Now 2,695 shows, up 6% on 2012

This year’s Edinburgh Fringe will be bigger the ever – disproving fears that performers might stay away from the world’s biggest arts festival as it partly clashes with the Olympics

There are six per cent more shows in this year’s programme, which is launched today, compared to 2011 – making a grand total of 2,695.

Comedy has increased its lead as the most popular genre. Thirty-six per cent of the programme is comedy, compared to 28 per cent theatre.

Changes for this year include the introduction of a separate spoken word category, while there will be a box office operating in Glasgow – at Queen Street Station – for the duration of the Fringe for the first time ever

Kath M Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: ‘This promises to be the most exciting and exhilarating Fringe yet. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is still the first choice for performers, producers, artists and creators to come and tell their story; we are proud that the Fringe is still the place to bring your work, with opportunities to amaze, enthral and excite audiences from both far away and close to home.

‘We have a programme that will capture the attention of people all over the world and demonstrate why over the last 66 years the Fringe has grown into the greatest show on earth.’

Of the 2,695 shows, 814 will be free, most of them under the auspices of Peter Buckley Hill’s Free Fringe and the Laughing Horse’s Free Festival.

The Fringe programme comes in at 376 pages, weighs 605 grams and comes with four separate covers: Astrodog, Cyclocat, Gorrilloyd or the Colonel.

All the shows are not yet on the official edfringe website, but click here for Chortle's listing of almost 750 comedy shows.

Published: 31 May 2012