Critic Kate Copstick discusses how to review the modern Edinburgh Fringe as the festival grows

The Edinburgh Fringe, one of the world’s major performing arts festivals, continues to test the limits of arts criticism as it grows into a large, multi-venue event with thousands of shows, NPR reported in a conversation with critic Kate Copstick. Speaking with NPR’s Scott Simon, Copstick focused on the practical challenge of reviewing the festival when audiences, artists, and the media all confront an ever-expanding schedule.

Copstick’s central point, as described by NPR, was that the modern Fringe is no longer a format that a critic can easily cover in a comprehensive way. With so many productions running at once, coverage that once might have depended on a manageable set of shows is strained by the sheer volume of performances, which affects how reviewers select what to see and what to write about.

The interview also addressed how the festival’s scale changes the relationship between critics, performers, and audiences. When a single critic cannot meaningfully sample across the full lineup, the work of review becomes more about context and selection than about a full accounting of the event. NPR framed the discussion as an inquiry into how criticism adapts when there is too much to review in the time available.

Copstick’s comments, in NPR’s telling, highlighted a broader tension in arts journalism: festivals want attention for a wide range of acts, while critics face limited time and access constraints. For audiences trying to decide what to see, that tension can show up as gaps in coverage, uneven representation across venues or genres, and a sense that review becomes less comprehensive as the festival grows.

NPR’s reporting situates the discussion within the Fringe’s evolution into a “modern” festival phenomenon. The paper’s description of the event emphasizes that it is among the latest globally prominent performing arts festivals, drawing crowds and participating artists through its size, variety, and intensity of programming.

As the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe continues, the concerns raised by Copstick through NPR are likely to remain part of the festival’s public conversation, especially for readers who expect reviews to help them navigate the lineup. The interview does not propose a single solution, but it underscores the operational reality that editorial decisions and selection criteria become more visible when the programming volume outpaces feasible review coverage.

In the meantime, the conversation between Simon and Copstick offers a window into the mechanics of cultural reporting, including how criticism functions as a guide rather than a complete catalog, and how media outlets may need to define what “coverage” means during large-scale events with thousands of simultaneous shows.