I am now on holiday from the day job, so can focus all my energies on my show. It is just as well, because a large proportion of that energy is going to be spent handing out flyers.
The 2026 fringe is currently looking like it’ll be the opposite of 2025, which started off quietly – thanks to the three Oasis shows at the start of August – and then got much busier as the month progressed. The first half of the fringe this year was much busier, with the second half looking like it’ll be quieter based on current ticket sales. It could still all change and I hope it does, but it’ll take a spectacular influx of people for this year to finish as strongly as 2025.
Audience numbers have been up and down this year for my show. I have had three of my biggest audiences ever for HTWAPW, but then sales dip during the week. The lowest so far has been 22, which is up one from last year.
That said, the smaller crowds have proven to be a lot of fun. It gives me more time to riff, without worrying so much about how many teams I need to take the scores from. This is exactly how the show started out and adapting around the audience I have in front of me brings out all sorts of unexpected things from day to day. While it may be far less financially rewarding, it is more fun.
I don’t seek publicity or reviewers. For years, I have relied on the blurb in the brochure. But that is no longer proving to be enough. I’ve been trying to do a bit more stuff on social media, against my instincts, but there’s no telling how effective this actually is in getting more ticket sales.
There are also fewer people attending Edinburgh Fringe these days. I came up for the first time in 2010. For several Augusts, it was impossible to walk freely down the Royal Mile during the day due to the sheer mass of people. The trend of falling visitor numbers actually started in 2018 and has worsened post-pandemic.
And there is no getting away from how ridiculously expensive it is to come to Edinburgh for even a few days. The accommodation prices are obscene and the tickets for many shows are not exactly cheap. People are no longer coming up for a week or more to see shows, and long weekends are shortening, with people seeing fewer shows within that time.
I will write more about this when I am away from the festival. Until that time, I will continue playing what’s in front of me and do my best to enjoy it.