All aboard! The Playbill FringeShip is set to dock in Edinburgh August 8–15 for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (or August 8-11 with a new weekend package). And for those of you still debating a trip to Edinburgh, there's still time to book your stay. But you don't have to take it from us: See photos of the ship itself below, where Fringegoers will be able to partake in a one-of-a-kind Edinburgh Fringe experience.
The FringeShip will also include exclusive performances from Fringe artists, including Rob Madge, who will lead a piano singalong; Rachel Redleaf (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), who will preview her show Too Much of a Good Thing; original Les Misérables cast member and Tony winner Frances Ruffelle with West End favorite Norman Bowman, who will perform some of their Fringe show The Scot and the Showgirl; and viral sensation and comedian Tim Murray to perform some highlights from his Playbill Pick show Tim Murray Is Witches.
Inside The Palladium Theatre
The Cavern
The Clifton Lounge
Inside an ocean view cabin
Inside a standard view cabin
The Turtle Wine Bar
The Angel Bar
Lupinos Dining
Holyrood Restaurant
Dining at Borough Market
The Pendennis Bar
On the pool deck
Also set to preview their Fringe offerings on the FringeShip are I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical, Pear, Kevin Quantum: Anti-Gravity, Sophie's Surprise 29th, BATSU!, and Beats On Pointe. Comedian Rhys Nicholson will host the Underbelly and Gilded Balloon Fringe showcases.
Edinburgh's Festival Fringe is one of the largest arts festivals in the world. Last year's edition featured more than 3,500 different shows from 67 countries, and sold over 2.4 million tickets. Those numbers make it one of the most popular ticketed events in the world.
With room for up to 1,300 guests in private cabins and suites, the FringeShip is the ideal solution to the accommodation crisis currently plaguing Edinburgh. As the Fringe has grown, finding a place to stay during the festival has become as competitive of a sport as getting tickets to the hottest shows. With the FringeShip, fighting over increasingly limited rentals can be taken off of your to-do list.
The FringeShip is so much more than accommodation, however. Guests on the Playbill FringeShip will enjoy exclusive performances by the aforementioned Fringe performers in the FringeShip's Palladium theatre and cabaret lounge, access to a roundtrip coach service from Leith to the center of Edinburgh, and a variety of additional amenities on board the ship—including a wellness center, gym, two swimming pools, and a top deck open-air lounge with a late-night pizza parlor.
We firmly encourage everyone to partake in Edinburgh’s wonderful restaurants and bars (and our complementary coach service will be operating late into the night to ensure you have time to grab a pint after an evening show). But for those with stricter schedules or dietary needs, Playbill will always offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner service on the FringeShip. A drink package is also available for an additional fee.
A stay on the FringeShip begins at just $225 per day, per person, which is notably less than the average price paid by Fringe attendees for lodging in 2023. With three square meals included on top of the lodging price, the Playbill FringeShip endeavors to make the festival more accessible to overseas travelers who are already shouldering flight costs to visit Scotland.
Once you’re on the ship and settled in, Playbill is still here to ease your mind. While spontaneity and artistic risk-taking are encouraged at the Fringe, Playbill’s Fringe experts will be available to point you in the direction of some of the festival’s most exciting shows.
To learn more, visit FringeShip.com.
