Numbers soar as Fringe records big tickets increase

The organisers of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have celebrated another incredible August, as they announced that almost 2.5 million tickets were issued at 2016's year's mammoth event, representing an increase of 7.7% on the previous year.

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During the festival's three frantically fun weeks, there were 50,266 performances of 3269 shows in 294 different venues as the Fringe proudly demonstrated its diversity and range.

After enjoying her first August as Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Shona McCarthy said:

In 2016, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has once again been a spectacular success, welcoming performers and audiences from across the globe, and issuing an estimated 2,475,143 tickets. We hope that all those who attended ticketed shows, as well as the thousands of people who attended the 643 free shows in the programme, truly enjoyed their Fringe experience.

Sir Tim O’Shea, Fringe Society Chair added:

On behalf of the audiences from home and abroad who enjoyed this year’s Fringe, I would like to thank the thousands of participants that have worked so hard to entertain and inspire us. The Fringe would not be possible without the courage, creativity and sheer hard work of the festival’s participants, and for that we are very grateful.

As well as enjoying huge ticketing success, the Fringe also worked hard to help performers and audiences alike during their visits and beyond. With a brand new mobile app and the Fringe's new strategic partnership with Skyscanner, festivalgoers were able to plan both their travel to the city and their Fringe entertainment once they got here.

And Fringe participants were able to take advantage of 106 free events at Fringe Central, looking at international touring, fundraising, and skills development.

Fringe Central's venue, the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, was also recognised for its work in accessibility, winning the Spirit of Inclusion award, part of the Accessible Edinburgh Festival Awards, set up by disabled access review website, Euan’s Guide.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will return from 4-28 August 2017, and Shona McCarthy added:

We are now looking forward to our 70th anniversary celebrations in 2017 and hope that as many people as possible will join us to mark this fantastic milestone in the history of Edinburgh’s festivals.

Find out more about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe here. Or let us help you start planning your 2017 visit.

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