French Artists at the Edinburgh International Festival 2026
Hostile by Bakélite | 8-11 August | Church Hill Theatre
In this family-friendly one-man show, Olivier Rannou stars as a Spaghetti Western cowboy. Objects are hijacked, recycled and remodelled, always with the creativity that characterises all Bakélite projects. This crude material sketches out a universe teetering on the brink of chaos, mesmerising to adults and children alike. With French theatre company Bakélite’s commitment to the atrociously comic, get absorbed in this cowboy’s antics as he tries to escape the desert, strolling into saloons and facing gold diggers along the way.
Brendel Tribute: Pierre-Laurent Aimard | Wed 26 August | Queens Hall
The Queen’s Hall will welcome French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard as part of our hugely popular Queen’s Hall series. Widely acclaimed as a key figure in the music of our time and as a uniquely significant interpreter of piano repertoire from every age, Pierre-Laurent Aimard enjoys an internationally celebrated career which transcends traditional boundaries.
Julie Roset & Susan Manoff | Thu 27 August | Queen’s Hall
Still in the Queen’s Hall, French Soprano Julie Roset and American pianist Susan Manoff perform a passionate and elegant tribute to the art of French mélodies (art songs), drawing on over a century of song and solo piano repertoire. Enjoy music by Claude Debussy and Reynaldo Hahn, writing at the height of the French Belle Époque. Discover the immaculate musicianship of their contemporaries Manuel Rosenthal and Mel Bonis, a prolific composer who chose to disguise her gender when her music was eventually published.
A Trial – after An Enemy of the People | 7-10 August | The Lyceum
A collaboration between the Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival and Festival d’Avignon, the new theatre commission A Trial – after an Enemy of the People, marks the start of a historic three-year producing and commissioning initiative between the major European festivals all founded in 1947.
French Artists at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026
Tori Morancay: Le French c’est Freak | 7-22 August | Theatre 2 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
Tori Morancay’s debut solo show, Le French c’est Freak, dives into Frenchness, fiascos and bad decisions with bold, self-deprecating comedy. Raised in France and now based in New York, Tori unpacks cultural confusion, and the chaos of chasing love and applause with an accent she has no intention of losing. Sharp, high-energy and unapologetically honest, this is a feverish hour about identity, dating disasters and the glamour of falling apart.
Dracula, Lucy’s dream by Plexus Polaire | 6-29 August | Lennox Theatre at Pleasance at EICC
A hypnotic reimagining of Bram Stoker’s immortal masterpiece from award-winning French-Norwegian company Plexus Polaire, the ‘exquisite’ (New York Times) creators of Moby Dick (Barbican). Lucy Westenra is centred in this haunting reinvention of the heart-pounding gothic horror about obsession, control and the demon inside. Reality fractures as Lucy drifts between dream and nightmare, victim and liberator. Life-sized puppets and human performers collide with original music and cinematic video in an intoxicating descent into desire, fear and female emancipation. Dark, sensual and visually breathtaking, this wordless production blurs the line between beauty and horror, human and puppet, life and death.
Arcana by Fay Guiffo | 17-31 August | Central at Assembly Roxy
Arcana is a poetic, music-led journey about finding your voice and the courage to truly listen to yourself, by French Cameroonian artist Fay Guiffo. We follow Arcana, an apprentice court composer trapped in a world of fear and obligation, as her search for “music for all” becomes a deeper quest for identity and freedom. Blending Western classical music with African musical traditions, the show weaves live violin, rich soundscapes, movement, and multilingual storytelling into an immersive, visually striking experience. A bold, cross-cultural performance, Arcana invites audiences into a space of reflection, wonder, and shared humanity.
The Raft of the Crab by Ninon Noiret | 18-31 August | Central at Assembly Roxy
When a crustacean gatecrashes your birthday party and drags you into an odyssey of the mind, recovery becomes anything but ordinary. This striking true story from French stuntwoman, actress, and contemporary dancer Ninon Noiret explores her experience with Cancer and her journey to recovery. Told through ‘nasty’ puppetry, contemporary dance and gravity-defying stunts on a 5-metre Chinese Pole, The Raft of the Crab is a powerful exploration of the individual nature of physical illness and what it really takes to recover.
Irene Woo: Golden Child | 6-30 August | Just The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House
When French-Chinese engineer Irene Woo turned 28, she quit Google to do the only logical thing: stand-up. Buckle up for Irene Woo: Golden Child, a debut hour exploring tech culture, immigrant expectations and dating French men. Irene explores the golden handcuffs of the tech world, the cultural whiplash of being a French-Chinese woman in America and the baffling logic of modern relationships.
Taiwan Season: Proximities | 6-30 August | DB1 at Assembly @ Dance Base
LEI Dance Theatre and Lao-French choreographer Olé Khamchanla created this captivating quintet about boundaries and rules, distance and closeness, alienation and connection. Enjoy Taiwan Season: Proximities, an intelligent, imaginative and questioning blend of traditional, contemporary and classical styles.
1933 – Fats Waller, Harlem and the Blues Belters | 18-27 August | The Jazz Bar
Internationally respected French pianist Mathieu Meyer, Colombian guitarist Pablo Lopez and Scottish-American vocalist Ali Affleck celebrate New York Prohibition era – Fats Waller, Harlem and the Blues Belters‘ masterclass in grassroots jazz. Steamy blues and fiery hot jazz, this passionate celebration brings to life the songs of the great vintage blues belters alongside the irresistible music of the ‘King of New York,’ Fats Waller.
French Connections: Fringe Shows Inspired by France
CADEL: Lungs on Legs | 6-30 August | Auditorium at Gilded Balloon at the Museum
CADEL: Lungs on Legs tells the riveting true story of Cadel Evans, the only Australian to win the Tour de France. Connor Delves delivers a powerhouse performance, pedalling live on the actual bike Evans rode to victory. Grit, storytelling and heart-pounding energy combine in a breathtaking theatrical ride. ‘A tour de force of the Tour de France’ (Scotsman).
Paris in a Jazz Age: The Memoirs of Eloise Defleur | 9-15 August | Fleming Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
Step into a Parisian cafe – relive the music, romance and glamour of the Jazz Age through the eyes of chanteuse Eloise DeFleur and her talented band. Featuring vintage swing, evocative chanson and timeless classics performed live, this stylish cabaret transports audiences to the smoky clubs of 1930s Paris and beyond. The five-star Paris in a Jazz Age: The Memoirs of Eloise Defleur blends storytelling, music and charm.
Bonnie Bayou | 13-25 August | The Jazz Bar
The Bonnie Bayou, fresh from sell-out Mois de la Francophonie extravaganza, and beloved of Bill Bailey, Jennifer Ewan Band brings tender original songs, raucous swamp blues, and traditional Cajun dance grooves from the French Louisiana bayous to the Jazz Bar basement.
Afternoon Arias | Fri 14 August | The Nave at Edinburgh New Town Church
Afternoon Arias, an afternoon concert of French operatic highlights, performed by Brian Bannatyne-Scott, the distinguished Scottish Bass, Beth Taylor, the fabulous Scottish Mezzo and three brilliant young professional singers, accompanied by the mercurial pianist, Michal Gajzler.
The Swingaholics | 12-26 August | Caffè Bar & Restaurant at Valvona & Crolla
The Swingaholics live at Valvona & Crolla bring sizzling Parisian swing with a modern edge! From Django to Duke! This all-star quartet bring the finest instrumental Parisian swing you’ll hear this side of the Seine! ‘Sinuous, swooping and impeccably syncopated’ (Scotsman).
Grief Encounters | 17-22 August | Theatre 3 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall
The last train of the day to France, 11:54pm. Three siblings embark on an emergency journey from London to the south of France, to be with their dad in hospital, experiencing some bizarre moments and encounters en route. This fast-paced, silly, tender one woman show will leave you wanting to tell everyone in your life you love them. Will they make it to her father’s side in time? Grief Encounters, a bittersweet, fast-paced take on grief.
Louise: The Last Dance | 7-29 August | Ivy Studio at Greenside @ George Street
Louise: The Last Dance set in Paris, 1928. A bent woman in rags shuffles from a caravan. She invented the cancan, seduced princes, made the Moulin Rouge famous. Toulouse-Lautrec painted her. Nobody let her speak. Until now. This time, she talks back.