Gilded Balloon is celebrating 40 years at the Festival this year, presenting a diverse mix of shows across three buildings. We spoke to the venue’s Artistic Director Katy Koren, pictured above with her mum and Gilded Balloon founder Karen Koren.

CC: Tell us a little about your venue and your 2025 programme.
KK: Gilded Balloon is operating across three spaces this year including Patter House, National Museum Of Scotland and our new venue Appleton Tower.

This year’s programme includes some seriously big names for our 40th anniversary, including: Rosie O’Donnell’s first ever Fringe, a Smack The Pony reunion and award-winning returning shows like ‘Little Squirt’.

We are also supporting the delivery of the new Shedinburgh venue at Edinburgh College Of Art which is a really exciting collaboration for us.

Our own programme is the usual fantastic mix of comedy, theatre, musicals and family shows, so absolutely something for everyone.

CC: Give us a very quick history of your venue to date.
KK: We’re celebrating our 40th anniversary this year – my mum, Karen Koren, started the Gilded Balloon back in 1986 and since then has supported and kickstarted the careers of some of the UK’s biggest comics.

From Bill Bailey to Maisie Adam, she’s been so influential in supporting comics across the scene, so we’re really excited to celebrate that this year with our incredible programme and toast to 40 years of Gilded Balloon!

CC: How do you decide what shows to include in your programme?
KK: Our roots are in comedy, so we’re always on the lookout for the next rising stars on the scene and our ‘So You Think You’re Funny?’ competition is a great way for audiences to spot the next big comedy acts too.

We’re passionate about supporting female and non-binary Scottish performers and theatre makers, and shows that challenge the norm or have something to say about the current climate.

That’s not to say we don’t embrace the downright silly or wild shows, as much as the challenging topics!

CC: How do you support your producers and performers once they arrive in Edinburgh?
KK: Our Artists Services and Press & Marketing teams have an open door policy once we’re onsite which means they build up great relationships with artists and are there to help with any problems, from ticket sales to rehearsals, admin help and everything in between.

It’s good for the artists to know there’s some friendly faces in the office if they need support. We also introduced our ‘Support The Artist’ scheme last year which allows customers to add £2 to any ticket they buy which goes directly to artists, in an attempt to offset the costs performers face when they come to Fringe.

CC: What is your advice for performers looking to promote their shows?
KK: Get good at flyering! If you’re passionate about your show, it will translate to passing crowds who are presented with so much choice.

One of the things I love about the Fringe is that flyering still works and audiences fully embrace the ‘take a punt on something’ spirit.

Make friends with your venue box office and front of house staff – chat to them and tell them about your show and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

CC: What is your advice for performers looking to get reviewed?
KK: Don’t take any of it too seriously – if you get a five star review that’s great and make use of it, if you get two stars, don’t let it de-rail you. Put it behind you and move on!

The Fringe is all about working on your show and your own development of that show, reviews are nice but focus on what you want your show to be and how you want your audiences to feel at the end of your show, whether they are reviewers or not!

Make use of the Fringe’s Meet The Media sessions and don’t bombard journalists – make sure you are targeting journalists specific to your genre.

CC: What is your advice for performers looking to grow their industry network while they are in Edinburgh?
KK: There’s lots of official events for networking but also get out and see other shows! Meet performers and tell them if you enjoyed their show, ask for advice and support other artists. It can be a long hard month but having a little support network of people who are in the same boat makes it much easier.

CC: How can performers get the most out of the Edinburgh experience in terms of their career?
KK: Treat every show like you have a big reviewer in – even if you have a small audience in one day, word of mouth does so much and some of those shows can end up really special. Again, focus on your own development, on getting your show better every time you perform it and treat every audience as important as the next.

CC: How can performers get the most out of the Edinburgh experience in terms of their creativity and performance skills?
KK: We’re so lucky to have the world’s biggest arts festival in this city and I think the magic of that can be easily forgotten when you’re out doing the hard slog of flyering, rehearsing and pushing through the crowds on the Royal Mile!

Soak up as much of the creative atmosphere as you can by taking a chance on shows you haven’t heard of, going on mixed bill spots and challenging yourself to try performance opportunities you might not normally try.

CC: What are the biggest challenges facing the Edinburgh Fringe – and what can the Fringe community do to meet them?
KK: There’s a huge amount – we’re facing rising costs across every aspect of the Fringe but the cost of accommodation is the single biggest factor in so many performers being unable to come to the Fringe.

We’re losing out on a huge amount of talent who simply cannot afford to pay the extortionate costs of accommodation.

That’s bad news for us as venues, but also for the audiences who could be missing out on some incredible acts at the beginning of their career.

We support more and more artists every year to make sure as many that want to access the Fringe can do, so ask your venue for support.

We do this because we love it and, more often than not, will find ways to make coming to the Fringe a reality for you if we can.

LINKS: gildedballoon.co.uk