Merv's Picks for 2026
Our team watches hundreds of shows every year to hand pick the very best of the Fringe, and we see far more than we can invite to appear on the show!
★ ★ ★ ★
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
These shows are stand out from the crowd as a Pick of the Fringe, well worth seeing in their own genre.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
OUTSTANDING SHOW
Shows we consider to be truly outstanding and totally unique experiences.
44 Minutes
★★★★
Acid's Reign
★★★★
27 Club
★★★★
ALONE
★★★★★
As Far As We Know
★★★★★
B*tch Eat Dog
★★★★
Baby Brain
★★★★
BearGirl
★★★★
Becoming Dr Ruth
★★★★
Blackbox
★★★★★
Border Bodies
★★★★
The Bridge
★★★★
Bunny!
★★★★
Caledonia
★★★★
Clive
★★★★
Colin Cloud: Hoax
★★★★★
Common Tongue
★★★★★
Dirty Dancer
★★★★
DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN
★★★★★
DUST
★★★★★
Elvis
★★★★
EVITA TOO
★★★★
FLIGHT
★★★★★
Good With Faces
★★★★★
Horrorshow
★★★★
How to Art
★★★★
Irrational
★★★★
INDY!
★★★★
Kirsty Mann: Corpse
★★★★★
Meet Mayor Max
★★★★
Meteors
★★★★★
Mrs Gary Breath
★★★★
Ndlovu Youth Choir
★★★★★
Nesting
★★★★
NewsRevue
★★★★
not for glory
★★★★
Nuns!
★★★★
One Man Musical
★★★★★
Overtone
★★★★★
Penelope
★★★★
Persona
★★★★
Pink Rabbit
★★★★
Play Dead
★★★★
Reparations
★★★★
Rockpools
★★★★
Sanctuary
★★★★
Shamaniac
★★★★
Stamptown
★★★★
Sublimation
★★★★
Suitcase Show
★★★★
Target Audience
★★★★
Tell Me
★★★★
The Brush
★★★★
The Distance
★★★★★
The Hunger
★★★★
The Last Drop
★★★★
The Plot
★★★★
The Reunion
★★★★
Thermodrama
★★★★
The Wreck
★★★★
Those People
★★★★
Tiny Planet
★★★★
TO BE FRANK
★★★★
Too Clowns (WIP)
★★★★★
Top Gunchained
★★★★
Woodhill
★★★★
Woody Sez
★★★★★
YOAH
★★★★
1984
★★★★
70s Rewind
★★★★
27 Club
★★★★
AETHER
★★★★
Alone
★★★★
Alright Sunshine
★★★★★
Apocalipsync
★★★★
Aquapella
★★★★
Bury The Hatchet
★★★★
CADEL: Lungs on Legs
★★★★★
Celtic Roots
★★★★
Champions
★★★★
Circa: Wolf
★★★★★
Clean Slate
★★★★
Club NVRLND
★★★★
Colours Run
★★★★
Count Dykula
★★★★
Dangerous Goods
★★★★
Dansa Rickshaw
★★★★
DIVA
★★★★
Down to Chance
★★★★
DUSK/NIGHT/DAWN
★★★★
DYKE Systems Ltd
★★★★
Ella
★★★★
Fake
★★★★
FATAL FLOWER
★★★★★
Float
★★★★
FLUSH
★★★★
Fly You Fools
★★★★
Frat
★★★★
Giselle: Remix
★★★★
Hole!
★★★★★
Honest Fraud
★★★★
Hot Mess
★★★★★
JEEZUS
★★★★
Kanpur: 1857
★★★★
King Lear
★★★★
La Clique
★★★★
Lady Magic
★★★★
LEI-LDN
★★★★
Lymphomaniac
★★★★
MILES
★★★★
Mr Jones
★★★★
No Apologies
★★★★
Ohio
★★★★★
Outing
★★★★
Ozzy Algar
★★★★
Panoptikum
★★★★
Pear: Phobia
★★★★★
Pickled Republic
★★★★
Pigs Fly Easy Ryan
★★★★
Sàng Tsáu
★★★★
Shake Rag Hollow
★★★★
Shantify
★★★★
Skank Sinatra
★★★★★
Skye: A Thriller
★★★★
Small Town Boys
★★★★
Someone Like Me
★★★★
Sped Kid
★★★★
The Crucible
★★★★
The Land of Beat
★★★★
These Mechanisms
★★★★
Tilly No-Body
★★★★
Virtuoso
★★★★
When We Were Young
★★★★★
Yes-Ya-Yebo!
★★★★
