In the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, and the significant rise in cost of delivering all services, the Fringe Society needs to adjust fees and commissions to retain the full range of services to the whole Fringe community and secure the long-term sustainability of the charity as a going concern. The adjustments will be as follows:
Fringe Box Office fee rebate
Since 2022 the Fringe Society has operated a fee rebate process after payout, redistributing a share of the revenue from Fringe Society box office booking fees, which are paid by audiences, and retaining only what we require to provide services to the Fringe. Since that point, we have distributed over £1.8Mn (net) in handling fees to the Fringe community.
This agreement was for three years, recognising that the Fringe community has been adversely affected by increased costs across most areas connected with taking part in the festival. We continue to recognise the needs of venues and producers, maintaining the rebate for 2025 but with a necessary reduction from a threshold of 60% to 50%. This will be implemented for the 2025 festival.
Commission rate
The Fringe box office applies an administrative commission of 4% (+VAT) on the face value of all tickets sold through the Fringe box office. In 2013 the commission rate was reduced from 6% to 4% and has remained unchanged since then. In 2025 the commission rate will increase to 5% (+VAT) to help address rising costs of software, technology, human resource and customer service in delivering ticketing services for the festival.
This increase, which has been held off for as long as possible since Covid, reflects the current financial position – if this position becomes more favourable going forward, we will review the rates again in 2026.
Registration fees
There will be no changes to registration fees in 2025 or 2026.
Registration fees have been frozen since 2007, and we made a public commitment not to change these before 2027. It is impossible to balance the rising costs to deliver services without at some stage also having to look at our whole fee structure. From 2027 we anticipate registration fees rising by a minimum of 10% and keeping pace with CPI (customer price index) thereafter.
The changes to rebate and commission will be implemented for the 2025 festival. There’s no specific action needed by you, but we wanted to let you know before registration opens in January.
The above changes have been extensively discussed by the Fringe Society Board and were approved at the 26 November Board meeting.
If you have any queries regarding any of the above changes, please get in touch with us at artists@edfringe.com or on 0131 226 0026.
Contextual information
We know that the current economic environment is an enormous challenge for the whole Fringe community, and the cost of presenting the Fringe has increased for everyone. We have endeavoured to keep costs to a minimum and to use our convening role to unlock support through every route possible. We have frozen registration fees for almost 20 years, have rebated income to support venues and artists post-pandemic, and subsidised the cost of servicing the Fringe by generating additional income through partnerships and fundraising. The adjustment of fees from 2025 is an essential measure and we will continue to keep all commissions, rebates and fees under review to ensure a dynamic approach should the economic context improve as we move forward.
We will continue to seek investment from every other route, to maximise ways to secure support for Fringe constituents and to challenge policy decisions that increase costs. From the Keep it Fringe fund for artists, to sourcing more capacity in affordable accommodation, and advocating for recognition of the Fringe as an Olympic-scale event that needs investment and a supportive policy environment, we are committed to the ongoing effort.
Fringe Society services
We understand the financial and emotional risks for artists and participants have grown alongside the UK-wide and global reputation of the Edinburgh Fringe as a vital showcase and marketplace. The Fringe Society is looked on by all its stakeholders to provide the best services possible and to maintain and invest in those services to the mutual benefit of the whole Fringe.
This means the demands on the Fringe Society services have grown in line with the development and recognition of the Fringe as an important part of the cultural ecology. The Fringe Society exists to support artists: year round, we handle 1,500–2,000 enquiries per week from participants, provide the central registration, box office and information services for all shows at the Fringe, and support hundreds of thousands of audience members with a wealth of information via the official Fringe programme, website and mobile app, venue signage, retail and merchandise and much more. In 2024 we answered 55,000 customer service emails in August alone.
In the festival we welcome over 1,800 arts industry delegates from around the world and provide marketplace tools both online and in-person to ensure successful onward touring, bookings and career development opportunities. Around 900 media delegates from across the world who want to review work or write about the festival use our services and expertise annually.
We continuously improve and develop our services to ensure the best experience for Fringe audiences including digital and in-person services.
The Fringe Society markets the Fringe in its entirety – locally, nationally and internationally – to participants, the public, media and arts industry to retain its position as the world’s leading arts festival and expo. As well as delivering a high-profile annual marketing and media campaign, we work closely with media outlets all over the world to maximise publicity for the Fringe and manage the Fringe brand on the collective behalf of the festival.
We are always on hand to provide more information, or answer queries; you can also read our review of the year. You can get in touch with us at artists@edfringe.com or on 0131 226 0026.
