Fringe ticket sales slump for first time in eight years

WEEKS of bad weather, prolonged box office problems and the credit crunch have all been blamed for the first slump in the Fringe's box office figures for eight years.

However, organisers insisted that the Fringe, which saw ticket sales drop almost 10 per cent, has still had a "fantastic year" in selling more than 1.5 million tickets for the third year in a row.

The Fringe has also insisted that the Olympics were a factor this year, pointing out the 2000 Games were the last time there was a drop at the box office.

However, leading venue promoters yesterday warned that major changes were needed to reverse the slide next year. The problems with the Fringe box office, which saw sales suspended several times after it opened in June, is believed to be the main factor in the slump.

But it is felt that the Fringe may still have notched up record ticket sales if local audiences had not been put off by the heavy rain that has lashed Edinburgh this month. More extensive marketing of the Festival outside Edinburgh, cheaper ticket prices and the creation of "Festival packages" have all been identified as key measures to help the Fringe stage a recovery next year.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival last night revealed ticket sales were up 3 per cent on last year, while the Edinburgh International Festival, which runs until Sunday, says sales are running ahead of last year.

Figures released yesterday, the last official day of the Fringe, revealed 1,535,519 tickets had been sold, compared with 1,697,293 at the same point in 2007.

The Fringe saw 10 per cent increases in ticket sales in 2006 and 2007 and had not suffered a drop at the box office since 2000, when sales dropped to 735,196 from 860,357 in 1999. The number of shows has increased from 1,354 in 2000 to 2,088 this year, up 38 from the 2007 figure.

Last year's figures are thought to have been particularly boosted by a series of three sell-out open-air concerts at Meadowbank Stadium, a one-off Ricky Gervais show at Edinburgh Castle Esplanade and the success of Fuerzabruta, which was staged in a huge circus tent in Leith and became the biggest seller on the Fringe in 2007.

This year's box-office figure is still higher than the then record-breaking figure in 2006 and is more than double what was sold in 2000, when ticket sales last dropped.

William Burdett-Coutts, the artistic director at the Assembly Rooms, said: "We've had a better year ourselves this year, despite the various problems and factors which have been at play. I think it's generally been a good festival, without being outstanding. My real complaint is that the less successful shows haven't done as well as they should have done.

"All the issues we know about have played a part in some way. The main factor in the downturn is the problems with the box office, which created instability in the minds of the public.

"We need to get more people into Edinburgh during the Fringe, it's as simple as that, and I don't think the Fringe has reached a peak or become too big.

"The last two weekends have been pretty busy, but the rest of the Fringe hasn't been as busy as it should have been. There definitely haven't been as many visitors in the city."

Charlie Wood, the director of Underbelly, said: "The major factor in the drop in ticket sales has to be the box office fiasco. We're up about 18 per cent ourselves, but it is quite important that the overall figure does appear to be down. Fewer sales means less money in the pockets of performers and more people making a loss at the Fringe.

"We do need to look at how to make tickets cheaper next year, we desperately need to improve the marketing of the festivals, particularly outside Edinburgh, and we need to make sure the box office system works."

Karen Koren, the artistic director at Gilded Balloon, said: "Our own box office is up about 16 per cent on last year.

"The whole venue felt much busier this year and we feel we've benefited from the weather.

"The major factor for us is that locals have come out in big numbers and have made up for the fact visitors are down because of the credit crunch."

A Fringe spokesman pointed out it was the first time in four years that there were no concerts at Meadowbank and there

"were no shows like Fuerzabruta in the 1,200-capacity black tent down at Ocean Terminal".

Jon Morgan, the Fringe director, said: "This is the third year that the Fringe has sold in excess of 1.5 million tickets, signifying another fantastic year for the world's biggest arts festival."

Steve Cardownie, the city council's festivals and events champion, said: "I'm confident that the Fringe can stay ahead of the competition and retain its number one position as the biggest arts festival in the world."