Frugal Fringe Alternatives Come To The Edinburgh Festival

by davidhofmann08

Frugal Fringe Alternatives Come To The Edinburgh Festival

The famous Edinburgh International Festival may have been overshadowed in recent years by its wilder offspring, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The ever-expanding range of festivals spanning the arts that descends on the Scottish capital each summer looks set to be more profitable and popular than ever in 2010.

Even despite the global economic downturn that affected many areas of tourism and entertainment in 2009, the various festivals that took place at venues across Edinburgh last August managed to make for the most successful year yet. In a Year of Homecoming that also saw significant boosts to tourism and hotel occupancy elsewhere in Scotland, organisers may have a tough task beating last year’s record-breaking performance with this year’s festivities, but they may have a hope in the form of relative newcomers such as the Five Pound Fringe.

It may seem counter-intuitive to charge less for performances in order to make money, but the last few years have seen the phenomena of the Five Pound Fringe and its even more frugal cousin – the Free Fringe – growing in popularity and critical acclaim. Not merely the refuge of struggling performers who can’t afford the exorbitant rates charged by many of the larger Fringe venues, these fringe alternatives to the Edinburgh Fringe offer an economical means for performs to boost their audience figures, and a means for people who would otherwise be put off by escalating ticket prices to enjoy comedy, theatre and music performances for less.

It has been suggested that the influx of audiences to comedy shows in 2009 may have been partly due to the need for escapist comedy amidst the dour recession, but not everyone can afford prices upwards of £10 that are often the Fringe standard for an hour-long show. The mission statement of the Five Pound Fringe is to charge a set rate for shows to put audiences at ease, and the award-winning Free Fringe goes one step further in offering shows for no money at all.

Satisfied punters are encouraged to leave a donation of whatever they think the show is worth, and although it could be said that those involved are performing for love rather than money, generous donations could go a long way towards funding their lodging and other expenses during their time in the city.

With big-name comedians like Mark Watson, Robin Ince and Richard Herring making appearances in these cut-price shows, those taking Edinburgh flights to see the festival this August are encouraged to look beyond the lavish posters and established venues to seek out low-budget laughs at the Fringe alternatives.

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