A newly published independent study has revealed that Edinburgh Festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, are giving Scotland a major economic boost after the pandemic shutdown and amidst a cost-of-living crisis. Many of the facts and figures revealed by the study, which surveyed 22,000 people across the 2022 Edinburgh Festivals, emphasized the festivals' position in Scotland's cultural economy as a world-leading brand.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival serves as the world's largest beacon for new, developing theatre to be discovered. Some of the most popular and cutting-edge pieces of theatre and media have come out of the Fringe Festival, like SIX: The Musical, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag, and New York City's long-running off-Broadway show Stomp. But the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is just one of 11 cultural festivals hosted by Edinburgh throughout the year, the remaining 10 being:

• The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
• The Edinburgh International Festival
• The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
• The Edinburgh Art Festival
• The Edinburgh International Book Festival
• The Edinburgh International Film Festival
• The Scottish International Storytelling Festival
• The Edinburgh Science Festival
• The Edinburgh International Children's Festival
• Ediburgh's Hogmanay

As indicated by the above list, Edinburgh's cultural impact spreads far and wide beyond the coastal city of just above 500,000 people, as Edinburgh hosts numerous world-leading festivals that bring artists and scientists and writers from all across the globe to Scotland. So, what impact does this have on the Scottish economy?

To name just a few notable discoveries from the independent study, which was led by BOP Consulting: the festivals host 3.2 million attendances generated by around 700,000 attendees, putting the attendance records on par with the FIFA World Cup. 

The average spending by non-Scottish tourists and visitors (which makes up 31 percent of festival attendees) rose from £95 million in 2015 to £137 million in 2022. The Edinburgh festivals also offer remarkable economic overturn, as every £1 spent in taxes on the festivals generates £33 in economic impact. The overall economic impact is £407 million to the Edinburgh economy in 2022 and £367 million to the Scottish economy at the same time.

In response to the study, the Chair of Festivals Edinburgh Dr. Simon Gage commented: "The positive impact our Festivals have on businesses, jobs and livelihoods is great news for the people of our city and country - and we need to ensure that this economic recovery is built on a solid foundation of good responsible growth, looking after our people, our place and our planet...We call on all funders and supporters to come together to consider their long-term role in helping the Edinburgh Festivals remain Scotland’s world leading cultural brands and a crucial economic powerhouse for people’s jobs and livelihoods." 

To view more findings from the study, visit here. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs August 4-28. It runs concurrently with the Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh Art Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Learn more about these festivals here.

As Playbill heads into the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, keep up with our coverage before, during, and after the festival with Playbill Goes Fringe.