The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has launched its review of the year: an in-depth look at its work over the past 12 months. 

One of the controversies this year was the absence of the Fringe App, which helps fans find gigs by time and location. Many performers felt that the App helped them to sell tickets in previous years. Following the intense interest in a Fringe app for 2023, 46% of audience respondents to a mass feedback project said they felt an app would have improved their Fringe experience, with 66% stating they would use an app in the future.

This aligned with artist feedback, with 71% stating a Fringe app is very important to them. Work on the 2023 app is already underway and details on its functionality and launch timings will be announced in the new year.

By the end of August, over 2.2m tickets had been issued, and artists from 63 countries had performed in over 3,400 shows across Edinburgh.

Read the Fringe Society’s full review of the year 2022 at https://edfringe.shorthandstories.com/fringe-review-2022.

More than 10,000 responses across the feedback surveys were received, with results now being used to support the development of new projects, and to target future plans. These vital data insights also give us the evidence base we need to advocate for focused support and address some of the challenges identified by the Fringe community.

The positioning of the festival continues to be strong: 76% of audience members agreed that the Fringe is one of the most important cultural events in the world. When asked for motivations for attending the 2022 Fringe, respondents cited seeing a variety of events/performances (76%) and enjoying live performance after the pandemic (49%).

Edinburgh’s residents continue to be vital to the festival: 65% feel the Fringe makes the city a better place to live, alongside 75% who feel it makes Edinburgh a better place to visit.  With the cost-of-living crisis likely to extend into 2023, 66% of audiences would like ticket offers or discounted tickets, with 91% of Edinburgh residents interested in a discount for EH postcodes.

The live experience continues to be a major motivator, with only 7% agreeing that they would like to see more online shows at the Fringe. 

For artists, the Fringe continues to be a core platform for artists’ careers, with 82% of those attending the Fringe for the first time doing so for professional development reasons. For returning Fringe artists, experiencing the Fringe was the biggest motivator, with 82% citing this as the main reason.

Accommodation continues to be a concern for many performers: 87% of artists felt that affordability of accommodation and living costs will be a barrier to future participation in the Fringe; however 70% of artists said they are still likely to bring a show to the Fringe in the future.  Interestingly, 17% of artists did not engage directly with the Society, and as such were not aware of the full offering of services available to them such as Fringe Connect and Fringe Marketplace.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s easy to forget how tumultuous this year has been – between Omicron variants, the cost-of-living crisis and de-stabilising world events, it feels miraculous the Fringe happened at all. The fact that it did is a testament to the concerted effort and support of a cast of thousands, including artists, audiences, venues, media, staff, volunteers, crew, sponsors, elected officials and the city of Edinburgh itself.

Improvements can always be made, and the insights and data gained from our recent listening exercise are already being taken forward. We recognise that there are ongoing challenges, and our team are working hard behind the scenes to continue to advocate for our artists, and to support audiences as they plan for Fringe 2023.”

DOWNLOAD REVIEW OF THE YEAR HERE.

New vision + values, and Fringe development goals available here. 

About the surveys:

• Over 10,000 responses were received across the surveys
• The research was undertaken by independent research agency Scotinform who were commissioned to undertake this research
• Surveys ran from late September until late October and were promoted through Fringe Society channels including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and newsletter databases to audiences, artists and venues.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 4 – 28 August 2023. More information about the programme and tickets can be found at edfringe.com.