Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026: Cabarets and Burlesque Coming Up!

Scarlett Whispers
Apr 16
3 min read

As well as performing, I'm thrilled (or crazy?) to be co-producing two cabaret shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year

I've performed as a solo burlesque dancer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a few years, and it's always the highlight of my year!

The entire city transforms into a huge, chaotic mess of creativity, arts and performance. Shows are popping up in nooks and crannies across Edinburgh and even in the street as you walk past. As a historic city, Edinburgh is also beautiful just in its own right and always lovely to visit.

Look at the Shows on the EdFringe Website

Sir Dickie Benson's Midnight Mania Cabaret

Cabaret host Sir Dickie Benson shows the audience how to cheer for burlesque. The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, for Sir Dickie Benson's Midweek Mania Cabaret. April 2026. Photo (c)Gary Cooper Photography.

Sir Dickie Benson's Midnight Mania Cabaret is one of the gigs I always do. In the Speakeasy at The Voodoo Rooms, a gorgeously vintagey cocktail bar, the midnight shows are exactly what the Fringe should be: chaotic, creative, artistic and I always leave absolutely beaming. It could be the whole Fringe in one show, to be honest!

I first started working with Dickie when I watched his show as an audience member and he told me off for having clunky props (I was carrying my feather fans in a long box made for holding wrapping paper, because it's rainproof). I explained and he gave me a job. Classic Fringe.

And now I am still booked for my classic burlesque fan act - the thing that got me into trouble (and into work) in the first place! A photo of me warming up before stepping on stage at The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, for Sir Dickie Benson's Midweek Mania Cabaret. April 2026. Photo (c)Gary Cooper Photography.

Twice as Many Shows!! Midnight and Midday

This year, the Midnight Mania Cabaret shows are doubling in number (due to audience demand, of course) and a new daytime edition is launching: Midday Mania Cabaret. Yes, they both do what they say on the tin.

Many hands make light work, apparently, so I'm working on these shows as a producer and burlesque performer to help launch the double edition with some showstopper shows!

(L-R) Erik Tricity, Scarlett Whispers and Sir Dickie Benson at The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, for Sir Dickie Benson's Midweek Mania Cabaret. April 2026. Photo (c)Gary Cooper Photography.

What to Expect?

I'm so glad you asked... and you will be too!

During the day, the Midday Mania Cabaret will be a dose of creative chaos (but tamer) with glamourous singers, burlesque, poetry, magic and more. These shows are perfect for people who would like to experience cabaret at a slower pace. For artists, they are slots where acts can demand a bit of audience concentration. Singers can sing for longer and magicians have space to be more conceptual.

The late-night show, Midnight Mania Cabaret, will be the usual fast-paced, eclectic mix of variety acts. Burlesque! Comedy! Acrobatics! Acts that defy categorisation! Performers are selected for being dynamic and fizzling with energy that leaves the audience feeling completely tantalised.

The Creative Martyrs performing at The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, for Sir Dickie Benson's Midweek Mania Cabaret. April 2026. Photo (c)Gary Cooper Photography.

We actually already did our launch show

We headed to The Voodoo Rooms on 1st April to do a special launch show. It was fantastic and felt really nostalgic! Everyone, performers and audience members, said it felt just like the magic of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival had come back.

There was a group of women who had come to Edinburgh for a holiday and they said they had heard of the Fringe but never visited it because they were priced out. The soaring accommodation costs during the festival is spoken about every year, as it's a barrier for tourists just as much as it is for performers. So, they were delighted to see a show while they were there!