The Edinburgh festival fringe has always been known for its vast array of venues, from the premium to the homespun. Behind every doorway and around every corner lies a different performance, or so goes the lore.
But as arts spaces across Scotland’s capital struggle to stay afloat, the number of venues hosting fringe shows this year is among the lowest of the past decade. In August, according to official Fringe figures, 262 venues will welcome audiences, an almost 20% reduction since the festival’s peak of 323 venues in 2019.
The fringe was cancelled in 2020 during the pandemic, and returned with a scaled-down programme in 2021, hosted by 135 venues. It has since struggled to return to pre-Covid numbers, despite the number of shows being the highest since 2019.
“The parlous position of many venues reflects the stark year-round reality of Edinburgh’s performing arts economy,” said Will Quinn, editor of the Edinburgh-based arts website The Quinntessential Review.
“The triple-whammy of austerity-induced funding cuts, decades of wage stagnation, and a lack of commercial acumen among local artistic leaders has pushed many of the city’s performing arts venues and organisations near, or into, the red,” he said.
“Passion and belief can only sustain an operation for so long in the face of relentless operating losses.”
Among previously beloved venues missing from this year’s programme are the Rose theatre, a former church which was transformed into a sprawling five-storey space in 2018 but which was put up for sale last year.
The Leith theatre, historically associated with the main festival, has been on the theatres at risk register since 2016 and remains closed for repairs, as does the city’s King’s theatre which was saved from closure last year after financial trouble.
Others are participating as usual, despite uncertain futures or previous challenges. Landmark music venue the Jazz Bar announced its immediate closure in April but was saved when campaigners raised more than £43,000. It will become home to almost 40 shows spanning blues, swing, jazz and more across August.
In June, it was announced that Summerhall, home to Richard Gadd’s stage show Baby Reindeer, now a Netflix hit, as well as performances from the likes of Pussy Riot and Nile Rodgers, was to be sold. It will still host more than 100 shows next month, but campaigners are still seeking reassurances.
“Summerhall is at the heart of the fringe, hosting last year’s Fringe of Colour Films festival, and LGBTQIA+ performances,” said Nat Gorodnitski, of the Save Summerhall campaign.
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“Save Summerhallis our campaign celebrating and preserving the thriving community of tenants, staff, and visitors we have year round, and aims to continue its role in the fringe and the arts in Scotland for years to come. We can’t imagine our city without it.”
Some venues have had to adapt and collaborate to survive. Dance Base, the self-styled “home of dance at the fringe”, announced plans in 2022 to cut half its workforce and close parts of its building in the face of financial challenges. But in 2023 it paired up with Assembly, one of the “big four” Edinburgh venues, which is now responsible for much of the venue’s running, while Dance Base maintains control of its programme.
“[The partnership] was in part a response to difficult financial challenges but reflects a relationship based on our shared love of the fringe, and our shared commitment to supporting artists to get the most from the festival,” said Dance Base chief executive Jim Hollington.
“We bring our reputation, national and international networks and curatorial expertise, and the Assembly festival team bring their ability to support artists on the ground and deliver and market shows.
“Without Assembly festival’s willingness to take the lion’s share of the financial risk, we would almost certainly have lost Dance Base as the home of dance at the fringe.”