedy Club, to pubs, cafes and street corners, venues are spread throughout the city.

What Kind of Acts Performed at the Festival?

Whether you’re a fan of dance, physical theatre, circus, opera, spoken word or children-friendly shows, there’s a show for you at The Fringe.

Most known for its comedy scene, the festival has now hosted big-name stars at the start of their careers and emerging talent, creating a community full of love and support.

Themes and issues explored by artists at the festival included everything from rebellious women to the paranormal; the apocalypse to nostalgia; queer joy to life with illness; rave and club culture to science and technology.

Who Were the Best?

A selection of our comedians who received top reviews:

Dan Tiernan smashed his 2025 Fringe appearances. His show is compiled of tales of dyspraxia, drug use and internalised homophobia, and he nails it with a “surreptitiously tender tale of a manchild adrift.”

Full of sharp punchlines, surreal diversions, and her charming personality, Bella Hull’s Fringe show was a joy to watch. “Jokes are piled on jokes, finding surprising angles on everything from personal trainers to plastic waste.”

Ian Smith’s show addressed his personal struggle with infertility, compiling of “humiliating stories and manic overthinking...with him at the mic, laughs go forth and multiply.”

The UK’s favourite, Alan Davies, returned to the Fringe this year after a decade away from stand-up with big laughs and a deeply personal story. Sharing his stories of being a father of three, along with his post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis, Alan’s return to the stage has been a huge success.

Pierre Novellie has been steadily growing on the comedy scene for the last few years, and his return to the Fringe this year was as intelligent as he is. Touching on how observational comedy is “becoming more difficult in a world with no common cultural experience”, his shows are known for quality and consistency, with his 2025 Fringe set falling perfectly into these boxes.

The woman of a thousand voices, Jess Robinson, gave us the greatest hits of Elton John in the style of beloved female singers. If you never thought you’d hear Amy Winehouse sing Tiny Dancer, you’ve never seen Jess perform! A very impressive show that’s hugely entertaining, Jess smashed it this year.

Known for being a “great writer of classical jokes: puns, one-liners, pull-back-and-reveals", Glenn Moore’s fast-paced show received great reviews, although he has been advised to slow it down a bit!

A fan favourite who took a 5 year gap before his 2024 Fringe show, Ed Night is back this year with a slot filled with having fun with the audience. Adopting somewhat of a ‘bad-boy’ persona, his crowd work, combined with his pre-prepped set, has set him up to stand out from the comedy crowd.

With a unique show focusing on his favourite colour, Ivo Graham gave us political viewpoints and typical British awkwardness. Pulling tales from his Eton background, Ivo gained many a smile from his audience.

Hal Cruttenden is back from his divorce, and he’s talking about it a lot in his latest show. With genius comedic timing that “elevates even the most predictable punchline”, you’ll have a pleasant evening hearing Hal share personal stories.

What Joke Won the Edinburgh Fringe 2025?

This award was scrapped this year.

After launching in 2008 and being presented by U&Dave (formerly Dave), which is owned by UKTV.

In a statement, the company announced that the award has been paused “as our commissioning focus evolves,” so the broadcaster could “reflect on how we continue to support comedy in the best way possible.”

Loved the Laughs at Edinburgh Fringe 2025? Book a Comedian for Your Next Event

Have you got your eye on a standout act from Edinburgh Fringe 2025? Thinking of booking a comedian for your upcoming corporate event?

Fringe favourites tend to get booked up quickly, especially as awards season approaches, so now’s the perfect time to secure top comedy talent.

Explore our brilliant comedians here, or get in touch with our friendly and impartial team by giving us a call on 02076077070 or emailing us at info@speakerscorner.co.uk