Programmes · Edinburgh Festival Fringe · August 2027

Your students' own production, on an Edinburgh stage.

Bring your students' own production to the world's largest arts festival. We find the venue, plan the week and support your group on and off the stage. The programme runs for seven days during the 2027 Festival Fringe, the festival's 80th anniversary year.

Plan your Fringe programme

Young dancers from Here Dance sitting together on the cobbles of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh during the 2019 Fringe — Royal Mile, Edinburgh · Fringe 2019

/01At a glance

At a glance

Dancers in white performing The Moment under stage lights, with the audience in silhouette — *The Moment*, theSpace on the Mile · 6 August 2019

Designed for: Schools, dance and drama schools, and youth performing-arts groups
When: During the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 6–30 August 2027
Length: 7 days / 6 nights
Where: Edinburgh, with a day visit to the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness
Your performances: Performances of your own production in a registered Fringe venue (the number depends on the venue), plus a Royal Mile street showcase where a slot is available
Your show: Dance, music, physical theatre and non-verbal work travel especially well
Fringe shows: Tickets to selected Fringe shows by other companies, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Accommodation: Residential halls
Supervision: One leader for every 15 students, day and night, shared between Bridges and your school · 24-hour Bridges support in the UK
Booking: Confirm participation by December 2026 to secure a venue

/02The Fringe in 2027

The world's stage

For 25 days every August, Edinburgh hosts the largest arts festival in the world. The Fringe brings together established artists, emerging performers, student companies and audiences from around the globe. It is also open access: there is no selection panel, so any group with a show and a venue can take part. That also means every company finds its own audience, which is why promoting the show on the Royal Mile is part of the programme.

2027 is the Fringe's 80th anniversary year. The festival runs from 6 to 30 August 2027.

4,232: shows
61,277: performances
306: venues
77: countries
2.8M: tickets issued

Source: Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, 2026 end-of-festival figures (31 August 2026).

/03What students do

Your performers, your production

01
Perform

A real stage and a real audience. Students perform their own production to the public in a registered Fringe venue, with a technical rehearsal, box office and front of house.
02
Promote

English with a purpose. Promoting their show on the Royal Mile, students talk to audiences and fellow performers in English, with a street showcase if a slot is free.
03
See the festival from the inside

Students see shows by companies from around the world and learn how a professional festival works.
04
Learn from UK professionals

Feedback and reflection after the first performance, and the option of a performance workshop with UK professionals.
05
Discover Scotland

A guided tour of the Old Town and the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and a full-day coach excursion to the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness.

Dancers performing on the Mercat Stage on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh — Mercat Stage, Royal Mile · 2019

Here Dance students handing out flyers for their show to passers-by on the Royal Mile — Promoting the show on the Royal Mile, 2019

/04Sample programme

Seven days at the Fringe

Seven days at the Fringe
Day 1	Arrive	Airport transfer and check-in. Safety briefing, an orientation walk through festival Edinburgh and a welcome dinner.
Day 2	Prepare	Morning: technical rehearsal at your venue. Afternoon: guided Old Town and Royal Mile tour. Evening: a selected Fringe show.
Day 3	Promote and explore	Morning: promoting your show on the Royal Mile, plus a street showcase if a slot is free. Afternoon: Edinburgh Castle. Evening: the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Day 4	Take the stage	Your first Fringe performance. Afternoon: feedback and reflection. Evening: another Fringe show.
Day 5	Perform again	Your second performance. Afternoon: a performance workshop with UK professionals.
Day 6	Discover Scotland	A full-day coach excursion to the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness.
Day 7	Depart	Breakfast and check-out, a final reflection session, then transfer to the airport.

Sample programme. The final itinerary is built around your confirmed venue and performance times.

/05Your production comes first

Your production comes first

The final itinerary is built around your confirmed venue, technical requirements and performance schedule. Cultural visits and excursions fit around the show, not the other way round.

What we need from you

Cast and crew list, with ages
Show title, genre and running time
A rehearsal video
Lighting, sound and set requirements
Preferred travel dates

What Bridges arranges

Venue search, booking and liaison
Programme planning
Accommodation in residential halls
Airport transfers and transport in Scotland
Tickets to Fringe shows by other companies, and to the Military Tattoo
Guided tours, Edinburgh Castle and the Highlands trip
Pre-departure briefing and visa support letters
24-hour Bridges support in the UK

Fringe venues run shows back to back, with only a short changeover between them. Simple, portable sets and props work best.

/06Your road to the Fringe

Your road to the Fringe

A Fringe performance starts months before Edinburgh. Bridges guides your school or organisation through each stage.

Your road to the Fringe
By December 2026	Agree and choose	Confirm participation and your production plans. The venue search begins.
January 2027	Confirm the project	Agree the programme and sign the contract.
January–March	Build the show	Your group rehearses. Bridges secures the venue, accommodation and transport.
By early April	Ready for the public	Finalise the show's title, artwork, running time, age guidance and ticketing.
April–July	Rehearse and promote	Costumes, props and visas. Bridges finalises the itinerary.
August 2027	Take the stage	Arrive, rehearse, perform, meet audiences and explore Scotland.

/07We have done this before

We have done this before We have done this before

2019

Edinburgh Fringe · Edinburgh and London

From the Royal Academy of Dance to the Royal Mile

In summer 2019, Bridges took 19 young dancers from Beijing's Here Dance to perform at the Fringe, after a week of courses at the Royal Academy of Dance in London. Their own show, The Moment, a piece inspired by The Catcher in the Rye, ran at theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) on 6 and 7 August 2019. The dancers also gave street performances on the Mercat Stage, in the heart of the Royal Mile.

“a very engaging 35 minutes” David Mead, SeeingDance, 16 September 2019

Read the story

News: Fringe 2027

Edinburgh Fringe 2027: bring your production to the festival's 80th year.

Training as well as performing

A Fringe programme can be combined with training. Here Dance began their summer with a week of taught courses at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, and we have also built dance intensives with the Royal Academy of Dance and music tours. Tell us what your performers want to achieve.

Talk to us about a bespoke programme

/08 Safeguarding

Safe, supported and looked after

Edinburgh in August is busy and crowded, so every part of the programme is planned so that each student is accounted for, from arrival to departure. All Bridges staff who work with students hold current DBS clearance, students work in buddy pairs and small teams with set meeting points and check-in times, and a named Bridges contact can be reached at any time. Venues, accommodation, transport and excursions are risk-assessed in advance, with one leader for every 15 students, day and night, and our Designated Safeguarding Lead oversees every programme.

/09Enquiry

Thinking about August 2027?

Start the conversation before Christmas. Tell us about your group: ages, numbers, your show and a rehearsal video. We will send you an indicative programme and proposal within five working days.

Request a tailored proposal