Artists 'let down' by Edinburgh Fringe forced to cancel shows

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has "let down" artists who have been left with empty rooms and cancelled shows due to the later dates of this year's festival, Scottish comedian Susie McCabe has warned.

Glasgow performer Ms McCabe said people were sitting with "half full rooms" in the final weekend of the Fringe, while others are pulling their shows entirely, saying the event has "started too late".

Ms McCabe said the late-running Fringe, which began just a week before many Scottish schools returned, combined with a poor ticket booking app and soaring hotel prices, had left many performers struggling, saying “the arts is “getting leathered”.

The Fringe is running later than usual this year, from 7 to 31 August. Meanwhile, many Scottish schools, including those in the Edinburgh Council area, began to return as early as Wednesday, 12 August.

Performers of children’s shows have previously warned that the dates had hit their ticket sales, with many choosing shorter runs to link with the schools holidays ending.

The Fringe traditionally finishes on the English August bank holiday Monday, however, the month started later in the weekly cycle this year, pushing the final bank holiday further into the month.

Edinburgh Comedy Festival director Nica Burns said comedians had noted quieter audiences, saying “something is just different this year”.

Veteran comedian Ruby Wax is understood to have sold fewer than 200 tickets for one performance at the Pleasance Grand this week, which has a capacity of 750.

Ms McCabe, who is performing her show Susie McCabe: Coming of Rage at Assembly’s Gordon Aikman Theatre on George Square, also cited “excruciating” hotel prices, saying people who would come every year “are not coming”.

She said: “The last week of the Fringe has felt incredibly long. A lot of shows have been pulled and artists will be leaving a with a bad taste in their mouths. The Fringe this year has started too late. The Fringe Society have not considered this Fringe resides in Scotland, in its capital, it is the biggest arts festival in the world.

Susie McCabe said the Fringe Society had "let down" performers. | Assembly

“However, while the Fringe sits in its lovely new home, its website and its app are an abomination. Then we have the dates. Starting at the tail end of the first week in August is absolutely ludicrous, no consideration of when Scottish schools go back, which is within days of the festival starting. It’s the last Friday of the Fringe and people are sitting with half full rooms.”

The Fringe Society opened its new headquarters, Fringe Central on Infirmary Street, earlier this summer after an £8 million, 12-month transformation.

She added: “I have been incredibly fortunate, my numbers have been solid and consistent throughout the month. However, this is not about me, this is about the Fringe as a collective. Every artist, every venue has a responsibility to deliver and above all, the Fringe Society must do better. To be the biggest arts festival in the world, you have to curate the old and the new, the established and the never been heard of. Fringe Society have let us all down.

“The Fringe Society and the venues need to come together and agree on earlier dates.

“Voices like mine are being lost and punters like me are being excluded. The arts would not happen without the artists, so those in their fancy office chairs need to help us out...to keep their lights on.”

Ms Burns, who has run the Edinburgh Comedy Awards for more than 40 years, said: “Definitely this week, certainly on the ground, it feels much harder and there’s fewer people around,” she said. “Comedians come to do three weeks, they really try to build their show and people feel every performance they do they’ve learned something and got better and better and they really want people to see them at their best. By my long experience, the third week has always been the best week, but something is different this, year, it’s just changed.”

Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “We recognise that school holiday dates can shape audience attendance patterns, particularly among working parents and families. However, we consider these factors in the context of the festival as a whole, balancing different stakeholders.

“This year, the opening weekend saw strong audience engagement, suggesting audience patterns may have shifted from previous years, but audiences have continued to support artists across the festival overall. We will continue to support artists and audiences in having a positive experience of the Edinburgh Fringe until the final day of the festival, regardless of scheduled dates.”

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