Cheesies take centre stage: first-ever snack partnership with Edinburgh Fringe Festival and meal deal gig

Cheesies becomes the first-ever official snack partner of the Fringe – from the Snacks Aisle to Royal Mile, giving comedians a new platform to amplify their voices.

Cheesies, the crunchy fridge-free cheese snack, has been announced as the Official Snack of the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, marking the first time the world’s biggest arts festival has partnered with a snack brand.

Throughout August, Cheesies will bring its playful spirit to the city with over 50,000 free samples handed out across high-footfall Fringe zones, including the Royal Mile and Mound Precinct, and stocked in the official Fringe shop and select venue bars. Backstage, Cheesies is also supporting performers with daily drops to Fringe Central, including the key “Meet the Media” day, ensuring comics and creatives alike are kept fuelled between shows.

This partnership signals a fresh approach to how consumer brands can engage with the arts: not just through sponsorship, but through presence, humour, and artist-first thinking.

To launch the campaign, Cheesies transformed Waitrose Canary Wharf into a one-off pop-up comedy club, bringing Fringe stand-up to the supermarket floor, alongside in-store activations and sampling to mark its inclusion in the Waitrose Meal Deal.

“Cheesies has always been about doing things differently – bold, playful, and a bit unexpected – which is why the Fringe felt like such a natural fit,” said Ed Hauck, Cheesies’ Commercial Director. “Comedy has the power to connect people, to challenge ideas, and to bring joy – which is exactly what we want Cheesies to do too. We’re proud to support performers and be part of the cultural fabric of this summer’s festival.”

Cheesies Christmas crackers – a new platform (and prize) for comedic talent

Later this year, Cheesies will launch a limited-edition “Fringe Edition” Christmas Cracker, filled with snacks and original one-liners written by comedians – and for the first time, the brand is opening the stage to everyone.

Comedians and comedy writers are now invited to enter their best one-liners at cheesies.co.uk/edinburghfringe for the chance to be featured in the national product launch. Selected winners will not only be credited and paid royalties per joke used, but their material will be shared across Cheesies’ packaging, social channels, and national distribution – giving comics a whole new route to exposure and recognition.

It’s a unique competition-meets-collaboration opportunity – putting new and established talent front and centre in a bold, unexpected space.

Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome Cheesies as the Official Snack of the Edinburgh Fringe. The Cheesies brand is bold and fun – two things at the heart of the Fringe – and we’re looking forward to sampling lots of delightful snacks throughout Edinburgh this August.”

Comedians and writers can submit their jokes now at: cheesies.co.uk/edinburghfringe

The limited-edition crackers – featuring the winning gags – will be available later this year via Cheesies’ website, TikTok Shop, the Fringe Shop, and selected retailers.

Cheesies is adding a punch of flavour to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, marking its debut marketing campaign since joining The Curators portfolio in 2023. The comedy-led partnership celebrates a fun alignment between snacking and stand-up, with Cheesies already stocked in over 2,000 stores nationwide. The Fringe activation is part of a wider six-figure marketing investment aimed at bringing some serious bite to the UK’s cultural calendar.

Notes to editors:

For further information or samples, please contact Lizi Bunting:

[email protected]

07590 762138

Hi-res imagery can be downloaded here.

About Cheesies

Cheesies takes real cheese and bakes it until it crunches – no fridge, no faff, just outrageously good flavour. High in protein and Great Taste Award-winning, Cheesies are available in Cheddar, Red Leicester, Goat’s Cheese, and Gouda. Find them in Waitrose, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Ocado, and Holland & Barrett. Say goodbye to dis-snack-sfaction.

About the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the charity that underpins the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe. It was established in 1958 by a group of artists to provide central services for the festival and ensure that it stays true to its founding purpose of inclusion and welcome to all. We exist to support and encourage everyone who wants to participate in the Fringe; to provide information and assistance to audiences; and to celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world.

Based on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Society has a small team of staff who work year-round to assist all the artists and audiences who make the festival one of the best loved performing arts events on the planet. In 2022, as part of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary, the Fringe Society launched a new collaborative vision and set of values, and made a series of commitments to become more inclusive, fair and sustainable. The vision is ‘to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat’.

Our three values will guide the behaviours and decisions of everyone involved with the Fringe: celebrate performing arts, be open to all and look out for each other. The Society will live by them, champion them and uphold them where necessary.