Reader Q&A: ask our comedy critic anything ahead of the Edinburgh fringe

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>The world’s largest performing arts festival returns to the Scottish capital for three weeks – and over 4,000 shows – from this weekend. Brian Logan will be answering your questions about it all today</p><ul><li><p><strong>Ask a question: log in or sign up </strong><a href="https://profile.theguardian.com/signin"><strong>here</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p></li></ul><p>Join us at 1pm on Tuesday 4 August, as the Guardian’s comedy critic Brian Logan answers your questions about Scotland’s singular performing arts festival.</p><p>In his many years of covering the fringe, Brian has seen it change and grow, and break stars and shows alike. But in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/29/edinburgh-fringe-long-expensive-gruelling-change-or-die-crisis">a Guardian column four years ago</a> he wrote that “in recent years, my enthusiasm has been increasingly smothered by caveats: that the fringe is too <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/jul/27/edinburgh-brighton-fringe-festival-cheap-budget-comedy-matt-forde-glenn-moore-zainab-johnson-kate-dolan">absurdly expensive for artists</a>, to a degree that excludes many; that it’s insufficiently diverse; that it can be overwhelming, gruelling and lonely for many of the people taking part” and that it “must change or die”. Have the past few editions changed his mind? And this year, with dynamic pricing <a href="https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/underbelly-trials-dynamic-pricing-at-edinburgh-fringe">being trialled</a>, will there be questions about who the fringe is for?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/live/2026/aug/04/edinburgh-festival-fringe-2026-comedy-critic-reader-questions">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.