Top Picks Edmonton Fringe 2026
- Lauren Hance
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
The Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is one of the largest fringe festivals in the world and the longest-running fringe festival in North America. Over the years, the festival has established its own space, Fringe Theatre Arts Barns, complete with multiple theatres. The Fringe grounds are just outside the door, where patrons can browse show posters, enjoy outdoor entertainers, grab a quick bite to eat, or peruse local vendor pop-up shops.
I am a big fan of the festival’s artistic director, Murray Utas, who is forever a champion for artists. While his no-flyering policy can get under the skin of some artists, I find it a refreshing challenge to find new ways to engage with patrons and build relationships with audience members.
The biggest trick to this festival, and really most Canadian festivals, is to return year after year. The festival has a large and loyal audience base, who will take chances on new work by artists they trust. Patrons are also very kind to new artists, and will take a chance on your show if it sounds interesting to them. While this festival is lottery-based, there are additional venues that program shows on a curated or first-come, first-served basis. The non-fringe managed venues tend to create a great environment for people to gather between shows, and patrons do not mind traveling just a bit to catch a show. And this year there is free transportation between venues, so take advantage of that!
With over 200 shows, it was hard to choose a top 10 list. We’ve got a few fan favorites listed here, with some local favorites and international artists. The bonus picks feature some of our fringy friends from the podcast, who many of you will know and love.
TOP PICKS EDMONTON FRINGE
'MAE WEST': THE COMEBACK TOUR
Sex symbol, gay icon & O.G. Prophet of Camp is BACK (1980 death rumours are LIES)! Meet Mae West: 134 & hotter than ever. Expect all the hits, bio-queen realness & glorious unhinged chaos. ★★★★★ "An Experience Unlike Any Other. Utterly Hysterical." –Broadway World. Before Britney. Before Madonna. Before Cher. There was MAE WEST.
A HOLLYWOOD HORROR STORY
Long before Elvira, TV’s first horror host, Vampira, titillated and terrified 1950s America. 18-time award-winning Fringe veteran Ingrid Garner (Eleanor's Story) resurrects the legend behind Hollywood’s most fascinating forgotten icon. Delivered as an episode of “The Vampira Show”, the mercurial life of her creator, Maila Nurmi, unearths in an electrifying multimedia performance.
BLACKGROUND
BlackGround is an all-African-American comedy troupe of hilarious performers, amazing guests, killer comedy, and a fun-filled celebration of Blackness! Each performance takes a classic movie with all-white (or mostly-white) cast—think Star Wars or Indiana Jones—and the performers improvise what the Black people were doing during the movie! Come laugh, celebrate, and embrace the essence of Blackness in a way you've never seen before. Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience where laughter meets legacy.
COLONIAL CIRCUS
Two Brown Clowns, Pretending to be British Colonizers, Take You Through The History of Colonialism With A Wink & Play. Colonial Circus- Artists’ Pick of Edmonton Fringe (2025), is back with new bits, sharp satire, loads of laughter and gasps. This wild clown show mixes history, humour, and a dash of Alejandro Jodorowsky-inspired mysticism into one thrilling, unpredictable ride. You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, and probably ask, “Did I just laugh at that?!”
CULTS
From award-winning creator Blair Moro (Cabaret of Murder ★ ★ ★ ★1/2) comes a brand-new true crime spectacle: CULTS. Presenting the most infamous moments of cult history through comedy and storytelling.
QUEENAGE WASTELAND
What if they lied? What if being a crazy cat-lady is AMAZING? Like a modern-day Carol Burnett on acid, Candy Roberts spins hilarious misadventures of a Gen-X childhood survivor. From freezing, fawning & fleeing, to fuck-you, an autobiographical comedy about the pursuit of becoming a dangerous old woman.
Following up from her hit show, LARRY, award-winning comedy artist, musician and writer, Candy Roberts presents the world premiere of QUEENAGE WASTELAND!
SEANCHAÍ
When Fionn, a young writer, visits Siobhan, a retired Seanchaí (shawn-uh-key, Irish Oral Storyteller), he gets more of a lesson than he bargained for. As the two trade tales of Irish heroes, they explore the importance of stories in shaping what we remember, and in helping us come to terms with what we forget.
Written by Gavin Bradley, Seanchaí is an award-winning new Canadian play developed and produced by Rua Theatre. The production features Susan Sneath, one of the original founders of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival, in her return to the Fringe stage after a 20-year retirement!
SHORT KING
A tiny king tries to ban every shadow in his kingdom after losing his best friend. It doesn't go well. After Short King's best friend dies, he comes up with a plan: lights. A lot of lights. Enough lights to ban every shadow in his kingdom. The plan goes about as well as you'd expect. As darkness keeps creeping in, Short King sets off on a journey to confront what he's been running from — and finds something he never expected on the other side. The show is built for kids ages 5 and up and the grown-ups who came with them. It's funny, it's tender, and it doesn't look away from the hard part.
SOFTIE
Sometimes a dad is also a daddy. And sometimes that daddy is also a softie...(picture the lovechild of Mr. Rogers, Pee-wee Herman, and Buster Bluth but raised in southern Indiana by East Coast psychologists). In Softie, Chicago based comedian, Timothy Felton, invites you along as he figures out how to connect with people as he gets older....and softer. Part flirting with your barista, part confiding in your bestie, Softie will definitely leave you feeling something!
THE FIRST VAMPIRE
Vampires! Poetry! Blood! Shadows! Betrayal! Monsters! And, of course, the Ghost of Lord Byron! The incredible TRUE STORY of how the first Vampire in literature was created. From the twisted mind of Ryan Gladstone comes the newest Monster Theatre creation.
BONUS PICKS FRIENDS OF THE PODCAST
The bonus pics for Edmonton Fringe feature some of our favorite fringe friends previously featured on the podcast (not to mention they are longtime fringe performers with lots of fringy fans). These performers will always be worth your time.
Jimmy Hogg:
Evie and Alfie: A Very British Love Story
Jimmy Hogg: Mashed
Jon Bennett
Jon Bennett: Playing with Men
Martin Dockery:
Martin Dockery: Forbidden City
The Review by Martin Dockery
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