QMU provides accommodation to hundreds of Festival Fringe performers
In summer 2024, we embarked upon a partnership with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society to provide much-needed affordable accommodation to hundreds of performers.
Although we have opened our doors to Fringe participants in the years prior, the collaboration was officially formalised at the beginning of 2024 in response to the rising cost and decreasing availability of accommodation in the city.
In alignment with the Fringe Society’s focus on helping artists maintain their mental health during the Fringe, the QMU campus offers a haven of tranquility, away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
QMU Festival Village has proved to be a great hit with Fringe performers, writers, directors and producers from across the world. Participants were able to enjoy the modern accommodation, free weekly yoga sessions, Fringe business breakfasts and networking events, access to cafe bar facilities and rehearsal spaces, and great transport links into and out of the city.
Ed Gamester, writer and lead actor in international touring production, Mythos: Ragnarok, has stayed at QMU for a number of years with his theatre group while they performed at the Fringe, calling QMU a ‘home from home.’
"We wouldn't have a show without the Fringe, and we couldn't have done the Fringe without QMU."
In the same year, we also sponsored The Scotsman Fringe First Awards for the first time. The awards recognise outstanding new writing talent displayed throughout the Festival.
