Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Lord Provost to become event's official ambassador for first time

Robert Aldridge to work with Fringe Society board and senior management

Edinburgh's Lord Provost is to become an official ambassador for the Fringe for the first time in the festival’s history as part of efforts to secure the long-term future of the event.

Robert Aldridge is to join Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Eddie Izzard as official figureheads of the world's biggest arts festival after the idea was backed by councillors.

The Lord Provost is expected to work closely with the board and senior management of the Fringe Society to help promote the event at home and abroad.

Edinburgh's Lord Provost Robert Aldridge met the cast of the South African production Dark Noon at the 2023 Fringe.

The newly-created post is expected to see the Lord Provost play a key role in bolstering support for the 77-year-old event, which will launch ticket sales for this year’s programme later this month.

The Lord Provost’s new appointment has been confirmed weeks after the Fringe Society warned the Scottish Parliament the event’s “old economic models” were no longer sustainable in the long term.

MSPs were told that despite the Fringe generating upwards of £200 million for the city’s economy, there was no “strategic or joined-up approach” to the event.

The Fringe Society has suggested the event “falls through the cracks" of potential public funding support and is “looking diminished” due to a lack of serious investment in the face of competition from other UK cities.

Robert Aldridge is Edinburgh's Lord Provost. Picture: Greg Macvean

Fringe Society chief executive Shona McCarthy said: “As the civic head for the city, and Edinburgh’s ambassador on a world stage, we look forward to working closely with the Lord Provost in the months and years to come.

“For over 75 years, the Fringe has been recognised as one of the most culturally important events on the planet. It is easy to forget just how much it is part of Edinburgh’s DNA and how much this city has formed and shaped this global project.”

The Lord Provost has traditionally had a seat on the board of the Edinburgh International Festival, which was also launched in 1947. Mr Aldridge said: “The Fringe is one of Edinburgh’s greatest success stories and has brought the world to the capital every August for over 75 years.

“I’m excited to start working with the board and promoting the work of this Edinburgh institution to our city and beyond. The Fringe is now an essential part of the identity of our city. I look forward to seeing how it will grow and evolve in the coming years.”