Please note: registration for the Fringe street events will open in spring ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025.
The Fringe street events are among the largest international gatherings of street performers anywhere, taking place throughout the festival and free for anyone to attend.
Each year, the historic Royal Mile and Mound Precinct are transformed into huge street performance playgrounds where hundreds of world-class street artists mix with thousands of festivalgoers, creating the most vibrant and visible event of Edinburgh’s summer.
This page is primarily for the use of street performers and buskers – find out more about attending the street events as an audience member.
First time at the street events?
Busker Anny Leigh has made a video of her experience as a first-time performer at the street events in 2022. It's full of useful hints and tips for prospective buskers – give it a watch:
Registration
Street events registration for Fringe 2025 will open in spring.
Registration to participate in the Fringe street events opens in the months leading up to the festival (subject to confirmation of full funding and licensing). Registration for buskers and circle shows is free and remains open in the lead-up to and throughout the Fringe.
Before registering, you will require an up-to-date Public Liability Insurance (PLI) which will cover you for August, and all acts are required to be family friendly.
If you have any questions about performing as part of the Fringe street events, please email our team on streetevents@edfringe.com.
How do I register to be part of the street events?
As part of registration, you will be asked to identify which street events category you fall into.
- Street performers (circle shows)
Street performers who perform within circles of people. They are capable of entertaining audiences for 45 minutes with a combination of circus skills and comedy. You should only register for these slots if you are an experienced street performer. Slots last 45 minutes and this includes the building and breaking of your act. - Buskers
Our busking pitches are aimed at performers who can work within a small area, performing to passers-by. Slots last 30 minutes including set up and pack down.
Please note: busking pitches are not to be used for the promotion of registered Fringe shows. - Festival artists
Artists and performers providing fun festival experiences on the street, such as portrait artists, henna tattooists, balloonists, etc. Our festival traders will be programmed on the Royal Mile and the Mound. You will require Public Liability Insurance, and images and / or videos of your proposed trading. - Finale shows
If you have something too big and noisy for our regular busking or Fringe stages, you can register to be a finale show. Finale shows happen at the end of each day. In the past we’ve had marching bands, huge choirs, drumming groups, brass bands and more. If you’d like more information on whether your performance would be a good fit for this kind of slot, email our team on streetevents@edfringe.com. - Living statues
Mime artists who pose as statues, sometimes with realistic, statue-like make-up. We require a level of experience in this category, and spaces for this are limited, so please submit your application as soon as possible. When applying, please let us know if you use an instrument or sound for your act.
Promoting your registered Fringe show at the street events?
How do the street events work?
Please note: the information below pertains to Fringe 2024, and may be subject to change in 2025. We will update this page once details for 2025 are confirmed; in the meantime, please regard the following information only as a guideline.
There are eight spaces for buskers and circle show performers in 2024, running continuously from 11:00 – 19:00 at the Mound and on the High Street.
Slots last 30 minutes for buskers and 45 minutes for circle shows. Your slot is timed from the moment the pitch is available to when you and all your kit is out of the area.
Performances are scheduled by a draw at the start of each day (see more information on the draw below), with the daily schedule published online by noon. There are also schedule boards at each performance area listing the shows happening that day, plus a large-scale map to guide audiences through the different areas. When registering, don’t forget to add your social media accounts – we often get queries from audience members looking for more info on the performances they saw that day!
Where can I perform?
We are currently working with the City of Edinburgh Council to finalise the overall street events footprint; our footprint usually covers the Mound and High Street.
The draw
All slots are programmed daily by a draw system to allot performers with a time and a pitch.
Performers meet before 10:00 every morning at Parliament Square to put their passes in the hat ready for the draw at 10:00. These are then pulled out at random: the first performer drawn given first choice of the available time slots and locations, the second performer drawn is given second choice, and so on. If there are slots remaining, they will be allocated by going back up the list of names in reverse order from which they were drawn.
The Joint Edinburgh Fringe Street Events Charter
The Street Events Charter, published in 2022, outlines a set of values shared by the Fringe Society and the street performing community, as represented by the Street Performers' Council. The Charter, which includes commitments from the Fringe Society and street performers, will facilitate fair, open decision making between the two groups. Among its various commitments, the Charter works towards increasing accessibility of street events, taking social responsibility for pay, sustainability goals, and improving health, safety and mental wellbeing among street performers.
Fringe Connect
Fringe Connect is our social network and events space that will be home for artists and arts industry professionals. Street performers are welcome to set up a profile, explore the opportunities section which houses performance opportunities, discounts and more, and attend discussion and networking events.
You will also be able to search for, reach out to and connect with other artists and industry professionals for onward opportunities and connections.
As well connecting with other members of the Fringe community on Fringe Connect, there also a few performer groups on social media (such as the Edinburgh Fringe Performers Forum on Facebook) where you can link up with other artists and performers to ask for advice and guidance from peers.
Frequently asked questions
Performers can use their own preference of payment service, however the Fringe Society does not offer any card processing services.
Food / drink traders are generally not allowed to trade in our licensed areas (High Street and Mound Precinct) as there is a council by-law which prevents them from doing so.
There are food stalls / pop-up bars that do take part in the Fringe throughout Edinburgh:
- In the case of Bristo Square, this area is managed by the University of Edinburgh Student Association so you are best off seeking guidance from them directly if you wish to set anything up.
- For George Square, it is the University of Edinburgh; in the case of the activities on George Street and in St Andrew Square, it is Essential Edinburgh.
- Any other areas of the city you might be interested in could be managed by the City of Edinburgh Council Parks and Greens Spaces department.
The choice of whether to do a circle show or busk is all about experience, and the nature of your act. Circle shows attract big crowds and so will require more energy and volume than a busker spot. If you are performing on the street for the first time, looking to try new material, or have a quieter or more intimate style of performance, email us on streetevents@edfringe.com and we’ll see what we can do to advise you.
This will depend on the size and nature of your show. If you feel comfortable doing both, then yes, but email streetevents@edfringe.com for guidance if you’re unsure.
We are keen to be as supportive as possible in making street events pitches accessible, so if you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with streetevents@edfringe.com regarding your requirements and we will do our best to signpost and ensure you have a safe and positive experience.
Public liability insurance (PLI) covers the cost of claims made by members of the public for incidents that occur in connection with your business / performance activities. PLI covers the cost of compensation for personal injuries, loss of or damage to property. You will need to get in touch with your own insurers to acquire a copy. We can offer information on some PLI providers that offer Fringe-specific deals.
If you would like to use the storage containers to store your equipment on the Royal Mile overnight, the cost will be £30 per week or £70 for the full festival. You will be asked whether you would like to use the storage containers once you have registered. If you’re interested, we can then provide more details about the storage location on the Royal Mile, your options there and how to pay.
In 2024 the Fringe Society ran operations for the High Street, while Unique Events supported with logistical and staffing support on the ground for the Mound. We will update this page with arrangements for the Fringe 2025 street events once they are confirmed.