Edinburgh Fringe ticket sales concern over cost of living

Ticket sales for this year's Edinburgh Fringe have been slower than hoped for, with the cost of living crisis playing a major role, a leading venue has said.

Assembly, one of the Fringe's biggest operators, said ticket sales have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Edinburgh is set to host more than 3,000 shows when it starts next week.

The Assembly's general manager warned ticket sales could be slower due to a trend of people booking later for live events, in the wake of Covid-19.

Dani Rae said: "We are not quite at 2019 levels but we are creeping up towards it.

"We are conscious of the cost of living which is why we've done a welcome back offer where we have 35,000 tickets for a fiver."

The Fringe was cancelled completely in 2020 because of the pandemic but made a limited return last year with about 600 shows instead of the usual 3,000.

This year the festival will be almost the same size as 2019 but there are concerns rising accommodation and food costs could put some off.

An Edinburgh Fringe spokeswoman said tickets sales had been promising but people were not booking as early as they had done previously.

She said: "As we continue to recover from the pandemic, we recognise that the UK is also experiencing a heightened cost of living.

"We expect booking patterns to be different this year and anticipate many visitors will be making late decisions on how often to visit the Fringe."

Ms Rae added: "There is a real pressure on the city to look at how we support artists and visitors to come and stay.

"It is going to have an impact but I think people are going to need a good time to weather that storm."

In total, the Edinburgh summer festivals, which also include the International festival, book festival and film festival, are estimated to be worth more than £300m to Scotland's economy.

Businesses in the heart of Edinburgh, which heavily rely on international tourists, were devastated when foreign inbound travel was banned during the pandemic.

But Callum Fletcher, assistant manager of the Whiski bar on the Royal Mile, said: "Business has picked up massively in the last month. If you looked earlier in the year, it was still a lot less busy but now we are rammed."

Mr Fletcher said the cost of living was having an impact on UK tourists, who form the bulk of the Fringe audience, but foreign travellers were returning.

He said: "I think we are seeing people having a pinch. We are seeing less domestic tourists at the moment. People are less likely to do city trips. But there are loads of American tourists."

Mr Fletcher said: "I would say about 90% of the people coming through our door are here on holiday.

"It is great to have the festival back. You can already feel a buzz around town. There's a lot of folk on the streets. It's going to be a hefty year.

Michael Lyons, a taxi driver in Edinburgh for 30 years, said the festival's return was hugely welcome after a difficult few years.

He said: "It's not just good for taxi drivers, but also restaurants, hotels for everyone concerned.

"It's fantastic for everyone making a living. Any event in your city with more people means more business.

"I don't think the cost of living will make a difference. If people go on holiday and they are counting their pennies then they shouldn't come."