Why the spirit of Edinburgh Festival Fringe seems irretrievably broken

In August, Fringe artists will descend on Edinburgh for their chance to make it big. More than three million visitors will arrive during the month-long theatre festival to take advantage of the entertainment, making it one of Scotland’s most important economic drivers and cultural landmarks.

So far, the 2024 line-up is expected to feature up to 3,237 shows. The sheer scale and rapid growth of the festival continues to dilute the chances of artist success, with little hope of becoming the next Tim Minchin or Jude Law, who won significant recognition and acclaim for their debut performances. Instead, many artists leave the festival out of pocket, often in financial deficit and certainly without the prospect of taking part in a lucrative Netflix special like Baby Reindeer.

Is it worth it? John Hugo – an award-winning international artist returning to Edinburgh Fringe for the second year running, this time as part of the critically acclaimed show Messy Friends – stated: “The cost of running the five-man show will equate to approximately £50,000. These budget expenses will include international transport, minimum wage payments, accommodation costs, technology and equipment hire and producer fees, alongside PR marketing.” A £23,000 return on this investment is assumed from ticket sales, leaving the show with an estimated £27,000 operational loss.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe is meant to be an event that anyone can take part in but high costs are an increasing problem (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Fortunately for Messy Friends, the loss is due to be absorbed by a private investor who, in return, will receive a share of the show’s profits should it achieve success beyond the festival. It’s a high-risk, high-reward game.

£300 a night for accommodation

Those who do not have the luxury of such external sources of funding to cover Fringe expenses will certainly be suffering, particularly during a severe cost-of-living crisis. The ‘2024 Keep it Fringe fund’ of £2,500, due to assist a lucky 180 artists, will not be enough to provide the wide-scale support performers need.

Hugo added: “Excluding payments for performers, the cost of accommodation and marketing have seen an astronomical increase of 20 per cent since last year’s festival, and up to 85 per cent for required pieces of equipment.”

Soaring accommodation costs over the period are a particularly painful point, averaging £300 a night throughout the festival. Fringe artists residing in the city for the whole month will therefore accumulate approximately £9,300-worth in overheads on accommodation alone. For some, sacrifices on other living expenses may well need to be made.

Original open-access spirit

Sadly, the increasing overheads of performing at the event means many performers, particularly local or new acts, are being pushed out of taking part on price alone, or are choosing to save their pennies by performing elsewhere. Adding to these pressures are international performers who are willing to make the investment and accept their predicted losses for a shot of fame and success, outpricing domestic acts in the process. In the end, these barriers mean that it is Scotland’s local talent who are losing out on opportunities to perform at Fringe.

One must question whether the Festival Fringe has lost its original spirit of open-access and inclusivity to provide opportunities for new innovative, experimental, and unconventional performances. Is now the time to introduce rules to equalise the playing field for new and local acts and recapture the spirit of Fringe which currently seems irretrievably broken?

Alexandra Colalillo is an economist