Fringe Community Ticketing Initiative launches with more than 1,200 shows involved

25 May 2023

The project distributes tickets donated by Fringe artists to people who are at risk, vulnerable, marginalised or isolated.

Today we're launching the Community Ticketing Initiative (CTI), in which tickets that have been generously donated by Fringe artists and companies are distributed among people in and around Edinburgh who are at risk, vulnerable, marginalised, isolated or experiencing additional barriers to attending the festival.

So far, 1,285 shows have donated tickets to CTI ahead of Fringe 2023 – around 44% of all shows currently live on edfringe.com.

Previously known as the Children and Young People (CYP) ticketing scheme, which ran from 2014, the project has been expanded in 2023 to allow eligible children and adults to take part.

CTI is run by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and EVOC, an Edinburgh-based umbrella organisation for third-sector organisations. Tickets are distributed through social, family or youth workers in the council or through local community organisations and charities. 

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘In the Fringe development goals we published last year, we stated that the festival should embody the idea of good citizenship, and be a force for good in and for the city of Edinburgh. I can’t think of any clearer example of that than the incredible generosity of the Fringe artists who have donated tickets, free of charge, to the Community Ticketing Initiative, so that the most vulnerable people in our society do not face barriers to experiencing the joy and wonder of live performance. Our shared vision for the Fringe is to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat – this is that vision in action.’

The Fringe Society is open to involving new organisations who would like to be part of CTI; if that applies to you, please visit edfringe.com/learn/communities#cti to check eligibility criteria and apply.

Thumnail photo credit: The Black Blues Brothers (2022) Assembly. Photo: David Monteith-Hodge.