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The Pear Tree

Laughing Horse Free Festival Venue

The Pear Tree

Fringe Venue 257 - Click here for map
38 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DD. Phone: 0131 667 7533
Food  Wifi  Licensed
Open from 11:30 to 02:00
All ages until 6pm, then 18+ only

The Pear Tree and sister venues The Counting House and West Nic Records (formerly 32 Below) form a complex featuring four public bars, six performance spaces, dining area and a huge outdoor courtyard and barbecue area. The Pear Tree is located right in the heart of the area most associated with the Fringe, within seconds of Fringe Central, Assembly at George Square, The Udderbelly, Gilded Balloon and Pleasance Dome venues.

This year we have two entry methods: Free & Unticketed or Pay What You Can
Free & Unticketed: Entry to a show is first-come, first served at the venue - just turn up and then donate to the show in the collection at the end.
Pay What You Can: For these shows you can book a ticket to guarantee entry and choose your price from the Fringe Box Office, up to 30 mins before a show. After that all remaining space is free at the venue on a first-come, first-served bases. Donations for walk-ins at the end of the show.

List Shows: By Room and Name | By Start Time

Shows sorted by Venue Room

Main Room

2 Wongs and a White

2 Wongs and a White

Comedy

2 Wongs and a White

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-23 at 16:00 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Get ready to laugh with 2 Wongs and A White: a stand-up comedy show featuring Australia’s funniest comedians. Each night, He Huang, Nick Schuller and a mystery guest bring you the best of Australian humour. They’ve been on TV, toured internationally, sold out festival runs and written for telly. "delivery is spot-on"- ★★★★½ - Theatre Matters "perfectly timed" ★★★★½ - The Age ...


Bubba-Licious

Bubba-Licious

Childrens

Bubba-Licious

Childrens

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-30 at 10:30 (30 min) - Pay What You Can tickets - from £5

Book a PWYC Ticket in advance for this show to guarantee entry, or turn up at the venue for free with the option of donating at the end of the show

AUG 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-30 at 12:00 (30 min) - Pay What You Can tickets - from £5

Book a PWYC Ticket in advance for this show to guarantee entry, or turn up at the venue for free with the option of donating at the end of the show

AUG 6-11, 13-18, 20-25, 27-30 at 11:15 (30 min) - Pay What You Can tickets - from £5

Book a PWYC Ticket in advance for this show to guarantee entry, or turn up at the venue for free with the option of donating at the end of the show

Yes, it's a show for babies! A sensory display of colour, sound, light and movement to spark joy and ignite wonder. Incorporating puppetry, clowning, bubbles, shadow play and much more. 'Perfect show for the babies and toddler crowd... we feel the need to shout from the rooftops!' (Kids In Adelaide.com.au). 'It's a lovely bite-size instalment to excite the little ones, just enough to ensure a good afternoon snooze' (Advertiser, Adelaide). Winner – Best Kids Show, Adelaide Fringe 2023 (Weekly Award). Sold out run Edinburgh Fringe 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022. Get your tickets earl...


Comedy for the Curious: 2026

Comedy for the Curious: 2026

Comedy

Comedy for the Curious: 2026

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-10, 12-25, 27-30 at 19:00 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

* Shaftesbury Fringe 2023 Award Winner, Best Comedy * Ever wonder why we are the way we are? Marine biologist turned award-winning comedian Robyn Perkins returns to Edinburgh to explore yet another topic in her critically acclaimed, science comedy panel show. Unzipping Your Genes: (ie. the cr*p we get from our parents) Exploring human behaviour with stand-up comedy, Robyn teams up with behavioural geneticist and psychologists to answer questions you never knew you had! Think Mock the Week meets QI, live at the Fringe... ★★★★"A perfect sweet spot between i...


Do the Thing: Choose Your Own Musical

Do the Thing: Choose Your Own Musical

Comedy

Do the Thing: Choose Your Own Musical

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-16 at 22:00 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Where is it set? Who's it about? What is the plot? You tell us. Do the Thing are here to give you exactly the musical you want to see. Not only will the audience decide the setting and characters but they can also direct the plot. Should the hero run off with the love of their life or become a monk and fight crime? Will the villain achieve world domination even though they couldn’t really be bothered? Will the hero and villain reject such reductive labelling, realise they’re just people, and hug it out already? Be careful what you wish for as things can and will get very silly indeed. ^...


Ed Byrne Work In Progress

Ed Byrne Work In Progress

Comedy

Ed Byrne Work In Progress

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 24-30 at 16:00 (60 min) - Pay What You Can tickets - from £5

Book a PWYC Ticket in advance for this show to guarantee entry, or turn up at the venue for free with the option of donating at the end of the show

It's me, Ed Byrne. I'll be heading out on tour in 2027 with a new show provisionally titled "No Dramas" but first I need to knock it into shape. That's where you come in. If you're a comedy fan with an interest in how the sausage gets made then come and watch me perform a mixture of bits that can be described as "already funny", "nearly funny" and "definitely worth exploring" then by all means come along. If you prefer the slick stuff, come see me next year....


Games Night Improv

Games Night Improv

Comedy

Games Night Improv

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 25-30 at 23:30 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Classic party games meet improvised comedy in Games Night Improv: Salad Bowl Edition. Think Articulate on steroids, powered by audience suggestions. You create the clues, audience members team up with our improvisers, and everyone competes for the ultimate prize: clout. After each round, the cast performs improvised scenes inspired by the chaotic and hilarious moments you helped create. ...


ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Showcase

ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Showcase

Comedy

ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards Showcase

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 22 at 23:30 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Showcase of some of the best comedians at the Fringe for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2026. The ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards, now in its fourth year, involves a voluntary panel of judges seeing every eligible comedy show at the Fringe. Previous Best Show winners include Julia Masli, Paul Foot, Elf Lyons, Phil Ellis and Mark Forward. Awards categories are Best Show, Best Newcomer, Best Tech, Best Joke and Panel Prize....


Laughing Horse Pick of the Fringe

Laughing Horse Pick of the Fringe

Comedy

Laughing Horse Pick of the Fringe

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 7-30 at 20:30 (60 min) - Pay What You Want Tickets - from £5

Book a PWYC Ticket in advance for this show to guarantee entry, or turn up at the venue for free with the option of donating at the end of the show

The very best comedians selected from across the Fringe with a different top-notch comedy line-up at every show. It's the absolute best way to see a great Fringe comedy smorgasbord, with line-ups selected from shows and venues all around the Fringe and the international comedy circuit... And you can Pay What You Can to watch! International festival sell-out shows 2004-2026. 'Cracking comedy selection' ★★★★★ (Cream of the Fringe). 'A great night out' ★★★★★ (SouthWestLive.co.uk). 'A fantastic night of comedy' ★&#...


Masala Three

Masala Three

Music

Masala Three

Music

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-21 at 23:30 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Music GAME SHOW Alert!!! Come participate in our LIVE composition OR just come to sabotage the live performers and other players. (To be edited)...


Olaf Falafel Presents: I Used to Work in a Helium Balloon Factory Until they Let Me Go

Olaf Falafel Presents: I Used to Work in a Helium Balloon Factory Until they Let Me Go

Comedy

Olaf Falafel Presents: I Used to Work in a Helium Balloon Factory Until they Let Me Go

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-18, 20-30 at 14:30 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Edinburgh Festival Best Show ISH Award shortlisted in 2025. The best-joke-list-bothering, holey-cheese-flinging Falafel is back with another laundry basket full of stuff he hopes you’ll find funny. Including but not limited to: mind reading mic-stands, sausage-based nonsense and art-related buffoonery. It won’t be sensible. ...


Purple Park Comedy

Purple Park Comedy

Comedy

Purple Park Comedy

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 17-30 at 22:00 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

**Purple Park Comedy** A dynamic stand-up showcase bringing bold, diverse voices to Edinburgh Fringe. What began as a small outdoor show created to bring joy during uncertain times has grown into a curated comedy experience built on connection, sharp writing, and undeniable laughs. Now, Purple Park Comedy travels to Edinburgh with a rotating lineup of standout comedians from across the U.S. and beyond. Each night features a fresh mix of performers — meaning no two shows are the same. Expect smart storytelling, fearless punchlines, cultural observations, and the kind of comedy that feels...


Stand-Up Science

Stand-Up Science

Comedy

Stand-Up Science

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-30 at 17:30 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

Love science? Love comedy? Want to laugh and feel smart? Come to Stand-up Science, a collective of fantastic scientific comedians from across the Fringe. Returning for a fifth year following successful runs in 2022-2025, this show is guaranteed to make you laugh and learn. Following on from successful sell-out shows about nature, bacteria, evolution and insects at the Oxford Natural History museum, Oxford's celebrated academic comedians bring Stand-up Science back to the Edinburgh Fringe. "Genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, genuinely interesting, genuinely original." (Daily Info, Oxford). Each sh...


The Asian Comedy Showcase

The Asian Comedy Showcase

Comedy

The Asian Comedy Showcase

Comedy

The Pear Tree / Main Room
AUG 6-10, 12-17, 19-24, 26-30 at 13:00 (60 min) - Free & Unticketed

Just turn up at the venue, entry is first-come, first-served for everyone. Donations at the end of the show

"★★★★.5 Fantastic, Brilliant" The Edge
"★★★★ One of the standing institutions of the festival!" One4Review

From the East to Edinburgh, it's The Asian Comedy Showcase! Back for our fourth/3A year, catch some of the best acts from all over Asia and from all over the world, along with one Token White Act! Our performers have been seen on the BBC, Taskmaster, Netflix, Dropout, and various Asian TV channels you won't recognise! Line-ups change daily, and hosted by Sam See. (★★★★★ One4Review.co.uk)...