The Stage

Edinburgh fringe fees frozen for second year

Published Wednesday 25 November 2009 at 11:45 by Thom Dibdin

Edinburgh Festival Fringe has frozen its participation fees at 2008 levels, despite warnings from the city council that arts organisations across the city face a 4% cut in funding in 2010.

Speaking exclusively to The Stage, Fringe Society chief executive Kath Mainland said that, despite the economic difficulties, 2009 had been a good year, giving the organisation leeway to peg its fees for the second year. Previously, fees had been rising at about 4% annually.

Mainland said: “The freeze is in recognition that the tough economic situation we have been in for a while is continuing. We need to make sure that performers and companies are still able to bring work here. We attribute our success to the fact that people are able to bring new and innovative work to Edinburgh in August.”

The freeze comes as the City of Edinburgh Council’s culture and leisure committee last week passed, without debate, its Arts Funding - Impact of Recession report, which reveals plans for an across the board cut for all arts funding in the city.

“The arts development team is working with arts organisations which are currently funded to identify a possible 4% saving from the council’s funding in 2010/11 and to begin the process of facilitating discussions around shared services,” Jim Inch, director of corporate services told the committee.

While the fringe’s council subsidy is a relatively modest £100,000, Edinburgh International Festival receives a substantial £2.47 million annually from the authority.

Acknowledging the potential difficulties, EIF managing director Joanna Baker told The Stage that: “Our success has been inextricably linked to the City of Edinburgh Council’s essential and ongoing support, but we are all mindful of the fact that no one is immune from the effects of the economic downturn.”

The report also highlights the difficulties facing the city’s festivals with the decline in commercial sponsorship.

The Royal Bank of Scotland sponsorship of the free events on the Royal Mile is due to continue in 2010, but Mainland acknowledged that fringe participants, particularly the bigger venues, might have problems finding support.

She said: “We had concerns going into the festivals of 2009 and I am sure that we will have concerns going into the festivals of 2010. Part of our freezing the fees is understanding that it will be tough for the companies and venues to raise the money that they need. There would be no reason to assume that getting commercial sponsorship for those venues will be any easier.”

Pointing out that even the long-running Edinburgh Comedy Awards are not immune - the former Perriers had to be bailed out by organiser Nica Burns in 2009 - Mainland pledged that the Fringe Society would do what it can to help.

“If there is a weight we can lend, then we will do so,” she said.