Putting a price on the Fringe
Professor Murray Pittock on measuring the value of world's biggest arts festival
August hits Edinburgh, and the Fringe takes over. The numbers are vast by any measure. 2.6 million tickets issued across 3,800 shows in 2025, writes Will Quinn.
Appropriately given the calendar, ticket sales are equivalent to a Fifa World Cup.
Right now, in late May 2026, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has already announced roughly 1,600 shows across its early spring batches. Expect the final tally to hit or slightly exceed that 3,800 mark once the full programme launches later this month.
Yet, despite being widely acknowledged as the largest arts festival on the planet, its exact, independent economic value remains extremely vague. Existing research work has focused on the collective values of the city’s summer and winter festivals.
Professor Murray Pittock, Pro-Vice-Principal at the University of Glasgow, intends to bring some long-overdue clarity.
“I don’t think people fully understand just how much it is the case that the restaurant in Bruntsfield you like going to in October is probably only open because of what happens in August,” says Pittock.
Untangling the August footprint
Backed by the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and funded under the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) World Class Labs initiative, he is embarking on a major study to evaluate the distinct economic and social impact of the festival. He wants the hard numbers behind the handbills. He is on a mission to articulate what the festival is actually worth to Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland.
Pittock sees the project as overdue. The value of the festivals to the city is always a hot topic of debate. Readers will be very aware of the constant discussion involving local authorities and residents of the threat of over-tourism. Amidst the noise, reality can fade.
The Fringe doesn’t just dominate August in Edinburgh. It subsidises the city year-round, helping to keep hospitality lights on long after the visiting festival performers departed and the Spiegeltents have been packed up.
