Background: access challenges at our current premises
For 11 months of the year, the Fringe Society is spread over three offices on and around the Royal Mile: our Fringe Shop, Box Office and main office is at 180 High Street, while two further offices are located down the nearby Fishmarket Close and Barries Close. For August, we also set up a temporary participants’ hub, Fringe Central – this has moved several times in recent years, most recently in the Grassmarket Community Project for Fringe 2024 and 2025.
Given the historical nature of our year-round buildings, it’s unfortunate but not surprising that they aren’t especially accessible. While there is level access to the Fringe Shop, this does not extend to the back office; our other two offices both have stairs at the point of entry. This creates additional barriers, both for staff and when we’re working to engage with the various members of the Fringe community, particularly those who already face challenges in navigating the festival.
All of which is to say that, when plans for our new home began to develop, we knew accessibility had to be a priority.