Although the Edinburgh festivals are still six months away, there have been a series of announcements in the early weeks of 2025 offering hope of a bright future.
Given that the city is relatively small and quite a distance from London, let alone New York or Sydney, Edinburgh has the ability to attract theatre lovers like nowhere else with the exception of the West End or Broadway. At times, it feels as though everybody with an interest in the art form has been there at some time, whether as a student, a proud parent, a performer or merely someone looking for a rich variety of entertainments.
The pull of the city can best be understood through the initial announcement of high-profile performers who will be strutting their stuff at Pleasance this coming August. They might be screen stars and surely don’t need the pittance that they might earn, but, to choose two performers as representative, Miriam Margolyes and Paul Merton could easily be enjoying luxury holidays in midsummer but prefer to spend a month entertaining punters (and themselves) in the Scottish capital. This is quite amazing when you consider that the former will be 84 when she appears, while her fellow is an addict who first performed in the city over four decades ago and has done so regularly since.
After a few rocky years both artistically and financially, set in train on the inception of the pandemic, both the Fringe and International Festival should be on a firmer footing going forwards. That is partly because the Scottish government, by way of contrast with its fellows south of the border, is increasing arts funding via Creative Scotland. I will repeat that: the Scottish government has increased arts funding. This will give a much-needed boost to a sector that has literally been struggling to survive.
The amounts involved are far from negligible. Organisations with an existing regular funding relationship with Creative Scotland will receive an average uplift of 34 per cent in 2025/26, increasing to an average of 54 per cent from 2026/27.
It may be coincidental, but the Fringe has established a permanent new home just around the corner from Pleasance as well, which will make life considerably easier for all involved. The Fringe is also to benefit to the tune of around £1 million a year from the new Edinburgh Tourist Tax, which is to be implemented from July next year. In broad terms, the plan is to charge an additional 5% of accommodation costs to tourists visiting the city but only for the first five nights of their stay.
Theorists might suggest that this will lead to a reduction in tourist numbers. Were that to happen, it would ease overcrowding at some favourite tourist destinations, which may be no bad thing, especially outside the festival season.
More realistically, it is unlikely that anybody would notice. The average visitor would expect to budget for (say) £100 / $100 / €100 a night and not be fussed how this is made up. If they suddenly discovered that the price has gone up by a fiver, few are likely to cancel their trips, though they may seek slightly more economical housing.
More funding is needed and the Fringe’s Chief Executive Shona McCarthy issued an open letter earlier this week the text of which is copied on the following page.
If you haven’t already, this might be the time to book a stay in Edinburgh this August. You are bound to enjoy the experience and will even have a little more to spend, in the final year before the accommodation tax comes into play.