Venue boss: Edinburgh Fringe dates 'urgently' need to be moved forward by a week next summer
William Burdett-Coutts said the late dates had affected shows
The date of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe should “urgently” be moved forward by a week from next year to combat a drop in audiences, the head of one of the longest-running venues has said.
William Burdett-Coutts, chief executive of Assembly, called for the Fringe Society to change the planned dates before next summer, saying artists have “consistently raised the current schedule as a pressure point”. He also called for an independent, third-party financial analysis of the Fringe, funded by public bodies, which he said was necessary to “preserve the future” of the festival.
The Fringe Society said it would be “open to a discussion” about the dates of the festival, but warned it could not take effect as soon as next summer.
Performers have reported a drop off in ticket sales particularly in the past week, which they have put down to the late timing of the Fringe this year, which began just a week before many Scottish schools returned. Next year’s Fringe is expected to run from Friday, 6 August to Monday, 30 August. The Fringe traditionally finishes on the English August bank holiday Monday, however, the month started later in the weekly cycle this year, pushing the final bank holiday further into the month.
Mr Burdett-Coutts’ comments comes day after Scottish comedian Susie McCabe warned people were facing "half full rooms" in the final weekend of the Fringe, while others are pulling their shows entirely, saying the event has “started too late”. Ms McCabe said the late-running festival, combined with a poor ticket booking app and soaring hotel prices, had left many performers struggling, saying “the arts is “getting leathered”.
Another comedian, Steve McLean took to social media to complain that the last week “has been a write off”, while performers of children’s shows have previously warned that the dates had hit their ticket sales, with many choosing shorter runs to link with the schools holidays ending.
A statement from Assembly said: “Having listened to feedback from participating companies and artists, Assembly is proposing that the dates of the Fringe move forward by a week in 2027, to allow more time before Scottish schools return in August. Companies and artists have consistently raised the current schedule as a pressure point, particularly in this last week, and Assembly believes an earlier start would ease that pressure without diminishing the festival.”
Mr Burdett-Coutts said a publicly-funded review should examine the rising cost of accommodation during the festival, and options for addressing it; whether venues working together could reduce costs, including through shared services or joint procurement.
The Fringe Society has already said it is undertaking its own strategic review, led by board members, after venue bosses said it had “lost sight of its purpose”.
Mr Burdett-Coutts said a review should also include a joint analysis, conducted with the Fringe Society, of how the relationship between venues and the Society can be improved and an analysis of the Fringe Society’s own expenditure and whether this can be made more efficient.
The statement said: “Assembly is calling on public bodies to fund this independent review as a matter of urgency, so that its findings and recommendations can be in place in time for the 2027 festival, when the Fringe marks its 80th anniversary. Assembly believes there is a narrow window to get this work done and acted upon before then.”
Mr Burdett-Coutts said: “I have spent 47 years working at the Fringe and the current fractured relationship between the core venues and the Fringe Society must be brought to a close. We then need to jointly advocate for the value of the Fringe to the arts and entertainment industry and the country at large, not only for the commercial benefit it brings to Scotland but for the development of work that feeds into all areas of these businesses.
“This is the single largest festival of its kind in the world and is too important to fail. And yet the funding made available to it falls far short of what is required. We need to preserve its future and secure the ability of shows to attend without exorbitant costs, safe in the knowledge that the Fringe is valued by funders of all kinds, public and private.”
Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Any decision to change the Fringe dates and rhythm would require extensive consultation with all participants – venues, artists, producers, Edinburgh Council, the hospitality sector, landlords, the other summer festivals and accommodation providers – and competing views and considerations would have to be heard.
“Any change should be agreed on the basis of solid data and the input from those who create the festival. We’re open to having such a discussion and, if it emerges that there’s a consensus within the wider community for a different rhythm, we would be supportive.
“However, given the extent of the consultation required and the work and planning that would need to follow any agreed change, this would not be achievable as soon as 2027. The announced 2027 dates see the overlap between school holidays and the Fringe revert to the familiar 12 day overlap, unlike the once-every-six-year five-day overlap we experienced in 2026, and which has driven much of the discussion around the dates.”
He added that the Fringe Society welcomes a financial review.
He said: “To properly understand the cost, and how money moves through the ecosystem, will require a wide, transparent, good faith effort joined by all. We will participate in such an analysis, with the objective of alleviating some of the cost pressures participants face.”
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