Acts ‘opting out’ of Edinburgh Fringe after ‘300 per cent rise’ in accommodation costs

An Edinburgh arts charity has revealed performers face a huge rise in accommodation costs for Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

New evidence presented to the Scottish Parliment by The Fringe Society shows the cost of August accommodation have surged by 300 per cent over the past six years.

According to the Society, who provide support for Fringe performers, landlords are charging up to £9,000 for single bedroom flats over the festival period.

MSP’s have been told of a “rapid trend” of Fringe performers downsizing their performances and cutting their runs short, as performers struggle to find affordable accommodation for the full month.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is a word-renowned performing arts festival that takes place in the city every August.

Concerns over an accommodation shortage come after impressive ticket sales of over 2.61 million this year, the fourth highest total in its 77 year history. The 2024 event also saw 3,746 registered performances, the second highest tally since the record was broken in 2019.

Artists have spoken about “opting out” of the Fringe in as a response to the growing expense of attending.

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Fringe Society, has issued warnings of the “dreaded rising costs” of accommodation for the Festival, which will require an “Olympic response” to tackle.

These new figures align with an overall rise in cost for Edinburgh accommodation, recently revealed as the sixth most expensive city to rent in the UK. Rents for student accommodation have also risen considerably over the years.

Earlier this year, The Edinburgh Tab found rising costs to be impacting Edinburgh students significantly, with 57 per cent of students having skipped meals due to financial difficulties.

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Fringe performers have likewise spoken about the sacrifices required to perform in the city, with many turning to crowdfunding or working multiple jobs while in the city to cover the costs.

There are worries that emerging artists are being “squeezed out” by a “relentless rise in the cost of everything”, with the Festival at risk of platforming only those who can afford to attend. Financial barriers are cited as making the Festival into an “elitist” event, with an under-representation of working class acts.

Supporters of the Society fear accommodation costs will mean losing the “fantastic diversity of talent the Fringe brings out of the shadows”, as the range of performers and visitors decreases in response to the financial burdens of attending.

The Fringe Society’s dossier calls for a regulation of accommodation prices in the city, warning that otherwise Edinburgh risks losing its reputation as a “world-class, must-see cultural destination”.

One artist told The Scotsman: “The Fringe is a place like no other and as an artist it is a must in the calendar. However, it is a huge financial burden that is not easing any time soon.”.

Last year, Edinburgh City Council announced tighter regulations on short-term lets. It requires anyone looking to rent out their property, or parts of it, for short periods of time to seek permission from the council and meet strict safety guidelines.

The regulations have come in following increasing stress of the rental market in Edinburgh with an additional 25,000 “bed nights” being needed to meet demand during the peak summer festival season.

Responding to a Holyrood consultation on the initial impact of the new short-term licensing scheme, the Fringe Society said it wanted a rethink to ensure the letting out of spare rooms and personal properties people were living in was as “simple and streamlined as possible”.

One supporter of The Fringe told The Scotsman: “I am very concerned that the costs of accommodation and putting on a show are now a barrier to the kinds of artists and shows that the Fringe is really for.