News

Today, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Lothian launched the 2019 Fringe Days Out scheme, which provides Fringe vouchers and Lothian bus tickets to community groups and charities across Edinburgh.

The scheme works with over 30 organisations across the city – including Sikh Sanjog, Pilmeny Youth, Lothian Autistic Society, Contact the Elderly and Capability Scotland – to reach people who might not have experienced the Fringe before and make it easier for them to attend.

From 2018’s budget of £50,000, we’ve added an extra £10,000 of ticket and bus vouchers to the scheme this year, enabling up to 700 more people to access the Fringe. We aim to increase the value of the scheme to £100,000 by 2022.

Since the scheme began in 2017, over 5,500 people have been given the opportunity to use Fringe Days Out vouchers, many experiencing the Fringe for the first time. 

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said:

‘At the heart of the Fringe is the idea that everyone is welcome and that the arts are for the many not the few. Alongside our 31 partners, we are very proud that Fringe Days Out has offered thousands of people from across the city the chance to experience the Fringe for the very first time, on their terms.’

Trishna Singh OBE, Director at Sikh Sanjog, added:

‘It is important for people to understand that when you do not think something reflects your life it will always be for “other” people. Even although we are into the fourth and fifth generations of Black Asian Minority people being born in the UK and have straddled two cultures, we still want to see things that represent our cross-cultural lives. Fringe Days Out gives us an opportunity to experience the delights of the Fringe on our own terms.’

The Fringe Days Out scheme is possible thanks to the generous help of our supporters. You can join them, and gain access to a range of great benefits – become a Friend of the Fringe today.

Photo: Stewart Attwood