Edinburgh folk get their city back!

Fireworks concert brings record-breaking Festival to a close

After 50,266 performances of 3,269 shows in 294 venues across Edinburgh, the final curtain has fallen on the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe – and it’s been yet another record-breaking year for the luvvies …

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that by Monday afternoon, with hundreds of performances still to take place, an estimated 2,475,143 tickets had been issued for shows across Scotland’s capital. The number of tickets issued reflects a 7.7% increase in comparison to tickets issued by the same point last year.

This year marked Shona McCarthy’s first Fringe as Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.

Shona McCarthy said: “In 2016, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has once again been a spectacular success, welcoming performers and audiences from across the globe, and issuing an estimated 2,475,143 tickets. We hope that all those who attended ticketed shows, as well as the thousands of people who attended the 643 free shows in the programme, truly enjoyed their Fringe experience.

“The Fringe plays an essential role in the global arts community, providing a platform for artists from around the UK and the rest of the world to showcase their work and make new connections. With 48 countries represented in this year’s programme, the breadth and diversity of talent on offer has been astounding.

“We are now looking forward to our 70^th anniversary celebrations in 2017 and hope that as many people as possible will join us to mark this fantastic milestone in the history of Edinburgh’s festivals.”

Sir Tim O’Shea, Fringe Society Chair added: “On behalf of the audiences from home and abroad who enjoyed this year’s Fringe, I would like to thank the thousands of participants that have worked so hard to entertain and inspire us. The Fringe would not be possible without the courage, creativity and sheer hard work of the festival’s participants, and for that we are very grateful.”

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs said: “This has been another excellent year for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Every year the Fringe evolves, providing new opportunities for Scottish, UK and international artists to take the next step in their careers. The Fringe, which benefitted from £560,000 of Scottish Government Expo funding, demonstrates the very best of what Scotland has to offer, giving visitors from around the world truly unique experiences, against the spectacular backdrop that Edinburgh provides.” 

In 2016 new initiatives from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society included the launch of a new mobile app, developed in partnership with Glasgow based, BAFTA-award winning digital design and development company, Screenmedia. The Fringe App, available on Android and iOS devices, helped thousands of festival-goers to navigate their way through the Fringe this August. Fringe App users were able to browse shows, plot their routes and share their festival diaries with friends. The app also enabled users to find a bargain, displaying shows with tickets on offer at the Virgin Money Half Price Hut.

The Fringe Society also unveiled a new strategic partnership with Skyscanner, helping audiences and artists attending the Fringe to plan their travel to and from Edinburgh.

Fringe Central, the Society’s centre for performing companies, venues, media and arts industry professionals attending the Fringe, delivered its largest ever programme of professional development events for Fringe participants. 106 free events covered a variety of topics including international touring, fundraising, and skills development. The Fringe Central Welcome Address was delivered by award-winning comedian Sam Wills, creator and star of The Boy With Tape On His Face. Based at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation for the first time this year, Fringe Central was also the winner of the Spirit of Inclusion award, part of the Accessible Edinburgh Festival Awards, set up by disabled access review website, Euan’s Guide.

Access has been a key topic of discussion at this year’s Fringe. Fringe Central hosted a series of events entitled Breaking Down Barriers,exploring accessibility, equalities and diversity at the Fringe, and in the wider performing arts sector. The Fringe Society is currently working towards becoming an accredited Attitude Champion with deaf and disability charity Attitude is Everything, and recently launched a free online access training resource, designed to enable anyone working for the Fringe Society and the wider Fringe to improve the experiences of disabled audiences and participants.