Follow-up report · first edition
International Fringe Burlesque Festival
The inaugural International Fringe Burlesque Festival (IFBF) took place in Edinburgh from 6–30 August 2026, establishing a dedicated celebration of burlesque, cabaret, circus and variety within the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The 2026 programme
Burlesque in its broadest sense
Created to bring together established international performers, emerging artists and audiences with an appetite for adventurous live entertainment, the festival presented burlesque in its broadest sense: from classic striptease and glamorous cabaret to comedy, circus, sideshow and alternative variety.
Across the festival period, the programme featured five productions each evening, creating a substantial daily hub for burlesque audiences in Edinburgh. The festival's official programme had more than 100 international artists involved across the duration of the event.
Full 2026 show descriptions, venues and ticket links are kept on the 2026 archive page.
A new chapter
A new chapter for burlesque at the Fringe
The 2026 festival represented the realisation of a long-standing ambition to create a dedicated international burlesque festival alongside the Edinburgh Fringe.
The festival's origins can be traced back to the development of Best of Burlesque in 2013. According to an interview with the festival's producer, the growth of burlesque programming at the Fringe over subsequent years ultimately led to the decision to develop a larger festival concept. After several years of expanding the number and range of productions, 2026 became the point at which the festival could formally establish itself as an umbrella event.
This progression is significant within the wider history of burlesque at Edinburgh. Rather than presenting burlesque as a single style or format, the festival positioned the art form as a broad performance discipline capable of encompassing comedy, music, circus, theatricality, glamour and spectacle.
- 2013Best of Burlesque debuts at the Edinburgh Fringe.
- 2014–2025Burlesque programming grows year on year, in number and range of productions.
- 2026The International Fringe Burlesque Festival is formally established as an umbrella event.
International representation
The word International was central to the festival's identity
17countries represented
The 2026 programme brought together performers from across the UK and Europe alongside artists from North America, Australia and other parts of the world. The festival's producer reported that artists represented approximately 17 different countries, following what was described as the highest level of artist submissions in the producer's history of working at the Fringe.
This international dimension gave the festival a distinctly global character while retaining its base within Edinburgh's unique performance culture.
Looking ahead
The next stage in an established history
The launch of the International Fringe Burlesque Festival marks an important development in the evolution of burlesque at Edinburgh's Fringe.
After more than a decade of individual burlesque productions and the continued growth of audiences for the art form, the 2026 festival brought these strands together under one international banner.
Its first edition demonstrated the potential for burlesque to function not simply as an individual Fringe genre, but as a broad and adaptable platform for artists working across cabaret, comedy, circus, variety and contemporary performance.
The festival now has an opportunity to build on that foundation:
- Developing international artist partnerships
- Expanding opportunities for emerging performers
- Strengthening accessibility
- Introducing new audiences to the diversity of modern burlesque
The International Fringe Burlesque Festival 2026 was therefore not simply a new addition to Edinburgh's August programme. It represented the next stage in an established history of burlesque at the Fringe, bringing together international talent, multiple performance disciplines and a dedicated audience under one festival identity.
Get in touch
Artists, press, partners
Submissions, press enquiries and partnership proposals for the 2027 edition are welcome at any time.
majesticfringe@gmail.com @fringeburlesquefest