RUSSELL HOWARD, MAGGIE O’FARRELL, JOSEPH COELHO, KEVIN QUANTUM, PAUL JONES & DAVE KELLY, MICHAEL PEDERSEN & HANNAH LAVERY, MARJOLEIN ROBERTSON AND MASSAOKE PLUS NEW BUS SERVICES TO KEY DESTINATIONS

The award-winning Fringe By The Sea in North Berwick (31 July – 9 August) continues to expand this year’s programme with something for everyone. Tickets for new music, comedy, books and family shows are on sale from 9am on Thursday 7 May 2026 at www.fringebythesea.com.

One of the UK’s most successful stand-up comedians Russell Howard is also known for presenting his own television shows and appearing on Mock The Week 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You? and Live at the Apollo. His act has been described as “silliness laced with seriousness in a trademark energetic performance”.

North Berwick cannot boast of many Oscar nominees born in the town but earlier this year MaggieO’Farrell became one for screenplay for her novel Hamnet. Her debut, After You’d Gone, waspublished 25 years ago and won the Betty Trask Prize in 2001. Her 2010 book, The Hand That First Held Mine won the Costa Award, and Hamnet, her story about the death of Shakespear’s son, won the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. O’Farrell’s latest book is published in June 2026.

Joseph Coelho OBE is a British poet and children’s book author who was Children’s Laureate from 2022to 2024. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2024, he was announced the winner of the Carnegie Medal for his novel The Boy Lost in the Maze. All Poems Aloud, published last year is a collection of funny, silly, and thought-provoking poems designed to be read aloud.

Prepare to believe the unbelievable with Kevin Quantum, award-winning Scottish magician, scientist, and former Britain’s Got Talent contestant known for blending physics with illusion. Trained by LasVegas based Penn & Teller, he creates magic featuring dangerous, science-based stunts like harmonic pendulums and Tesla coils.

Shetland’s award-winning performer Marjolein Robertson brings an unforgettable hour of stand-up and folktales, blending sharp comedy with spellbinding storytelling. Nominated for Channel 4’s SeanLock Comedy Award and The Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award, Marjolein expertly weaves comedy and folklore to share her own personal stories. Officially ranked one of the best-reviewed Fringe shows of its year, this is a show about the body and a health condition which, left unspoken about for years, was almost fatal. Not for the faint hearted, with nine audience members fainting and another eighteen walkouts during its Edinburgh Fringe run. However this is not gore for gore’s sake.This show has the potential to save lives. Also: JOKES. ‘Phenomenal’ ***** (List)

Join acclaimed Scottish novelist and poet Jenni Fagan for an in-depth conversation about here electrifying fifth novel, The Delusions. Winner of the Gordon Burn Prize and named one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists, Fagan is celebrated for her fierce originality and visionary, lyrical storytelling.Praised by writers including Ali Smith, Jackie Kay and Douglas Stuart, she continues to push the boundaries of contemporary fiction.

Also appearing will be award-winning poet and playwright Hannah Lavery and Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen for a rich conversation about friendship, connection and the communities that shapeus. Hannah Lavery, former Edinburgh Makar and Associate Artist with the National Theatre of Scotland, is known for her incisive, socially engaged work across poetry and theatre. Her acclaimed collections Blood Salt Spring and Unwritten Woman have established her as a vital voice exploring identity, care and belonging, with a new collection, Everything, Everyday, forthcoming in 2026. Michael Pedersen is a prize-winning poet, author and current Edinburgh Makar. His poetry collection The Cat Prince won Best Poetry at the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, while his memoir Boy Friends was a Sunday TimesCritics’ Choice. His debut novel Muckle Flugga has been praised as “garishly alive” and “extraordinary”.

Founder members of The Blues Band, Paul Jones and Dave Kelly’s tangled and colourful roots go wayback into the true undergrowth of the blues tradition. As well as their own original material, they not only know and perform the work of the greats, ranging from Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker through to Sonny Boy Williamson – with whom they have both played. After over a quarter century as presenter of his BBC Radio 2 R&B show, as a thrilling singer and harmonica maestro, what Paul Jones doesn’t know about the blues can be written on a pinhead.

Massaoke Movies is a high-energy live band sing-along experience featuring giant screens with lyrics and movie clips. Audiences are encouraged to dress up and belt out hits from popular films and musicals, including Mamma Mia!, The Greatest Showman, Frozen, and Dirty Dancing.

Announced so far features a powerful mix of global icons, cultural trailblazers and feel-good festival favourites, including soul legends Kool & The Gang, Scottish indie-pop icons Belle &Sebastian, acclaimed documentary-maker Louis Theroux, music from Rudimental DJ Set, Alex James’ Britpop Classical, Maribou State, Levi.Sct, Bay City Rollers and Rianne Downey, Have IGot News for you panellist Ian Hislop, adventurer Ben Fogle, the cream of Scottish tradCapercaillie and party-starters Colonel Mustard and The Dijon 5.

For the first time since the festival was launched in 2008, FBTS will launch ahead of theEdinburgh Festival Fringe offering five days of clash-free events before the world’s biggest arts festival in Scotland’s capital.The Skinny magazine said about Fringe by the Sea: ‘it isn’t chasing trends or viral moments and that’s what makes it brilliant’.
In 2025, an independent Economic Impact Report by MKA Economics showed a record-breaking £11 million boost for East Lothian’s local economy was generated through Fringe by the Sea, from over 103,000 visitors – a rise of 20% on 2024.

ADDITIONAL BUS SERVICE 

For the first time, festival-goers will have the option of booking reliable, direct late-night buses home from Fringe by the Sea to destinations across East Lothian, Edinburgh and Glasgow, planned around major headline shows and delivered in partnership with Happy Bus.

All services depart from St Baldred’s Road, North Berwick at 11:20pm on specific dates, and run to key destinations:

Single-Journey Routes

• North Berwick ➜ Haddington – £12 + booking fee

• North Berwick ➜ Dunbar – £13 + booking fee

• North Berwick ➜ Edinburgh (via Longniddry & Prestonpans) – £14 + booking fee

Glasgow Return Service

• Glasgow ➜ North Berwick ➜ Glasgow. Departs Glasgow 4pm, returns at 11:20pm
  £36 return + booking fee. With stops in North Lanarkshire & Livingston.

Routes will run only where bookings are confirmed – so festival-goers are encouraged to book early.

About Fringe by the Sea

Fringe by the Sea is an independent arts festival taking place in the scenic seaside town of North Berwick between 31st July and 9th August, with over 300 music, comedy, book, family, film and wellbeing events. Easy to reach in around 30 minutes from Edinburgh by train, the festival also offers a vibrant, free to access hub in the Lodge Grounds with street food, maker’s market, kids’ zone and live music. 

ENDS

For further information contact: Fiona Duff fiona@duffpublicity.com  07710 419762 www.fringebythesea.com Link to FBTS Media Pack is Media Pack 2026