THE Edinburgh Fringe is set to receive a funding package from the Scottish Government for the first time in seven years.
The Fringe Society has been awarded £300,000 to be used to improve accessibility at the festival, The Scotsman reports.
As part of the agreement with the Scottish Government, the money will be used to develop data and digital infrastructure to improve accessibility for artists, audiences and venues and to help Scottish artists and the sector capitalise on international opportunities.
The festival was last awarded core funding from the Scottish Government in 2018. During the pandemic, it received a £1 million loan from Holyrood, and is also given £500k annually to run the Made in Scotland showcase, which supports Scottish artists and companies to perform at the festival.
In 2023, the Fringe Society won £7m in investment from the UK Government, which is being used to develop a new permanent base for the organisation on Infirmary Street.
Shona McCarthy, outgoing chief executive of the Fringe Society, previously warned that a lack of funding was making the festival – which the society claims has been valued at more than £200m to the economy – "almost impossible" to deliver.
In response to the new funding announcement, McCarthy said: "We welcome this new funding and thank the Scottish Government for recognising the unique position that the Fringe Society has.
"This will undoubtedly contribute greatly to Scotland’s economy, society and culture sector and we hope that this is a first step towards long-term funding for the Fringe Society.
“It is vital that the Fringe Society can continue to provide much needed core services to the thousands of artists who come to the festival every year and who recognise it as a global marketplace and expo.
“A sustainable Fringe Society can use its convening role to unlock support for the wider Fringe from the imminent visitor levy.”
McCarthy added: “We look forward to working with [Deputy First Minister] Kate Forbes and the Scottish Government on developing a long-term sustainable funding model, and welcome this investment into both digital infrastructure and international opportunities.”
Forbes said: “The Fringe is one of Scotland’s signature events. From humble beginnings in 1947, it has grown to become the world’s largest performing arts festival, making it a significant economic contributor to Edinburgh, and Scotland as a whole.
“This agreement recognises firstly that the Fringe Society does not neatly fit into the funding streams available to other culture organisations.
“Secondly, that there is ample opportunity for the Fringe Society to work more closely with all the other organisations who play an important role in making the Fringe the annual success that it is.”
She added: “The Scottish Government is committed to working with the Fringe Society and all partners who deliver, it to help safeguard the future of the Edinburgh Fringe as a world-leading cultural asset, built on the principle of free access for all.”
