The Laughing Horse Free Festival is one of the big free show strands at the Edinburgh Fringe, based in venues all over the city. Audience members make donations at the end of each performance – or some shows have a ‘pay what you want’ ticketing system. We spoke to Laughing Horse and Free Festival Director Alex Petty.

CC: Tell us a little about your venue and your 2025 programme.
AP: Laughing Horse programmes 30 performance spaces across 23 venues in an eclectic range of rooms, from small 25 capacity spaces through to a 120 seat cabaret room and 150 seat ballroom.

Our programme consists mostly of comedy, cabaret and children’s shows, with some theatre and music, and we focus on developing new and emerging talent.  

CC: Give us a very quick history of your venue to date.
AP: Laughing Horse had produced comedy venues mostly in London before exploring the Edinburgh Fringe. Our first venue opened in 2004, and we gradually expanded each year from there, utilising Edinburgh business, usually bars, nightclubs and function suites, and often some unique spaces such as this year’s Horsebox.

Based on the principle of benefitting the artists, our model began with free entry donation shows and grew to include ‘pay what you can’ ticketing in 2021. This year we have large multi-room hubs at The Counting House, Three Sisters and Bar 50, as well as nineteen other venues around Edinburgh.

CC: How do you decide what shows to include in your programme?
AP: Performers apply to us at the start of the year and a team of programmers who know each Fringe genre help decide which shows to offer spaces to, with ongoing programming through to the Fringe Programme deadlines, and often later.  

CC: How do you support your producers and performers once they arrive in Edinburgh?
AP: We host a launch event, and run regular performer sessions for feedback and help, that back up the show producing and Edinburgh survival skills emails we send out before the Fringe.

We make sure our venues and teams provide a supportive environment, promotional support, discounted food and drinks, and some quiet spaces including our neurodiversity and disability hub.

CC: What is your advice for performers looking to promote their shows ?
AP: To keep up that promotion as much as you can right the way through the Fringe. Promotion is cumulative so you need to be aware of it all the time, keeping material on you and making sure your presence is felt online, so through socials as well as on the street. Never be caught without a flyer to give to someone in any situation!

CC: What is your advice for performers looking to get reviewed?
AP: A friendly reminder is much better than a desperate chase.

What is unique about your show that a reviewer would like to see? What reviewers or publications are most likely to be interested? These are who to look for. Ask through past reviews and socials, rather than stalking reviewers around artist bars.

CC: What is your advice for performers looking to grow their industry network while they are in Edinburgh?
AP: Always be open to speak to anyone who wants to talk about your show, you don’t know who they may be. Always run your show even if it has a very low audience number, you don’t know who those people in the audience are.

Speak to performers in similar shows and take time to seek out industry as well as hoping they’ll come to you. And much like chasing the reviews, be polite and graceful rather than producing a full on tactical assault of everyone you meet

CC: How can performers get the most out of the Edinburgh experience in terms of their career?
AP: Set realistic goals for your Edinburgh and strive to meet them. Everyone performing at the Fringe has, or should have, a different reason or goal.

If the only thing a performer thinks is going to happen is that they’ll get an award or become famous, that is the path for disappointment. Put on the best show you can and the rest will follow.

CC: How can performers get the most out of the Edinburgh experience in terms of their creativity and performance skills?
AP: Have a sensible approach to why you’re in Edinburgh, it shouldn’t be all about work and it shouldn’t all be about play. You should spend time going out and being inspired by other productions, as much as you work on producing your own.

You should spend time meeting and talking with like-minded creative people, to share and bathe in the creative atmosphere, as well as chasing producers, bookers and work.

CC: What are the biggest challenges facing the Edinburgh Fringe – and what can the Fringe community do to meet them?
AP: The rise in costs is the biggest challenge by far, especially in accommodation. The community needs to pressure those in power to remove regulation that was put in place that serves to help nobody except landlords.

That regulation has not achieved the stated aims, it has not solved Edinburgh’s housing crisis, it has not helped students, it has not helped Edinburgh residents seeking to let out spare rooms, and it has certainly not helped Fringe performers and the Fringe community by increasing costs exponentially.

LINKS: freefestival.co.uk