Venue directors call for 'reform' of Fringe Society, saying it has 'lost sight of its purpose'

William Burdett-Coutts, founder of Assembly, said the Fringe Society needed to review its role in the annual festival, adding that the organisation “doesn’t do much for us”.

This comes as Underbelly director Ed Bartlam warned in an interview with The Stage that there “needs to be more conversation” about the role of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s role in the festival, accusing it of becoming “bloated”.

Mr Bartlem, who founded the Fringe venue 25 years ago with business partner Charlie Wood, said the festival should be about “creators, not administrators”.

Mr Burdett-Coutts said: “As one of the longest serving members of the Fringe, I do think the Fringe Society’s lost sight of its purpose. Given we’re approaching our 80th year, I think we need a strategy or a review of what the Fringe Society’s role is and a rethink of what the purpose is.

“It doesn’t do that much for us. We go, ‘where is all the money going? and why do they need all of these roles?’”

He added: “Their role should be trying to ensure the Fringe remains sustainable. The reality is the finances of the Fringe are increasingly precarious at the moment. The Fringe Society needs to focus on how to keep the Fringe alive and its role in trying to achieve that.”

Mr Bartlam said the administration side of the Fringe Society had become “quite bloated”.

He said: “There are challenges between venues and producers and the Fringe Society that need to be worked through. There needs to be more conversation about the role of the Fringe Society.”

He said: “What has happened over the past few years, which has caused real concern among lots of different artists, venues and producers at the Fringe, is how the administration side of [the festival] has become quite bloated.

“Bloated in terms of money, the size of the operation, the size of the administration and that’s difficult in the context of it being really difficult with the cost for venues and the cost for artists.”

He pointed to cuts to the organisation’s Keep It Fringe fund and a percentage increase in the ticket commission cost retained by the organisation through its official ticket sales platform.

The Fringe Society, which recently opened its new multi-million pound headquarters, Fringe Central, on Infirmary Street in Edinburgh, reduced the amount it handed out in bursaries through the fund, launched by Phoebe Waller Bridge in 2023, from £450,000 to £30,000 this year.

The Fringe Society’s website says the increase, which saw the commission rise from four per cent to five per cent plus VAT in 2024, “addresses rising costs of software, technology, human resource and customer service in delivering ticketing services for the festival.” It adds that the costs have increased since Covid, but says if the situation improves, it could review rates again in 2026.

Mr Bartlam added it was “difficult when the wider ecosystem hears about new grant applications or big new offices.”

Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We work hard to ensure the Fringe is affordable and equitable for all and a well resourced box office and registration service is an essential part of helping artists, connecting audiences with the shows they want to see and maximising the visibility and ticket sales of shows.

“The Fringe Society has always believed that they ongoing success of the Fringe relies on collaboration, mutual respect and trust - and the support for artists should be at the core of conversations.”

He added: “We recognise participation is expensive and high risk and we have worked - and will continue to work - to alleviate those pressures while also delivering services and support to the full Fringe community.”