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Community ticketing initiative

The Community Ticketing Initiative provides free Fringe tickets to those in need through local organisations.

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The community ticketing initiative (CTI) provides free Fringe tickets for people in and around Edinburgh who might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend, with tickets generously donated by Fringe artists and companies. It was previously known as the Children and Young People (CYP) ticketing scheme, and expanded in 2023 to allow eligible children and adults to take part. 

CTI is run by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and EVOC, an Edinburgh-based umbrella organisation for third-sector organisations. Tickets are distributed through social, family or youth workers in the council or through local community organisations and charities. 

We’re open to involving new organisations in this project as long as we have capacity. If your organisation would like to be part of CTI, please check the eligibility criteria for ticket recipients below and get in touch by emailing communitytickets@edfringe.com. 

Eligibility criteria

CTI tickets are intended for people who would otherwise not have the opportunity to attend the Fringe.

Ticket recipients must live in Edinburgh or the Lothians and fall under one of the following categories:

  • at risk, vulnerable, marginalised or isolated
  • experiencing additional barriers to attending the festival.

Children or young people may be at risk, vulnerable, marginalised, isolated or experiencing additional barriers to attending the festival for a variety of reasons, including (but not limited to) situations where they are:

  • in need or receipt of social care interventions
  • affected by substance misuse by themselves or a family member
  • affected by imprisonment of themselves or a family member
  • living in areas of multiple deprivation
  • affected by poverty
  • affected by mental health issues of themselves or a family member
  • affected by disability or impairment of themselves or a family member
  • a carer
  • care experienced
  • experiencing domestic violence
  • at risk of, or experiencing homelessness
  • refugees, seeking asylum or have No Recourse to Public Funds
  • experiencing isolation or loneliness.

These examples have been provided by EVOC as a guideline; it is not an exhaustive list.