Bold theatre tackling sexual trauma and social invisibility, a sparkling solo show about careers and dating, and a major programme of Turkish-language comedy are among the Turkish cultural highlights at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Scotland’s capital is once again welcoming performers and audiences from across the globe for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which runs from 7 to 31 August 2026.
Widely regarded as the world’s largest performing arts festival, the Fringe transforms Edinburgh into an enormous cultural stage each summer, with thousands of theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus and cabaret performances taking place at venues across the city. This year’s programme features work from more than 70 countries.
Turkish artists are contributing an eclectic selection of productions, led by three women bringing highly personal and thought-provoking English-language shows to the festival.
Melisa Altug’s Otuz Bir explores sexual violence, consent and the process of reclaiming one’s body after trauma. Burce Tutku Tuncali turns the uncertainties of work, dating and belonging into sharply observed comedy in Perfectly Imperfeckt!, while Selin Bakan examines the longing to be seen, chosen and valued in 3.2.1. Hold Me on Stage.
They are joined by TuzBiber Stand-Up, which is staging one of the largest Turkish-language comedy programmes yet seen at the Edinburgh Fringe, featuring ensemble performances and appearances by several established comedians from Türkiye.
The shows have been part-funded and supported by Speak Turkish Edinburgh, a Scottish cultural charity dedicated to fostering greater awareness and understanding of Turkish language and culture.
Collectively, the productions offer audiences a fresh and contemporary portrait of Turkish creativity, with women’s experiences and voices particularly prominent. The Turkish-language stand-up shows should also prove a welcome addition for Turkish speakers living in Edinburgh or visiting the city during the festival.
Melisa Altug confronts trauma and healing in Otuz Bir
At the centre of Melisa Altug’s politically charged production is Deniz, a young woman attempting to rebuild her relationship with her body and sexuality after being sexually assaulted by her boyfriend, Emir.
Her personal ordeal unfolds against the backdrop of Türkiye’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, the international treaty intended to protect women from domestic and sexual violence.
The title Otuz Bir — Turkish slang for masturbation — initially suggests something comic or provocative. However, it is used to frame a much darker and more complex exploration of sexual trauma, self-discovery and healing.
Through an inventive theatrical approach, Deniz seeks to reclaim the body and voice taken from her, reconnecting with herself in the aftermath of violence.
Performance Details
Event title: Otuz Bir
Dates and times: 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 27 and 29 August 2026 at 4.15pm
Language: English
Duration: 60 minutes
Venue: Venue 13 – Main Space, Lochend Close, Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8BL
Admission: £15
Tickets: Available from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe website.
Burce Tutku Tuncali embraces being Perfectly Imperfeckt!
Turkish stand-up comedian Burce Tutku Tuncali arrives in Edinburgh with an English-language solo show about never quite fitting into the place where society says you belong.
A decade into her artistic career, growing financial instability leads Burce to consider returning to corporate employment and confront the systems she once escaped.
In Perfectly Imperfeckt!, she draws witty parallels between job hunting and modern dating: both involve endless tests, mysterious rules, red flags, ghosting and rejection disguised as constructive “feedback”.
Moving between feminist comedy clubs, dating applications, job interviews and emotional performance reviews, Burce examines how modern systems promise success, stability and love while repeatedly leaving people feeling inadequate.
The result is a warm but incisive exploration of work, relationships, identity and belonging from the perspective of a Turkish woman navigating contemporary life.
Performance Details
Event title: Burce Tutku Tuncali: Perfectly Imperfeckt!
Dates and times: Monday 17 to Saturday 22 August 2026 at 5.30pm
Language: English
Duration: 55 minutes
Venue: Greenside @ George Street – Ivy Studio, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22–26 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ
Admission: £16
Tickets: Available from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe website.
Selin Bakan asks to be seen in 3.2.1. Hold Me on Stage
Created by Selin Bakan and Stüdyo Kolektif, 3.2.1. Hold Me on Stage introduces audiences to Daphne Bell, a woman who has seemingly been trapped inside a claw machine for a very long time.
From behind the glass, Daphne waits to be selected, noticed and valued. She can be shy, remarkable and occasionally convinced that she is a soprano, but underneath the playfulness is a profound struggle with invisibility and inadequacy.
Her desire to gain recognition is repeatedly obstructed by social pressures and unresolved trauma. The production uses the strange, enclosed world of the claw machine as a metaphor for the ways people perform, compete and wait for external validation.
Blending devised theatre and musical elements, the 40-minute production examines identity, visibility and the emotional consequences of feeling that one is never quite good enough to be chosen.
Performance Details
Event title: 3.2.1. Hold Me on Stage
Dates and times: Monday 17 to Saturday 22 August 2026 at 12 noon
Language: English
Duration: 40 minutes
Venue: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall – Haldane Theatre, Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DW
Admission: Standard tickets approximately £13.50, with concessions from £10
Tickets: Available from theSpaceUK or the Edinburgh Festival Fringe website.
TuzBiber serves up a Turkish-language comedy feast
Audiences looking for laughter in Turkish will have multiple opportunities to enjoy some of Türkiye’s leading independent comedians, courtesy of TuzBiber Stand-Up.
The acclaimed comedy collective is bringing an extensive programme to Edinburgh, featuring Utku Ergin, Deniz Göktaş, Özge Özel, Buse Sinem İren, Cüneyt Nergiz and Serkan Altuniğne.
At the heart of the programme is TuzBiber 3’lü, in which three of the collective’s in-form comedians each perform a 20-minute set. Four performances will take place across two Edinburgh venues on 19 and 20 August.
Other highlights include a special Deniz Göktaş presentation on 13 August, followed by Utku Ergin on 15 August and Özge Özel on 17 August. Buse Sinem İren performs on 21 August, while Cüneyt Nergiz and Serkan Altuniğne bring the programme to a close on 22 August.
The extensive line-up represents one of the most substantial showcases of Turkish-language comedy to appear at the Fringe and reflects the rapid growth of Türkiye’s independent stand-up scene.
Performance Details
Event title: TuzBiber 3’lü
Dates and times: Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 August 2026, with performances at 7.10pm and 8.40pm on both days
Language: Turkish
Duration: Approximately 60 minutes, comprising three 20-minute sets
Venues:
Just The Tonic at Subway – The Subway, 69 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JW, at 7.10pm
Just The Tonic Nucleus – Sub-Atomic Room, 138–140 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9RR, at 8.40pm
Admission: £12.50
Tickets: Available through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe website, with separate booking pages for the Subway performances and Nucleus performances.
Tickets for the other TuzBiber productions generally cost £15. Dates, individual show details and booking links can be found on the TuzBiber Edinburgh programme page.
Event information and ticket prices were checked on 4 August 2026 and may be subject to change or booking fees.
