SS Spirit Of The Fringe?

Sponsor to offer £3,500-a-week cruise ship accommodation, with shows performed on board

People visiting next year's Edinburgh Fringe will be able to stay on a cruise ship, and have the performers come to them.

The vessel will be moored at Leith for the week starting August 8 next year, offering places for 1,300 guests in cabins and suites.

It comes as part of American theatre magazine Playbill’s sponsorship deal with the festival, with publishers chartering Ambassador Cruise Line’s 216-metre Ambition for what they say is ‘competitively priced accommodation’.

Amid a lodgings crisis that hits the festival harder every year, the cruise ship will cost from £1,250 per person for an inside room for the week, up to £3,500 a week for a suite.

The ‘Playbill FringeShip’ will also host exclusive guest-only performances from the 2024 festival, in its 500-capacity Palladium Theatre. Operators say the ‘FringeShip will bring the life and vibrancy of Edinburgh Festival Fringe directly to you on board, with daily performances by outstanding talent straight from the festival’

Playbill are also co-sponsoring this year’s Fringe app, providing £60,000 of funding.

Company president Philip S. Birsh said of the Fringe: ‘We believe this annual gathering is an incubator of theatrical creativity, a cradle for newborn productions and the home of brilliant originality.

‘The more we learn about this festival, and the more we meet the remarkable people behind it, the more we know we made a terrific decision; we’re excited to being a part of this collision of creativity and collective great will for years to come.’

Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: ‘Our partnership with Playbill is timely and just makes sense. Two renowned brands coming together to platform and promote creativity in all its glorious EdFringe manifestations.’

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Published: 6 Jun 2023