Edinburgh Festival Fringe is to provide accommodation for hundreds of participants during this year’s edition.
Organisers said their ‘festival village’ plan is a response to the rising cost and decreasing availability of accommodation in the city
The festival, which saw 49,827 performers feature in 2022 and more than 2 million visitors for each edition in the last ten years, has partnered with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh on the project. The university’s campus is located in Musselburgh, a six-minute train journey into the Edinburgh city centre, and will have private single rooms available for £269.50 ($340/€315) per week with the festival scheduled for August 2 to 26.
“We are very excited about the prospect of a festival village at the Queen Margaret University campus – not just for the accommodation it offers, but for the opportunity it presents artists to find their Fringe community, to meet and connect with each other and add another layer of value to their Fringe experience,” said chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Shona McCarthy.
“We are grateful to the team at QMU for working with us on this imaginative collaboration as we explore longer-term opportunities to work with both the academics and the students at QMU.
“While encouraging, we know this development won’t magically solve all the accommodation issues faced by artists and venues. However, alongside our other ongoing efforts to secure accommodation options, while also lobbying on artists’ behalf with local and national government, it represents a very positive step in the right direction.”
The festival’s affordable accommodation portal has also been re-opened for this year with housing options from other providers in Edinburgh.
As well as accommodation at the university, participants will have access to an onsite café, yoga classes, a rehearsal space and regular travel connections.
“As specialists in creative arts and cultural management, we are delighted to support the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with much-needed modern, good quality, affordable accommodation,” said Queen Margaret University’s head of commercial services Sarah Whigham.
“Festival participants who choose to stay in QMU’s accommodation can expect to benefit from excellent transport links into the centre of Edinburgh. It takes just six minutes’ train ride from Musselburgh Station – located immediately next to the University – into Waverley Station, and we have a regular bus service coming onto campus approximately every 10 minutes. Visitors can enjoy affordable rooms in shared flats in a safe and attractive campus environment with easy access to Scotland’s capital, as well as the beautiful East Lothian coast and countryside.”
Share this