Edinburgh Fringe Society launches Listening Drive

Shona McCarthy, CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said “This year’s Festival was the first step on the road to recovery and we know the biggest challenge is the next 3 years.  It’s important that we gather evidence and case studies from our Fringe participants so that we can ensure the Society is armed with the facts and best equipped to make the case for where improvements can be made in advance of Fringe 2023.”

 

The Fringe Society is conducting extensive surveys amongst artists, audiences, media, and venue workers.

 

Undoubtedly the accommodation crisis will be top of respondents agenda. In our pre-Fringe interviews with performers, the cost of performing at the Fringe was raised repeatedly as an issue. Changes in the Scottish law resulted in Edinburgh students holding onto their housing during the summer months – removing a sources of more affordable Fringe accommodation. This could be compounded next year with Airbnb hosts having to obtain a licence from their local authority before they operate short-term lets.

 

The accommodation challenge is not just one that affects performers. Declaring a vested interest here, the lack of affordable places to stay was very much a challenge for reviewing media. Anecdotally, several companies and PRs told us that the number of reviewers was worryingly down in 2022. Despite the proliferation of review sites and blogs critiquing the theatre scene in London, an incredibly small number were able to make their way northwards despite the high quality of performance available.

 

As many performers use Edinburgh as a launch platform to reach a wider audience and move their shows to the next level, it is vital that the Fringe Society preserves the symbiotic relationship between performers and reviewers. If the range of artists is limited to those who can afford to perform, the Fringe will be less appealing to reviewers. If fewer reviewers are financially able to attend the Fringe, the wider opportunities for performers to “break out” onto a wider stage will be exponentially reduced.

 

Not entirely to preempt the results, but it doesn’t take a survey to realise what a problem accommodation has become. To be fair there are signs that the Fringe Society is already exploring options to tackle the issue.

 

Is sponsorship the answer? Could a drive to encourage various businesses support the Fringe through accommodation sponsorship be part of the answer? Would hotels subsidise some rooms in exchange for publicity? Can money be diverted from other areas? Although it wouldn’t save that much money, but surely the physical Fringe brochure is an anachronism in these digital times?

 

There are no easy solutions but the organisers of the Fringe must move with the times and innovate.