Love the Fringe: A Positive Project for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Overview

A United Effort: For the first time, key organisations behind the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have come together in a collaborative initiative to support and celebrate the festival.
Not Just a Membership—A Movement: While Love the Fringe is a membership scheme, its core mission is to strengthen the festival's future, support its artists, and celebrate its cultural legacy.
For Everyone Who Loves the Fringe: This is your chance to show your support, enjoy great perks, and help sustain the world's most vibrant arts festival.

Lower Booking Fees: Capped at £5 vs. competitors charging up to £7.50 — saving audiences £2.50 per transaction.
Shared Revenue: 50% of booking fee income goes directly to venues, supporting those who make the festival happen.
Better for Artists & Venues:
- Only 3% commission
- Full control over show listings and promotions
- 100% of all net income (after costs) are returned to artists & venues

A membership scheme launched by major venues:

Direct financial support from membership revenue
Increased exposure through promotions
Incentives for offering discounted or free tickets making better use of unused inventory

This 3-year pilot shares profits equally between artists and venues, encouraging a more sustainable model for discounted ticketing.

Example Breakdown:

Artists and venues benefit, even from free tickets

Shows are asked to allocate 3% of their total ticket inventory to Love the Fringe promotions.

Example:

These can be:

Shows can offer additional discounts on EdFest.com at their discretion (2-for-1s, £5 tickets, etc.)

Ambition for 18,000 memberships in 2025, potentially generating £500,000
- Estimated £400,000+ going directly to artists, producers, and venues after costs

Love the Fringe is more than a membership—it's a powerful tool to:

Make the festival more accessible and affordable
Reward artists and venues fairly
Build a loyal and engaged audience
Strengthen the future of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Combined venues participating in the scheme have 1 million tickets to sell per week during the festival and, on average, half of these don't get used. This aims to highlight the positive message about the Fringe, making better use of unused inventory.