Tuesday September 1st 2026
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 programme launch
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
The 79th Edinburgh Festival Fringe has officially drawn to a close, with more than 2.8 million tickets issued during 25 days of performances.
This year’s festival featured 4,232 shows from 77 countries, with 61,277 performances taking place across 306 venues throughout the capital.
As of 11.30am on the final day, 2,805,395 tickets had been issued – an 8 per cent increase on 2025.
The Fringe also recorded its highest-ever single-day attendance, with more than 164,000 tickets issued for performances on Saturday, August 15. That was one per cent higher than the previous record, set on August 17, 2019.
The festival attracted 1,864 accredited industry professionals from 63 countries, including producers, programmers, bookers, talent agencies and festival representatives looking for work to tour and broadcast.
A record 1,091 media professionals from 30 countries were also accredited, including 702 reviewers.
The first year of the new permanent Fringe Central at 6 Infirmary Street saw an estimated 5,500 artists make use of its services, including networking events, panel discussions and one-to-one meetings with Fringe Society staff.
Almost 1,000 artists attended the annual Meet the Media event during the first Saturday of the festival.
The Fringe also brought its traditional street entertainment to the city, with 334 street performers, buskers and street artists taking part on the Royal Mile and Mound Precinct.
Meanwhile, 41 local schools, charities and community groups participated in the Fringe Days Out programme, while a further 20 groups and schools performed on the Community Stage on the Royal Mile.
Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said the festival remained a vital platform for artists looking to reach global audiences.
He said: “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe continues to be the world’s best platform for artists at any stage of their career to showcase their work to global audiences.
“For 79 years, the Fringe has thrived because of the creativity, grit and resilience of the Fringe community. There quite simply would be no Fringe without artists and the risks they take.”
Looking ahead to the Fringe’s 80th anniversary, Mr Lankester said the organisation would focus on ensuring the festival remained affordable and accessible to artists, venues and audiences.
He added: “As we look to the festival’s 80th anniversary, it’s appropriate that we reflect on what we want the Fringe to be, and how we preserve Edinburgh’s reputation as a world-class festival city.
“That’s the challenge but also the opportunity – and we urge all stakeholders to make the most of it.”
Next year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe will run from August 6 to 30, 2027, marking its 80th anniversary.
The ticket figures exclude free and non-ticketed shows.
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