Edmonton Fringe Reviews

Reviews you can trust. This line says so.

For 11 days, every August, Old Strathcona hosts Edmonton's best festival.

The Fringe is wonderful, weird, chaotic and, for many, overwhelming. There are hundreds of shows in dozens of venues, most of them by companies you've never heard of and just as likely to not exist next year.

This is where I come in. For 11 days I shrug off trite, humanly needs like "sleep" and "balance" and instead see eleven billion shows, so I can distill for you the absolute must-sees.

Fringe is home to some of the best one-hour shows you'll see in your life. But, also sleeping in the basement of that home are some really, really bad ones. I'll walk down those basement stairs, and let you know about the monsters.

Reviews are simple, short, and directly honest. Apologies to many of the artists in the city whom I'm proud to call friends. When I publicly rate your show as one-star, I still love you, I just wish you had made a better show.

I am but one person, so reviews go up during the festival, as I see shows. On the best years, I'll be lucky to have seen 20% of the shows on offer.

Read this year's reviews →

View showtimes & availability →

For artists

Turn a review of your show into a shareable social media image

Paste a link to a review from common review sites like the Edmonton Journal, 12thNight (or troypavlek.ca 😉), and get a card sized for Instagram.

Reviewed in person by your friend Steve? You can also type in the review manually.

Open the generator →

Reading before you go

The best shows to start your Fringe off
August 13, 2026 · The 2026 Edmonton Fringe starts tonight. Here are the shows worth seeing in every timeslot on opening night.
7 musicals to watch at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe
August 11, 2026 · If you're looking for the best musicals at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe, these are 7 to add to your list
No one-hour rush, no volunteer-reserved tickets | Changes to ticketing at Edmonton Fringe 2026
August 6, 2026 · Lining up at a box-office one hour before will no longer get you tickets. Here's the changes to the box offices at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe
6 shows to watch at the 2026 Edmonton Fringe
July 30, 2026 · Over 200 shows, 11 days. Here are six shows you'll be happy you bought tickets for.