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Top Six Shows for the even bigger little ones 2026 !

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So, I am well and truly beyond the little people stage, with two fully formed teenagers in my house and one leaving home in under a month (Gulp!) ! That means we’re very much up for exploring all that is on offer for older children/teens – much of the circus, magic, dance, music works for all ages and we’re keen to add some theatre into the mix too if anyone has some recommendations or a show you’re bringing up works for a teenage audience ?

See below for our top six shows for this age group, but like I say, its new territory, so always keen to hear ideas…

YUCK Circus: Naughties – We are HUGE fans of YUCK circus over here and are VERY excited to see their new show. Even more so as it features one of the greatest musical decades ever !! (in my very humble opinion that is !)…Fringe-favourites YUCK Circus are back with a totally bitchin’ brand-new show! Backstreet Boys, Britney, and BIG throwback energy. A decade not to be forgotten – with Furbies, flip phones and evERythinG TyPeD LiKe ThIs. Mix that with high-flying acrobatics, comedy and absolute bangers, iconic! Age 16 +

Fungasm: Save or Smash – I’m not sure I can even describe this show which we have come to love after seeing them at Kelburn Garden Party Festival over the years – it’s fun on a different level, chaotically ridiculous and very easy to get hooked. What’s your name, and what’s your game? Go to pieces over this crackpot quiz placing porcelain under the hammer! Decide the fate of a delicate pottery item: the crown jewel of your crockery set or total obliteration. Taskmaster meets Shooting Stars meets Antiques Roadshow. Contestants could be walking home with a snazzy teapot, commemorative plate or delicate figurine – but only one lucky soul is destined for the Bonanza Digital Experience. Expect absurd challenges, questionable judgement, and dramatic decisions from you, the audience. Participation optional. Age 12+

Suitcase Show and The Bookbinder – Again, keen readers of this blog will know we LOVE Trick of the Light Theatre and we will gobble up anything they bring to the festival, this year we get two beloved shows ! We’ve loved them all, their storytelling is compelling, the sets so unique and intricate and their imaginations ever expansive…I’ve just heard it will be the 500th performance of The Bookbinder here in Edinburgh this year – please don’t miss it..

Suitcase Show –A traveller arrives at a border with a stack of battered cases. From within them, whole worlds will emerge… Trick of the Light presents an eclectic box set of short stories. Dark, spiky and comic, it shifts from shadow play to storytelling, dancing disembodied hands to narratives crackling from a 1970s stereo suitcase. Age 12+

The Bookbinder –They say you can get lost in a good book. But it’s worse to get lost in a bad one… An old man sits down to read the tale of an erstwhile bookbinding apprentice. As he speaks the story spills from the pages and into the bindery. Marking its 500th performance, The Bookbinder returns to Assembly, weaving shadowplay, paper-art, puppetry and music into a captivating dark fairytale. Age 8+

FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT – This looks interesting and potentially a lot of fun, I like the House of Oz programming, so am hoping this is a winner ! FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT is a massive comedy-boyband-extravaganza: an irreverent satire of toxic dating culture and, most importantly, the music is banging Age 14+

I Made You A Mixtape -Maybe it’s because we loved All Fired up: An 80s mixtape last year so much, but this show sounds super fun and could be one of those unexpectedly joyous fun filled shows that leave you wanting more… Welcome to the party you always wished you were invited to. Step into the heart of a 90s college dorm hang, complete with live musicians and the greatest hits of the decade. Nine girls arrive for one last night together before their lives change forever. With each track played, we get a new glimpse into their world; through impromptu music videos, deep female friendships, and unfiltered emotion by the bucketload. This isn’t your typical dance show – it changes every night, with the girls’ fates being revealed to them, and you, in real time. Age 14+

The Tom Brace Magic Hour – Another favourite here; we love Tom Brace and his combination of tricks and charm is yet to be beaten ! Bringing another new show to the festival this year, we’re looking forward to being bamboozled once again ! Live from Edinburgh. It’s The Tom Brace Magic Hour. Prepare to have your minds read, your jaws dropped and potentially your hearts broken (wink) by ‘one of the most original, brilliant and wonderfully funny magicians I’ve ever seen’ (Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso). Back for his 10th year, Tom Brace is bringing his biggest show yet.  Age 12+

We also have firm favourites returning from last year that we’d love to give a special shout out to :

One Week Left….2024

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And just like that we are suddenly facing the last full week of the festival….wowsers, that’s come round quick, and several shows have sadly already finished their runs.

There is still plenty of time to get out and about and have lots of fun though. The pleasance kidzone is still up and running and a good place to spend some time with the kids, doing arts and crafts and perhaps squeezing in a show. The book festival has opened and has lots of family friendly activities and events too.

Some of our top show recommendations that are still on for another week are :

Cartoooon !! – This Japanese comedy duo hit the nail on the head when it comes to the perfect combination between hilarious clowning, and circus entertainment. Their unicycling acrobatic skills were like nothing we have seen before.

Ten Thousand Hours – Absolutely mesmerising acrobatics. The eight performers are highly skilled and will keep anyone of any age completely engaged. Jaw dropping stuff.

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Tom Brace: The Ride 4D – Take a trip to Tomland and be amazed by the rides, tricks and 4d features !!

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Children Are Stinky – A wacky and playful cocktail of jokes, hi-jinx, physical comedy and impressive acrobatics ! Loved the 90s soundtrack too ! Entertains wee ones and grown ups alike.

For older children :

Suitcase Show (12+) – Wowsers. I loved, loved, loved this show. Such clever use of light, shadows, sound and suitcases. An evocative, eerie tale that is pure escapism from everything else…brilliant storytelling.

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Murder, She Didn’t write (14+) – Hilarious improvised whodunnit, where you get to play detective and point your finger of suspicion. Different every night with hilarious consequences…we loved it!

Second week highlights 2024

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Goodness, time is really running away with us this fringe ! Schools are back, which means its getting trickier to catch all the shows we’d like to, and a handful of productions are finishing this weekend…

Our older mini-reviewer has returned from a residential away, so has been out and about seeing a few shows and lapping up the festival vibes and our wider team have been busy too ! We’ve been updating all of our reviews here.

You can also see what we’re getting up to more regularly, by following our instagram page here.

Some top picks from the past few days have been :

Cartoooon !! – This Japanese comedy duo hit the nail on the head when it comes to the perfect combination between hilarious clowning, and circus entertainment. Their unicycling acrobatic skills were like nothing we have seen before.

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Circus – the Show – This is a high energy, bellyful of circus entertainment complete with clown, juggler, acrobat and magician. The ringmaster holds everything together with skilful banter and the help of his astounding moustache!

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Children are Stinky – A wacky and playful cocktail of jokes, hi-jinx, physical comedy and impressive acrobatics ! Loved the 90s soundtrack too ! Entertains wee ones and grown ups alike.

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For older children –

Six Chick Flicks (14+) – Alternatively, succinctly titled: ‘a Legally Blonde Pretty Woman Dirty Danced on the Beaches while writing a Notebook on the Titanic’…this is a fast paced, hilarious, quick witted and feminist show..

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Yuck Circus (14+) – Yuck Yeah !!! These strong, skilled, funny and fearsome women were AWESOME ! Such a refreshing hour of circus, that doesn’t take itself too seriously, whilst managing to offer social commentary on toxic masculinity and negative traits we could all do without in society just now…

Suitcase Show (12+) – Wowsers. I loved, loved, loved this show. Such clever use of light, shadows, sound and suitcases. An evocative, eerie tale that is pure escapism from everything else…brilliant storytelling.

Top Six Shows for the even bigger little ones 2024 !

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As this blog has grown, so too have my own littlies, and they are not so little anymore – infact one is taller than me and the other not far off ! This means, as we are firmly in teenager territory, that I am now interested in exploring shows for this older age group also. I know that some shows appeal for all ages, with circus, magic, dance, music, but I am keen to find things that will engage the teenage mind and perhaps bridge the gap…

We’ve picked a few from this year’s offerings which look good for those slightly older children in your lives :

Suitcase Show – For age 12 + – We are big fans of Trick of the light theatre and have loved all of their shows we’ve been lucky enough to see. Sadly it looks like The Bookbinder is now sold out – but if you have older children, then this is definitely worth checking out and sounds like it will have their usually sprinkle of magic. A traveller arrives at a border with a stack of battered cases. From within them, whole worlds will emerge… Suitcase Show is an eclectic boxset of short stories. Dark, spiky, and comic, each one is told out of a suitcase. The staging is inventive, from lo-fi shadowplay to wireless projection, from dancing disembodied hands to narratives that crackle from a 70s stereo suitcase. – 1st – 25th August (not 12th/19th )

Ben Hart: HeX – Age 12 + – Performing in a beautiful venue, this should be a fantastic magic show for older children, we caught Ben performing at one of the press launches last year and were suitably amazed ! Internationally acclaimed magician Ben’s shows are a unique kind of alchemy. Funny, dark and baffling, Hart’s an altogether new species of conjurer… HeX is a curated collection of Ben’s favourite and most exciting material from the last decade alongside new ideas fresh from his laboratory, guaranteed to put a spell on you. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Palais Du Variete and full to the brim with magic, don’t miss this chance to catch the star of stage and screen up-close and in real life. – 1st – 25th August (not 12th)

YUCK Circus – Age 14 + We loved, loved loved this last year. Seriously awesome and seriously funny and offering an opinion on some of society’s more toxic traits. Full of lots of body positivity and is totally inspirational… Read our review here. YUCK are back with their sell-out show. High-flying acrobatics, absurd confessions, and groovy dancing – all smashed together with their trademark ripper comedy. Get ready to witness a powerhouse of female circus performers kick art in the face. – 1st – 25th August (not 7th/12th/19th)

The Dreamer – Live – Age 12 + – Another magic show that looks worth checking out. Touching on his parents’ 12 year struggle with IVF, The Dreamer is a celebration of the impossible becoming possible. With magic unparalleled elsewhere at Fringe, this show will leave you aching with laughter and dizzy in disbelief.  – 3rd – 24th August (not 12th/19th)

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Every Brilliant Thing – Age 14 + – I was so sad to miss this when it came up before and its in one of my favourite venues of the fringe – the roundabout at Summerhall. I am determined not to miss it this year, so will get booked early – covering important themes, this looks like a good one for the teens. You’re seven years old. Mum’s in hospital. Dad says she’s ‘done something stupid’. She finds it hard to be happy. So you make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything worth living for. Ice cream. Water fights. Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV. The colour yellow. Rollercoasters. People falling over. A play about depression and the lengths we go to for those we love. – 1st – 24th August (not 6th. 13th, 20th)

Circolombia: Corazón – Age 12 + – We thought these guys were spectacular when we last saw them, so we’re very excited for this performance and again in a fantastic venue ! – With nerves of steel, music from the soul and tons of Colombian spirit, Circolombia welcomes you into their house, their home, their heart! All the way from South America, created especially for the Spiegeltent! In this world premiere, Circolombia invites you to experience Corazón (Heart). A fun-fuelled circus concert, packed with breathless feats, gravity-defying performance and infectious music where you, the audience, are taken right into their beating Latin hearts. Colombia is the land of a thousand rhythms. Vibrant, passionate and pulsating with energy. – 1st – 25th August (not 7th, 12th, 19th )