A healthy rise, but still short of 2019 levels

A total of 2.45million tickets were issued for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe - up about 11 per cent on last year’s figure but still down more than 20 per cent on the last pre-pandemic festival.

In all, 3,553 shows featured in this year’s programme, up 6.5 per cent on 2022 but a similar percentage down on 2019.

The figures can only be a partial picture of the festival given the number of free shows that do not require tickets as well as events not officially listed as part of the Fringe – but do allow year-on-year comparisons to be made

Other figures issued by the Fringe Society said 288 venues hosted work with 67 countries represented. The Fringe also attracted nearly 1,400 accredited industry figures and 840 journalists. They say the number of reviewers was up 10 per cent on last year, and who in total generated 25 per cent more reviews

By Monday afternoon, with hundreds of performances still to take place, the Fringe Society said hat just under 250,000 people attended Fringe shows this year. A third  from Edinburgh, 15 per cent from the rest of Scotland and 10 per cent  from overseas, leaving 42 per cent from the rest of the UK.

At the Pleasance, the box office reported a 10 per cent increase in sales since last year at 480,000, They staged  273 shows across the Dome, the Courtyard and the EICC and on the busiest day 36,000 people visited the courtyard.  

Gilded Balloon issued 189,177 tickets, a six per cent increase on 2022. Of the 3,354 performances it hosted, almost a third –  1,020 were sold out. 

Underbelly reported sales of almost 300,000 tickets, an increase of 7 per cent from 2022.

Assembly Festival sold 453,000 tickets to 3,940 performances – though they declined to say how it compared to last year, other than saying the figures were up on 2022. They also offered the rather meaningless statistic that its 204 shows had attracted a total of 3,290 stars from the media.

And at The Space, 190,000 tickets were issued, a 22 per cent increase on 2022 and representing an average of 60 per cent of seats filled per show. 

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘This year’s Fringe has been one that’s felt fresh, brave and energetic, and has sparked joy, discussion and provocation in equal measure, tackling the prevalent issues of our times and looking at them afresh through the creative lens and ingenuity of the performing artists. 

‘People come from all over the world to perform here, to see shows and to commission work. This festival remains a beacon for people to share and discuss ideas – I want to express my heartfelt thanks and admiration to everyone who makes it happen. 

‘Congratulations to the whole Fringe community of Fringe 2023; we will be relentless in our ongoing work to ensure that the Edinburgh Fringe lives up to its mantra – to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat.’ 

Benny Higgins, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society chair, added: ‘The discussions and debates held at this year’s festival have made it one of the most vital and memorable – and one of the loudest conversations was the one around affordability. 

‘Certainly artists are facing some of the most severe challenges ever, and while the Fringe Society will continue to do everything in its collective power to support artists, this will become harder and harder without finding support commensurate with its contribution to the economy. We will continue to make the case for funding, to protect what the Fringe represents – an unrivalled outpouring of creative expression.’

Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, said: ‘This festival has been a joyous event. The energy around the venues and in this city has been wonderfully positive. The quality of work has been of the highest standard and audiences have enjoyed some truly wonderful shows.’ 

The Fringe app made a comeback this year and since its launch in July, it  has been downloaded nearly 80,000 times, with over 400,000 tickets issued through it. 

Next year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from August 2 to 26.

Published: 28 Aug 2023