Recession hits festival's biggest event

The event, which offers a preview of scores of festival shows in a series of marquees, attracts crowds of up to 250,000 people every year.

But this year it has been pulled for the first time since it began in 1981, after failing to attract a backer to help cover the £70,000 costs.

A spokesman for the Fringe said: ‘We can confirm that the decision has been taken not to go ahead with Fringe Sunday this year.

‘Although there were several expressions of interest it has not been possible to secure sponsorship for the event. Staging the event without sponsorship would require diverting resources from other areas.

‘No decisions have been made regarding Fringe Sunday in future years.’

However, the Fringe insist they are otherwise ‘on track’ to exceed their sponsorship and fundraising targets this year.

Fringe Sunday, which has been staged in the High Street, Holyrood Park and the Meadows, is not the first festival institution to be hit by the global economic crisis. The major comedy award has not yet announced a new sponsor after Intelligent Finance decided not to renew its contract – although organisers say it will still go ahead in some form.

The Fringe Society, which co-ordinates the festival, is also still reeling from last year’s box office fiasco, which sparked the resignation of director Jon Morgan

Published: 5 May 2009