The Best Comedy at Edinburgh Fringe 2024

The Edinburgh Fringe is back!  The 2024 edition of the world's biggest arts festival kicked off on Friday 2 August; keep an eye on this page for all of our best-reviewed show (and click here for our favourite theatre shows of the Fringe so far). For more inspiration, scroll on to read a few pieces from The Skinny team to help you get in the Fringe mood, and put together your own festival schedules...

Five-star reviews

Natalie Palamides @ Traverse Theatre (★★★★★)

Queen of clowning Natalie Palamides returns on the vast stage of the Traverse – her new show WEER is astonishing, chaotic, and a genuine win for the suspension of disbelief. At Traverse Theatre (Traverse 1), run ended; at Soho Theatre, London, 6-30 Nov. Photo supplied by Traverse.

Phil Ellis @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★★)

Phil Ellis follows up last year's award-nominated show with Come On and Take the Rest of Me, a lunchtime hour loaded with electric late night chaos. At Monkey Barrel (MB4), until 25 Aug, 12.45pm, £6-10

Dan Tiernan @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★★)

A relentlessly fun hour that sweeps you along in its wake, Stomp is a mosaic of jokes and stories held together by Tiernan’s energetic delivery. At Monkey Barrel (MB1), run ended; at Soho Theatre, London, 4-6 Sep

Sarah Keyworth @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★★)

In surely one of the stand-out shows of this year's Edinburgh Fringe, Sarah Keyworth takes on top surgery – and entirely defuses a potentially thorny topic. Touring the UK and Ireland from Sep 2024, including Glee Club, Glasgow, 23 Oct and Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, 24 Oct

Jin Hao Li @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★★)

It’s apparent from the outset that Jin Hao Li's debut Fringe hour is perfectly constructed – not a single word is wasted, nor a punchline missed. At Pleasance Courtyard (Below), run ended; at Soho Theatre, London, 2-7 Sep

Trygve Wakenshaw @ Assembly Roxy (★★★★★)

After a seven-year break from the Fringe, Trygve Wakenshaw is back – and the brilliance of his new show lies in its recognisable structure but entirely unique execution. At Assembly Roxy (Upstairs), until 25 Aug, 8.15pm, £11.50-14

Jordan Brookes @ Pleasance Dome (★★★★★)

With his unique mix of charm, menace, yearning and aggression, Jordan Brookes proves once again that he is a singular talent in new show Fontanelle. At Pleasance Dome (Queen Dome), until 25 Aug (not 13), 8.30pm, £10-16.50

Four-star reviews

Natasha Mercado @ Underbelly Cowgate (★★★★)

A genuinely Fringe experience that has audiences rolling in the pews, #1 Son is an hour of saintly clowning from US newbie Natasha Mercado. At Underbelly Cowgate (Iron Belly), until 25 Aug, 11.10pm, £7-£11

Marjolein Robertson @ Monkey Barrel at the Hive (★★★★)

Shetland comic Marjolein Robertson's new show is a vital, surreal one-two punch of esoteric storytelling and reflections on reproductive health.

Eleanor Morton @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★)

Ghosts, trauma, and Edinburgh's role in the Fringe all come to the fore in Eleanor Morton's new show, Haunted House. At Monkey Barrel (MB2), until 25 Aug, 12.05pm, £8-12

Ed Night @ Monkey Barrel at The Hive (★★★★)

In The Plunge – Night's frightening, in your face, are-the-brakes-working new hour – we get the full pressure cooker experience of a man at war with himself. At Monkey Barrel @ The Hive (Hive 2), until 25 Aug, 7.35pm, £7-£10.50

Katie Green @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

¡Ay Mija! spans three countries, and delights in picking apart the nuances in culture, behaviour and expectations that demonstrate what we have in common. At Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand), until 25 Aug, 9.35pm, £9-£12

Eddy Hare @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

This One's On Me, the solo Fringe debut from Crizards member Eddy Hare, is a whimsical, minor key delight. At Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar), until 25 Aug, 5.30pm, £9-£14

Chloe Petts @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

How You See Me, How You Don’t is an hour of slick and streamlined stand-up from Chloe Petts. Touring the UK in spring 2025, including The Stand, Edinburgh, 5 Mar and The Stand, Glasgow, 6 Mar

Zoë Coombs Marr @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★)

Zoë Coombs Marr delivers a data-driven analysis of reasons to keep living in new show Every Single Thing In My Whole Entire Life. At Monkey Barrel (MB4), daily until 25 Aug (not 21), 5pm, and 24 Aug, 7.50pm, £12

Elf Lyons @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Elf Lyons looks for a way back into the play of her childhood in her new Fringe show Horses. At Pleasance Courtyard (Above), until 25 Aug, 9.20pm, £15

Eric Rushton @ Monkey Barrel at the Hive (★★★★)

Dream, baby, dream with deadpan dynamo Eric Rushton, back at the Fringe with the eccentric and sharply funny Real One. At Monkey Barrel at The Hive (Hive 2), until 25 Aug, 3.20pm, £7-11

Emma Sidi @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Character comedian Emma Sidi projects her own absurd conjecture onto the blank surface of Sue Gray's famously enigmatic presence. At Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs), until 25 Aug, 4.15pm, sold out; extra show at Pleasance Dome (Queen Dome), 22 Aug, 11.10pm, £16. 

Vir Das @ Pleasance Dome (★★★★)

Emmy Award-winning Indian stand-up phenomenon Vir Das easily strides across continents with his new show, The Fool. At Pleasance Dome (King Dome), until 25 Aug (not 20, 22), 8pm, £13-16

Kanan Gill @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Casual, mischievious and expertly engineered, India’s rising comedy star Kanan Gill brings an intelligent debut hour to the Fringe. At Pleasance Courtyard (Cabaret Bar), until 25 Aug (not 14), 5.40pm, £9-15

Lara Ricote @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★)

2022 Best Newcomer winner Lara Ricote (pictured above) dazzles in her wonderfully absurd and expertly constructed new hour. At Monkey Barrel (MB3), until 25 Aug (not 12, 19), 4.15pm, £7-12.

Rosalie Minnitt @ Underbelly Cowgate (★★★★)

Clementine is an hour of delightfully deranged character comedy from Rosalie Minnitt. At Underbelly Cowgate (Iron Belly), run ended

Jessie Cave @ Assembly Roxy (★★★★)

An Ecstatic Display is an hour of tales of social anxiety and absurd jealousies from an accomplished storyteller. At Assembly Roxy (Upstairs), until 25 Aug (not 15), 12.45pm, £8-13.50.

Troll @ Underbelly Cowgate (★★★★)

A captivatingly silly show from clowning duo Anna Marie Simonsen and Marie Kallevik Straume. At Underbelly Cowgate (Belly Laugh), run ended

Demi Adejuyigbe @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

An hour of apex late-stage millennial comedy – if you were born between 1985 and 96 and have a sense of humour shaped by chaos, fake-outs, and that one scene from Spiderman 3, then Demi Adejuyigbe's first Fringe show might be the one for you. At Pleasance Courtyard (Beneath), 25 Aug (not 12), 6.20pm, £9-15

BriTANicK @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Much-lauded US sketch duo BriTANicK more than live up to their comedy credentials with their highly elaborate new show, Dummy. At Pleasance Courtyard (Above), until 25 Aug (not 14), 8pm, £12-14

Lou Wall @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

The Bisexual's Lament is an hour of young, dumb, online fun from Fringe returner (and inaugural winner at The Besties) Lou Wall. At Pleasance Courtyard (Beneath), until 25 Aug (not 15), 10.20pm, £10-15

Rachel Kaly @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Deceptively casual but shot through with comic craft, Rachel Kaly makes an impressive Edinburgh Fringe debut with Hospital Hour. At Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Two), run ended

Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe: LIVE!!! @ Monkey Barrel (★★★★)

Joe Kent-Walters brings an hour of late-night character madness to the Monkey Barrel – Frankie Monroe's cursed comedy club is sure to be a cult hit. At Monkey Barrel, (MB2), until 25 Aug (not 14), 11.25pm, £7-12.

Kemah Bob @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Miss Fortunate feels like a refreshing return to form for comedy in general, and provides an exciting glimpse into the future of stand-up, with Kemah Bob at the helm. At Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand), until 25 Aug (not 7, 14 or 21), 7.05pm, £9-14

Amy Mason @ Pleasance Courtyard (★★★★)

Amy Mason's debut Edinburgh Fringe hour – Free Mason – is a delightfully deadpan exploration of her queer identity. At Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar), until 26 Aug (not 12), 8pm, £9-12.

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Our Ultimate Fringe Comedy Recommendations

There's a lot of comedy out there – get started with our Comedy Editor's picks from our August issue. Debuts, returning champs, works-in-progress, weird one-offs, spoof chat shows... this'll help you get your bearings.

10 Alternative Comedy picks for the 2024 Fringe

Weird is wonderful. When you've had your fill of observational comedy and want to see a clown, or a cowboy, or a trio of trolls with outlandish prosthetic noses, we've got you covered. 

13 Scottish Comics to Catch at the 2024 Fringe

Keep it local with this selection of Scottish standups and silly folk, taken from our July issue. Scotland's comedy scene is in rude health right now, so before everyone gets distracted by the exciting influx of newcomers, check out some of the excellent homegrown talent bringing shows to this year's Fringe.

Introducing The Besties!

Awards! Produced in partnership with Capital Theatres, Premier Scotland, The Skinny and Fest magazines, The Besties will platform the best work on show this summer, drawing on our review teams’ exhaustive knowledge to celebrate work from across the different festivals. Here's an introduction to what's in store – we'll be giving out Besties each week of the festivals.

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For all the latest from across the Edinburgh Fringe, follow us at @theskinnymag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

For a dedicated guide to the Edinburgh Festivals, check out our sister magazine Fest – their team are all over this year's festival season with reviews, interviews and more. Fest's preview issue is out next week, with review issues dropping throughout August.