Performers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are being offered cut-price accommodation by universities as part of a drive to ensure they are not priced of the city this summer. It seems like the prices for acts appearing in Scotland’s biggest cultural are being pegged under £300 a week per person at two different self-catering sites. The Fringe Society has revealed more than 100 rooms are currently available at an official “Festival Village” at Queen Margaret University’s campus on Musselburgh and at Edinburgh University accommodation near the Meadows in the city center.
The arts charity is also recommending an “Artist Village” glamping site which is being created in a walled garden at the historic Drum Estate in south Edinburgh, where bell tents for up to four people will cost £100 per night. Not really sure why this matters, but it seems like they are also urging performers and companies to consider staying in outlying neighborhoods rather than the city center to help keep their costs down and let them experience the “real” Edinburgh off the city’s main tourist trail. The Fringe Society has admitted concern over the affordability and availability of accommodation is one of the biggest barriers to taking part in the festival, which has an “open access” ethos.
Queen Margaret University has pledged to peg the price of accommodation for Edinburgh Festival Fringe performers. New challenges this year include the first ever concerts at Murrayfield Stadium which will clash with the Fringe this summer and the introduction of the city’s proposed new tourist tax, which apply to bookings made after this October for people staying in the city during the 2026 Fringe. Demand for accommodation has seen hotel prices soar above £1000 a room for some leading hotels in August on nights when Oasis and AC/DC are appearing at Murrayfield. Edinburgh University accommodation in the Sciennes area is being pegged back for Fringe performers at £287 per week.
A spokesperson for the Fringe Society said: “It’s incredibly important for Fringe participants to be able to access affordable accommodation this August and beyond, to allow artists to focus on their work instead of an additional financial pressure. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like as part of our support services for artists, we work with the TheatreDigsBooker website and a range of universities and to ensure provision of and signpost to affordable accommodation to artists performing at the Fringe. We have an online accommodation portal which signposts availability across these organizations.
Official advice on the Fringe Society’s accommodation portal states: “Edinburgh is a small city and travel times and distances may appear greater than they actually are, so don’t be afraid to venture outside the city center. This comes with many benefits: not only is it usually much cheaper, but you’ll also benefit from quieter neighborhoods, parks and green spaces to reflect and recover, plus more space and larger properties for larger groups. You’ll get to experience the ‘real’ Edinburgh that most tourists miss, and you’ll generally still be within a 15–20 minute journey from the center, whether you’re traveling on foot, by bike or on the bus.” The Fringe Society has joined forces with Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh, around six miles from the Royal mile, to run an official “Festival Village” for artists and performers who stay there, who get access to rehearsal spaces, networking events, outdoor yoga classes, an onsite café and gym facilities.
