How affordable are Edinburgh's festivals?

Edinburgh transforms each summer into a festival city, hosting the Fringe, the International Festival, the Military Tattoo and a range of film, arts and literary events. Complaints about rising costs are not new, but recent years have intensified concerns over the expense of attending the city’s summer festivals. BBC Scotland examined the main costs for festival‑goers to determine whether they are indeed paying more. Kaitlyn Smith, who has attended the Fringe every year since moving from Orkney a decade ago, described the cost as the “biggest barrier” for local residents seeking the full festival experience. She works handing out flyers to offset the expense of seeing a variety of performances in a single day. “A full day out at the Fringe, you can walk £100 or £200 in a day,” she said. “If you are coming on holiday, you know you are coming to the Fringe. You know you are saving up wealth to see it, but we’re here the whole period and obviously we would like to try and do the Fringe as well.” She added, “But you are paying £7 or £8 for a pint, £10 or £12 for food – that’s one meal. And that’s not even starting on your tickets for shows.” Smith concluded, “I think the shows are worth it, but if you want to see a large volume, you just can’t.” Darren Neale, venue manager at Greenside Venue, told BBC Scotland that almost every cost associated with running a Fringe venue has increased markedly over the years. Utilities, insurance, technical equipment, transport and other operational expenses have risen, but accommodation has seen the most dramatic change. “The cost of staying in Edinburgh during August has risen exponentially over the past decade, creating challenges not only for performers but also for the staff and freelancers who make the festival possible,” he said. “We have seen our accommodation costs rise on average by 300% in the past decade.” Neale added, “The festival’s affordability is one of the reasons it has become the world’s largest arts festival, and there is a real balance to be struck between paying people fairly, covering rising costs and keeping live theatre within reach of audiences.” Accommodation prices in Edinburgh have long been a point of contention for the city and its festivals. A dip in Fringe income in 2022 was blamed on rising accommodation costs, but income recovered in subsequent years, topping 2.6 million last year. Earlier this year the city lost the TV festival to Manchester, with organisers citing challenges around “accessibility, affordability and sustainability”. Data from commercial property information firm Costar show that average hotel prices have risen year‑on‑year since 2019. The average daily room rate in 2025 was just over £260, an increase of 9% on the previous August and 64% above pre‑Covid levels. For comparison, the rate was £110 in Glasgow and £81 in Manchester. Self‑catering options are not much cheaper: Visit Britain figures indicate that renting an entire property for one or two people costs visitors £204.68 per night in August 2025, versus £161.67 in Glasgow and £106.92 in Manchester. Rates for short‑term lets can vary dramatically depending on the type – private or shared room within a property, or booking an entire home – and the number of occupants. Visitors staying in Edinburgh this year will also have to pay the city’s new visitor tax – an additional 5% on top of their base booking cost for the first five nights. Due to a lack of publicly available data, BBC Scotland could not analyse festival accommodation costs at university‑run establishments. Last year 1.5 million Edinburgh residents attended the summer festivals, up from 1.4 million in 2024. High accommodation costs for city residents are not confined to August; Office for National Statistics data show that the capital boasts some of the highest average rents in the country. Turning to ticket prices, BBC Scotland analysed the mean cost of the cheapest tickets at the six August festivals – roughly 600,000 shows between 2016 and 2026 – to see if prices have shifted over the past decade. The investigation found that average ticket prices (excluding booking fees) rose in cash terms from £10 to £12.80. When adjusted for inflation, however, this year’s cheapest ticket price has actually fallen over the past decade, standing £1.37 lower than it was ten years ago, when the average cost was £14.17. In cash terms, average prices for the cheapest tickets were slightly higher before the pandemic but have broadly hovered around £12.75 since 2021, despite rising overheads for performers, production companies and venues. The figures vary by festival. Over the past decade the mean lowest ticket price at the Edinburgh International Festival rose in cash terms from £19.83 to £20.00. At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe the mean lowest price fell from £14.17 to £12.80. Real‑terms prices dropped from £17 to £15.50 at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and from £14.17 to £12 at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Because of the event’s nature, tickets for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo are generally more expensive than other shows. The analysis showed the Tattoo saw the largest increase, with mean lowest ticket prices rising by 36% from £35.41 to £48.00. Lori Anderson, manager of Festivals Edinburgh – the umbrella organisation for the city’s major festivals – said the events remain viewed as “incredible value for money” by residents and visitors alike. “Costs across Edinburgh in August have risen significantly, especially accommodation, and our festivals are actively grappling with those issues – albeit with no direct control over them,” she explained. “What we do control, however, are the events that happen each year.” She continued, “Our festivals work tirelessly to ensure tickets stay affordable for as many people as possible, putting in place ticket offers and concession prices for those who might otherwise feel excluded.” Festivals Edinburgh has estimated that the events contribute £852 million to Scotland’s economy each year. Anderson added, “We cannot be complacent – our festivals want to work with partners across the city to ensure Edinburgh is a city where everyone can afford to live, visit and perform.” Regarding the ticket sales data, BBC Scotland used official listings from Festivals Edinburgh to analyse the median lowest publicly advertised full‑price ticket from 2016 to 2026. Prices were adjusted for inflation using Office for National Statistics series D7BT/MM23 to allow comparisons over time. In the absence of ticket sales data, this approach enabled a consistent like‑for‑like price measurement for each event while reducing the impact of differing pricing structures and models across the festivals. The analysis does not account for tickets sold at a lower price due to promotions, nor concession tickets. Pay‑what‑you‑can, free shows and cancelled events were excluded, as were booking fees. The study includes only shows that took place in June, July or August. Additional reporting came from Isobel Cottam and James Delaney.