The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Societyannounces a new partnership with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (QMU) that will provide accommodation for hundreds of Fringe participants as part of a new ‘festival village’ during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.
As well as accommodation, participants will have access to an onsite café, free outdoor yoga classes, rehearsal space, printing and wifi facilities, parking and storage, plus Fringe Society services and events for socialising and networking. In alignment with the Fringe Society’s focus on helping artists maintain their mental health during the Fringe, the QMU campus is located on the outskirts of Edinburgh, near Musselburgh, giving artists an opportunity to escape the bustle of the festival while having access to regular train, bus and night bus connections to the centre of town.
The private (lockable) single rooms are available as part of three and six-bedroom flats, and are priced from £269.50pppw.
The partnership with QMU is one of several measures the Fringe Society is pursuing in response to the rising cost and decreasing availability of accommodation in the city, working in tandem with the Fringe community of venues, producers and artists. The long-running affordable accommodation portal on edfringe.com has already re-opened for 2024 with accommodation options from other providers in the city, alongside private rental options facilitated by the Fringe Society’s partner platform, Theatre Digs Booker.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “We are very excited about the prospect of a festival village at the Queen Margaret University campus – not just for the accommodation it offers, but for the opportunity it presents artists to find their Fringe community, to meet and connect with each other and add another layer of value to their Fringe experience. We are grateful to the team at QMU for working with us on this imaginative collaboration as we explore longer-term opportunities to work with both the academics and the students at QMU. “
“While encouraging, we know this development won’t magically solve all the accommodation issues faced by artists and venues. However, alongside our other ongoing efforts to secure accommodation options, while also lobbying on artists’ behalf with local and national government, it represents a very positive step in the right direction.”
Sarah Whigham, Head of Commercial Services at Queen Margaret University, said: “As specialists in creative arts and cultural management, we are delighted to support the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with much-needed modern, good quality, affordable accommodation. Festival participants who choose to stay in QMU’s accommodation can expect to benefit from excellent transport links into the centre of Edinburgh. It takes just six minutes’ train ride from Musselburgh Station – located immediately next to the University – into Waverley Station, and we have a regular bus service coming onto campus approximately every 10 minutes. Visitors can enjoy affordable rooms.
