Review: Sophie’s Surprise 29th, Fringe 2026

Sophie’s Surprise 29th is a returning show to Edinburgh Fringe, and oh boy am I glad it did! The show is full ’90s nostalgia bringing you straight back to high school parties with the performers each having their own unique and hilarious characters – with brilliant tunes, crisps being handed out and impeccable vibes.

The performers come from incredible well known acts like Cirque du Soleil, La Clique and The 7 Fingers and that talent truly speaks for itself. It’s refreshing to have a circus that caters for adults while still bringing that childhood wonder that circus always brings. There were a lot of risqué and very cheeky tricks and acting segments, so if that’s not your thing then I’d give this one a pass – but I thought it was great and fleshed out these 90s characters they were portraying. 

Our party guests

Our dazzling party has a wildly talented bunch of party guests, consisting of the soft hearted goth king, the muscle bound himbo, the oh-so-shady biscuit dealer, the nerd, the popular girl and the tourist – and of course our Sophie of the night! They flipped, twirled, danced and flew their way right into my heart with an extremely funny yet totally captivating set of routines that had me and the others in the front row only occasionally fearing for our lives in the best way possible.

They portrayed their characters with so much energy and full commitment and you felt it from the moment you stepped into the room. Before the show even began they were weaving amongst the crowd as we found seats, interacting with the audience. They all bounced off of each other’s energies so well and that makes all the difference when you can just feel the magic in the air. 

Speaking of flips…

The variety and talent of the performers was unreal. Aerial Hoops, Aerial Rope, Rollerskating, Trapeze, Unicycle – you name, it they did it! The time was ram-packed from start to finish and it seemed endless as we just looked up in total awe at the beauty of the bodies twirling high above us.

When they weren’t showing off their circus prowess their comedy really shone with short, hilarious acts while the stage hands swapped out the equipment needed (shout out to their crew, they were awesome the whole time). The way their bodies moved was mesmerising, the strength of their bodies and their years of training clearly on display. I would go back in a heartbeat.