Edinburgh Fringe 2023 Kicks Off!

Friday 04 August 2023, marked the official start of the 76th Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which will run until Monday 28 August 2023. Artists from 72 countries will be represented at the Fringe this August, with 973 shows from Scotland and 469 from Edinburgh itself!

The vision of the Fringe is to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat, and this year the average ticket price is less than £12, allowing audiences to experience a variety of work at a relatively low cost. There are also 439 free shows at this year’s Fringe, and another 614 using the ‘pay what you want’ or ‘pay what you can’ model.

Following its launch last month, the new Fringe app has received over 36,000 downloads across the app stores. From today, the ‘nearby now’ functionality will encourage audiences to try something new near them, when between shows; with the Shake it Up feature also providing a random show selection to take a chance on.

This August there are 3,535* shows registered, who will undertake over 52,000 performances during the month. The world-famous Fringe Street Events will start tomorrow and will run from 11:00 till 19:00 every day from 05 – 26 August with events free to attend and open to all.

Supporting artists by facilitating a range of services via the Fringe Society, so far this year the Media Office has accredited over 700 reviewers, editors, journalists and broadcasters, who will be instrumental in boosting artists’ profile. In addition, to date, some 950 arts industry professionals from 45 countries have accredited, and will be on the lookout for shows at the Fringe to offer onward touring or TV and film adaptation opportunities.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “I love this time of year, when Edinburgh becomes this melting pot of creativity and global connection, it is just brilliant to be off and running with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023! There are so many who have worked so hard to get to this point - artists, producers, venues, all the behind the scenes workers and Fringe supporters, too many more to mention – I want to say a massive thank you to all of you, and hope you get a chance to enjoy this amazing thing you’ve created over the next three-and-a-bit weeks!

“The Fringe Society exists to support artists come to the Fringe and our team will be within the Fringe Central Artist Hub throughout August with on the ground help and advice. There is a great programme of events taking place there, to support artists with their future career ambitions. For our Fringe audience, please dive into this wonderful festival with its incredible mix of genres and imagination; from established names to thousands of first-time or emerging performers. I urge you now more than ever, to support the artists by going to see shows, and then more shows, and then see even more! Get out there and Fill Yer Boots!”

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About the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 04 - 28 August 2023. More information about the programme and tickets can be found at edfringe.com.

About the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the charity that underpins the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe. It was established in 1958 by a group of artists to provide central services for the festival and ensure that it stays true to its founding purpose of inclusion and welcome to all. We exist to support and encourage everyone who wants to participate in the Fringe; to provide information and assistance to audiences; and to celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world.

Based on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Society has a small team of staff who work year-round to assist all the artists and audiences who make the festival one of the best loved performing arts events on the planet. In 2022, as part of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary, the Fringe Society launched a new collaborative vision and set of values, and made a series of commitments to become more inclusive, fair and sustainable. The vision is “to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat”.

Our three values will guide the behaviours and decisions of everyone involved with the Fringe: celebrate performing arts, be open to all and look out for each other. The Society will live by them, champion them and uphold them where necessary.

* www.edfringe.com listings include shows which may be performing across multiple spaces and also shows which have been cancelled but may appear within the printed Fringe