Subway, located in Edinburgh, undergoes a dramatic transformation during the Fringe Festival, evolving into a dynamic nexus of creativity and entertainment. Nestled amidst the lively streets of Cowgate, this underground venue pulses with energy, drawing in crowds eager to experience the eclectic mix of performances it has to offer.

Darkness, we're told to fear it. The Mothman says otherwise. Darkness is a time to dream, to think, to love, to feast on the fruits of the night. Come, join the Mothman. Follow him into the darkness and surrender your shadows to him. The Mothman Cometh is a dark, interactive show performed mostly in the dark (lit by glowing red eyes). The Mothman will lead the audience through a series of antagonistic, cathartic and playful rituals. Dark, whimsical, deeply heartfelt. The right amount of time to feel like you're in a cult.

The Mothman Cometh

Dean Coughlin, a Scouser spawned from actual pirates, takes you on a whimsical adventure through working class culture and the obliviousness of man. Debut hour from the highly anticipated 'Northwest break through act of the year' (Chortle Comedy Hotshots winner 2025). 'Dean's a great comic and a brilliant joke writer. Everything he says on stage leads up to a cracking punchline. Quality' (HaveaWordPod.com).

Dean Coughlin: Oblivious Sausage

Follow a desperate and naïve aspiring TV personality as he tries to break into showbiz. With no experience or prospects, he'll take any gig – which has landed him at your office Christmas party. Featuring surprise guests: Banksy and Jacques De Klerk, CEO of influencer agency VibesTalent, Bobby will assert himself as a force in the world of entertainment, no matter the cost. How far will Bobby go to make it? What's in store for the company? And who is Banksy?

Bobby Prezinsky Hosts Your Office Christmas Party (WIP)

After 127 years at the top of the comedy game, Matthew Hayhurst is finally calling it a day. But not before one last shameless cash-grab! Join your least favourite uncle's favourite comedian for a whirlwind ride through the highs and lows of his career, from the Music Halls of Victorian London to the brave new world of computers. Expect a few laughs, a few songs and the greatest joke ever written. 'Captivating, unpredictable and very funny'(Chortle.co.uk). 'One to Watch' (The Times of London, 1898). 'A good friend to me' (Mr. Blobby).

Matthew Hayhurst: Retirement Show

One man. One button. 19,999 hours of Failure-Free Living. Now, on the verge of completing his (second) 10,000 hours, Daniel Moore prepares to leave his solitude and share his (double) expertise. Learn what it takes to truly succeed from the greatest men's self-help guru the world has never seen. The debut one-man play written and performed by Off-West End award-nominated actor, Matthew Edgar.

Daniel Moore's Definitive Guide to Failure-Free Living

American comedian, Clayton Smith takes you on the hilarious journey of his life. He explores his upbringing in Yuma, Arizona: home to a Wild West prison, made famous by a certain film. But it's so much more than a Hollywood footnote, it's a vibrant community full of criminals, sociopathic sports coaches and lots of guns! Clayton explores all the formative people and experiences that made him: from his first heartbreak to his first experience working with gangsters. 15:10 to Yuma is a show about love, masculinity and the guns that Jesus would own.

Clayton Smith: 15:10 to Yuma

'Hello, and welcome to this non copyrighted, nondescript life SIMulator game. Press shift, alt, C to begin...' Join drag artist Curly as they play the game of life, levelling up in love, work and community and along the way, attempt to answer life's big questions such as: Can they tell I'm not really speaking in tongues? Does she look too much like me to be my girlfriend? And is it all pointless? Play along to laugh, cry and feel sexually confused by this new genre-bending musical comedy.

C U Later, Simulator

I was on Live at the Apollo, I got loads of stars in The Guardian. Presently, I have absolutely no idea what stand-up comedy is for. I'm writing some jokes, but I'm struggling to work out why. Honestly, I'm trying to make them as funny as possible, but what value do they have?

Alfie Brown: Popular Comedian CANCELLED

After being titled the 'funniest sketch group I've seen at the Fringe for years' (**** BroadwayBaby.com), the Manchester Revue are back for their 5th year in a row with brand new sketches. Inspired by the real-life graffiti scrawled in toilet cubicles found across Manchester, the scribbles act as the show's stimulus. These spaces offer anonymity. Where people can be vulnerable. Radical. Romantic. Or just a right old twat. They flush it out their systems, move on and forget. But the words remain. And we think they're dead funny... This is not your bog-standard sketch show.

The Manchester Revue

A dark comedy exploring my chaotic life as a neurodivergent, nonbinary person navigating sex, dating, family and loneliness. From being a late-diagnosed neurodivergent to starting testosterone, I share exaggerated stories with humour, using catchphrases like: 'I put the 'T' in Testosterone.' This show highlights my struggles with dysphoria, mental health and the harsh reality that life doesn't magically improve – but we get better at handling it. Through stand-up, storytelling and clowning, I aim to spark conversations and offer relatable laughs. It's personal, emotional and a little messy –  just like life.

Tomas Bepalo: What Gets Better?

Death Threat is an hour-long comedy solo show. Part stand-up, part PowerPoint comedy, it follows comedian Rima Parikh's experience as a young cancer patient navigating the American healthcare system, and fighting to get the money she was owed from a medical leave company. It's a fresh, biting look at how these systems push us to the brink-and what happens when we get there. This show is for anyone who's ever sent a mean email (or just wanted to). 'She goes from victim to villain in the span of a sentence' (Jezebel).

Death Threat

A whirlwind one-woman comedy play following a wannabe yummy mummy on her mission to have it all. Wummy is broke, flat-sharing and craving luxury. Her dream? 'A Chelsea townhouse, husband, baby, nanny, and – most importantly – a bin hidden within a kitchen island!' Wummy attempts to manifest her dream life, but the universe answers her call with an unexpected bump in the road. Performed by Charis King, featured on BBC. 'I would pay to watch Charis drink a cup of tea – let alone perform a show' (Sophie Winkleman, Peep Show). Direction and dramaturgy by Octavia Gilmore.

Wummy

In their Edinburgh debut, comedian Tim Limbrick blends dark humour with personal tragedy as he unpacks his father's sudden death overseas and shoulders the responsibility of being a hoarder's son.

Tim Limbrick: Baggage

Diary of a Botox Bitch: Dr Botox spills the tea... stand-up comedy show Diary of a Botox Bitch is an unfiltered, side-splitting deep dive into her wild experiences, from celebrity scandals to jaw-dropping Celebrity Big Brother UK and Real Housewives of Ireland "Dublin Wives" moments – all delivered with the kind of biting humour that only Danielle can pull off. This is stand-up comedy at its most fearless, outrageous and utterly unforgettable. Born in Ireland, made in Los Angeles, Hollywood.

Diary of a Botox Bitch – Dr Botox, as seen on Celebrity Big Brother CANCELLED

Live from New York, it's Space Weather Girl! What if an alien encounter was more human condition and less lasers? Add some old-time Hollywood charm, a historical "mating program" and quirky TV host, Space Weather Girl – you've got yourself a weather show! As a studio audience, you'll witness a mysterious broadcast sparking an interplanetary moment. You'll gasp at a spectacular alien dance performance and you'll do all this in a fraction of a second (60 minutes). It's a science thing. Come for the space facts, the comedy, the live piano we could afford and find yourself unexpectedly heartwarmed.

Encounter

What happens if you're born a "class clown" in Japan, grow up in the US and live around Europe as a filmmaker/actor/artist? Or born in Moldova and immigrated? Atsushi Ogata, filmmaker/comedian, roams across national borders in his stand-up show, turning cross-cultural observations, absurd misunderstandings and mishaps into laughs. Valeria Vulpe, formerly a mathematician, blends the absurdity of growing up in a country most people think is invented with the stark perspective of an immigrant.

0% Local: Atsushi, Valeria & Friends – Yukata Cowboy – Strangers in Strangeland

Chinese ex-banker turned tech-burnout Winsie Chen spirals through feminism, fertility and failure in a stand-up hour that's painfully funny, emotionally sharp and politically adjacent. There's a clit-sucker in her London flat, frozen eggs in Spain and a Chinese father who thinks affection is a Western weakness. Raised under communist propaganda, now drowning in girlboss slogans, Winsie questions who modern empowerment is really for. If your uterus is organised but your life is not, you will feel weirdly seen.

Winsie Chen: I'm Not a Feminist – Part 2

Free range proper jokes for those not easily offended. Geoff has reached the finals of Old Comedian and Silver Comedian of the Year. He's been selected for the UK Pun Championships twice and appeared in the semi-finals of So You Think You're Funny. This is his fourth solo show. 'A very welcome masterclass of one liner comedy from @geoffa_words who absolutely smashed his spot' (Ian Whitcombe, Promoter). 'Robust gagsmith... solid punchlines... deliciously mean' (Steve Bennett, Chortle.co.uk).

Geoff Alderman: Free Range

PTSD isn't much fun. Haunted by depression, anxiety and gender dysphoria, it's a wonder Louis is still here at all – so it seemed like a good idea to make a stand-up show about it. Laugh along with stories of some of the darkest experiences the human condition can put us through. Funny, sad, relatable – songs and stories of a broken bard.

Broken Bard

Award-winning comic, Becky Fury uses her identity as a mixed race, UK born person to investigate what it means to be British-ish. British-ish is a fast-paced, satirically slanted show which makes a seriously silly effort to reimagine what makes Britain great (and also a bit rubbish). Becky's working class / immigrant heritage is discussed, as is a lifetime of dealing with (mainly) mild racism. Warm, mischievous humour is used to explore this divisive, trending subject. If you can feel proud that the three lions were originally from Africa, this is the show for you.

Becky Fury: British-ish (PWYW)

Who's committing lewd public acts with Francis's cheese? Eat free cheese and watch self-improving heiress, Frances Francis, try to unmask the culprit. Armed with an earnest desire to save the family business and questionable detective skills, Frances turns the mystery into a messy media spectacle. But uncomfortable truths slice open the Swiss cheese-shaped hole in her heart from a neglectful childhood. Racing against the true crime investigators on Reddit, Frances must catch the Cheese Pervert before they destroy her family – and the Cheese Division's profit margins. Regrettably, inspired by true events.

Catching a Cheese Pervert: A Frances Francis Mystery

Slow-motion boxing, tape measure tangles, wild pizza dancing. In a playful and absurd crescendo, a hopelessly romantic (and a little naughty) clown tries everything to get the only thing he wants. To be loved? Tonight! confronts one of the most classic challenges faced by every human: the urge to find love. In a whirlwind of comic absurdity, the audience is carried joyfully, and sometimes literally, through this bizarre quest. Winner of 'A Moontagna Fest Award, Catania Fringe 2024. 'A little spa break for the soul' **** (List).

Tonight! A Clown Who Wanted to Be Loved?

A darkly funny one-act musical where healthcare, tech and celebrity collide in a Brooklyn prison cell. Luigi Mangione, accused of killing a health insurance CEO, shares a cell with Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean "Diddy" Combs. What starts as chaos turns into a surreal plan for freedom and unexpected fame. From fan mail to absurd schemes, Luigi discovers what happens when broken people become icons in a broken world. Wild, satirical and complete with original music, this show asks who we choose to believe in when our institutions fall apart. luigithemusical.info

Luigi the Musical

Lucila loves a chinwag. Come and join a gossip sesh that would put a nightclub women's toilet to shame. Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year finalist and Funny Women semi-finalist. As seen on Save the Bill Murray. Soho Theatre Labs and Angel Comedy Showcase.

Just The Tonic Legends

About this venue

Spaces at this venue