This year’s Free Fringe has been great for family-friendly shows from all over the world…
Circo Valise, Assembly Meeting Point
The São Paulo Showcase flies in its tiniest show yet to a corner of George Square. Circo Valise is the brainchild of Eduardo Salzane, who’s assembled an entire circus in a battered old suitcase- or rather, the circus has been gifted to him by a flying elephant as he tells us when the show starts. And what a packed little show it is!
We’re treated to a cheeky clown, daredevil human cannonball and thrilling trapeze, all crafted from wood. At times we have to help out the performers, and it’s done with humour and love. There’s something very charming about a vanishingly rare hand-crafted show that doesn’t rely on computers or AI-generated content, and the fact that it’s a compact ten minutes means you can easily fit it into your Fringe schedule.
Take a chance on Circo Valise and if you’re lucky, you might get to pass on some of the circus magic…
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Circo Valise is at Assembly Meeting Point (George Square) from Aug 18-30 at 18:00/18:45/19:30
Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show: This Time It’s Stupider!
Comedian, children’s author and now 2026 best joke award-winner Olaf returns for another fun-packed journey into his crazy mind…
Olaf is somewhat of a Festival veteran, spending over a decade entertaining young and old at the Fringe and Book Festival, so when I’m offered a preview of one of his two shows this year I jump at the chance. Even though this is the more explicitly ‘kids’ show, Olaf’s humour is a hit with the adults; the blend of groanworthy puns, silly videos and audience interaction is fantastic.
The children who got involved with a very 90s dance take on Pass The Parcel and the Fishing For Insults game – which involved hooking ducks from Olaf’s hat – had an absolute blast. There was something for the parents too with Olaf dubbing viral videos, including the Trump crossover with a beloved Claymation penguin you wouldn’t expect! Olaf is also a keen artist and cartoonist, so naturally we’re issued with coloured pencils to draw his book character Spewnicorn; of course our table’s effort is going right on the fridge at home.
Despite being a Free Fringe show, Olaf is often selling out with pre-booked tickets, so grab a chance to see the chaos live while you can.
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Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show: This Time It’s Stupider! Is at Counting House from Aug 6-30 at 11:30