The Bob Ross Effect
The Bob Ross Effect is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Assembly George Square Gardens. It has 26 performances listed, running from Wed 5 Aug, 16:05 to Mon 31 Aug, 16:05. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
A happy little show about the big things in life. Artist, animal-lover and unlikely sex symbol Bob Ross brought art into the living rooms of millions with TV phenomenon The Joy of Painting. With his big heart (and even bigger perm) Bob taught an entire generation to embrace their creativity, with his mantra: there are no mistakes in life, only happy accidents. Sarah-Louise Young (An Evening Without Kate Bush) celebrates his enduring impact in this brand-new interactive show about love, grief and friendly squirrels. Directed by Ali James, original songs composed with Jordan Paul Clarke.
Details
- Venue: Assembly George Square Gardens
- Space: Piccolo Tent
- Genre: THEATRE, Cabaret, Comedy
- Country: UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
- Running time: 70 minutes
- Room size: about 192 seats (Piccolo Tent) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 26, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: ramp
- Access features: Step-free access, Accessible toilet, BSL signed performances
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: Separate Entrance-Front of House will guide audience to the separate entrance. Wheelchair access type:Permanent Ramp Stairs: 2 - 5 Number of stairs is provided as guidance and is not in addition to any wheelchair access type (lift/ramp etc) stated above.
What the reviewers said
We have captured 13 published reviews and 46 audience reviews for this show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s own listing. The excerpts below are the reviewers’ words, not ours — follow each link for the full review.
A special mention has to go to beautiful original songs composed by Jordan Paul Clarke and sung by Young who has an incredible voice and for those of you who saw An Evening Without Kate Bush, will know how talented…
— Theatre and Arts Review. (5 out of 5 stars)
3.5 Stars. The show has a lot of goals, with all of the different narrative threads and mediums, and occasionally felt slightly crowded.
This was intimate rather than spectacular, and that’s exactly why it worked. The whole thing became a celebration of making something, trying something and refusing to accept that creativity belongs to somebody else.
— Pride Nomad's 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Rundown (5 out of 5 stars)
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Wed 5 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Thu 6 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £10.00
- Fri 7 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Mon 17 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Wed 19 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Thu 20 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Fri 21 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 22 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 23 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Mon 24 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Tue 25 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Wed 26 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Thu 27 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00
- Fri 28 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sat 29 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Sun 30 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £16.00
- Mon 31 Aug, 16:05 — Already performed — £15.00