Edinburgh Festival Fringe Big Four Venues: Everything you need to know about the busiest and biggest places to see shows this August

When people talk about the ‘Edinburgh Festival’ they tend to mean the numerous individual festivals that take place in the city over the month of August (and, in a couple of cases, the end of July) - including (but not restricted to) the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

But the biggest of the lot is undoubtedly the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which is the world's largest performance arts festival, set up in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival.

Read more: Edinburgh Festivals Survival Guide 2026: Here are 12 tips to make the most of Edinburgh in August - including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

On a global scale only the Olympic Games and the World Cup sell more tickets and it is an open-access festival, meaning anybody can participate in any genre of art.

This year’s feast of culture runs from August 7-31 and features more than 3,600 shows taking part across 258 venues.

In the recent history of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, however, four venue operators have dominated the event.

They can boast the biggest and busiest venues, with some of the biggest names, and no trip to the Fringe is complete without a visit to a couple of them (although enjoying the smaller and more esoteric venues is also a must in August).

Here are the members of the so-called ‘Big Four’.

Assembly

What is it?

Assembly Festival is the longest-running member of the big four and was founded in 1981 by William Burdett-Coutts.

It was established when Burdett-Coutts attempted to bring a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe but had failed to organise a venue. The Assembly Rooms on George Street had recently been vacated by the Festival Club due to rising costs - and the rest is history.

Where is it?

The Assembly Festival still operates from the venue of the same name in George Street which contains numerous venues, including the Ballroom and Music Hall, but it now encompasses several other key Fringe locations.

In a normal year there would be several venues on George Street itself but, due to the recent fire on Princes Street, these have been moved down the road to a hastily-convened venue in St Andrew’s Square called, appropriately enough, Assemby @ St Andrew’s Square.

Increasingly the main focus is on George Square, with Assembly George Square, Assembly George Square Gardens and Assembly George Square Studios all clustered around perhaps the busiest of Fringe locations.

Then there’s the smaller Assembly Roxy, Assembly @ Dance Base for all things dance, and the huge Assembly Hall (the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland).

Underbelly

What is is?

A relative newcomer Underbelly was founded in 2000 by Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood at a venue in Edinburgh’s Cowgate and quickly grew to be one of the biggest operators in Edinburgh.

They now also run a festival on London's South Bank and seasonal events in Edinburgh and beyond, including the city’s Hogmanay and Christmas celebrations until 2022.

Where is it?

The spiritual home of the Underbelly remains its Cowgate Base which a labyrinth of bars and six venues on multiple levels.

As with Assembly though, there are also numerous shows in venues scattered around their base in George Square Gardens, including the famous Udderbelly - a venue shaped like a huge upside-down purple cow.

Then there’s the Underbelly Circus Hub, just a couple of minute’s walk from George Square in the Meadows, which offers a range of spectacular circus shows and is a favourite with families.

Pleasance

What is it?

The Pleasance (officially called the Pleasance Theatre Trust since 1994) was founded by Christopher Richardson in 1985 in the Edinburgh University student union complex of the same name.

They have since expanded their operation including operating a year-round base in Islington in London.

Where is it?

The Pleasance Courtyard, on the street of the same name, remains one of the most popular places in Edinburgh to hang out with a drink, spot celebrities and catch a few shows. It has myriad venues, including the cavernous 750-capacity Pleasance Grand.

There’s also the Pleasance Dome, housed in the Edinburgh University Students Union around 10 minutes walk away, just next to the George Square venues. It has five venues, including the in-the-round Queen Dome which has a reputation for being one of the best spaces for comedy.

Finally, in recent years the Pleasance has taken over the Edinburgh International Conference Centre during August, offering everything from high-production theatre and circus, to big name comedians and a series of ‘in conversation’ events with leading political figures courtesy of LBC’s Iain Dale.

Gilded Balloon

What is it?

Founded by Karen Koren in 1986, the Gilded Balloon originally operation in a venue of the same name on the city’s Cowgate which was destroyed by fire in 2002.

Now based in Teviot Row House, an Edinburgh University student union on Bristo Square, they also run events outwith the Fringe in Edinburgh’s Rose Theatre.

Where is it?

After a few years of being closed due to refurbishment, Teviot Row House is now open again and will once again be the Gilden Balloon’s main hub. Located on Bristo Square, it offers a selection of differently-sized performance spaces and is a stone’s throw away from George Square (and the Pleasance Dome).

Just over the road is new venue The Gilded Saloon - a pub which promises to “bring a multi-genre programme to the venue with the local community at its heart.”

Then there’s The Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose, on Chambers Street, near the National Museum of Scotland which also houses pop-up performance space Gilded Balloon at the Museum, offering some of the comfiest seating at the Fringe.

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