The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the biggest arts festival in the world, featuring the newest and most adventurous works across theatre, musicals, comedy, and even opera. It’s a must-visit destination for any arts lover. If you’ve never been and have always wanted to go, Playbill wants to help you get there.
In 2024, Playbill is launching the inaugural FringeShip, a robust floating hotel that will serve attendees of the Fringe. The FringeShip will be docked August 8–15, 2024, at the nearby port district of Leith, providing accommodations and guidance on what to see and how to make the most of Edinburgh.
In case you couldn't tell from Playbill's extensive coverage of the festival, the Edinburgh Fringe is absolutely massive. In 2023, more than 3,500 different shows from 67 countries 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 highly-talented 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. Plus, we will have Fringe acts perform on the ship. No more missing that must-see cabaret performer due to a double-booked evening! Playbill is giving them another time slot to show off their skills, exclusively to ship passengers (entertainment is also included in the price of a FringeShip stay).
For those interested in more of a bespoke Fringe experience, Playbill will also be offering a VIP service that will point you toward some of the best excursions Edinburgh has to offer, from whiskey tastings to sold-out shows. Playbill will also be working closely with local companies in Leith and Edinburgh to create special events for ship guests—so they can learn more about what Scotland has to offer.
Well, what are you waiting for? Rooms are selling fast, so don’t miss your chance to join the future of the Fringe on the Playbill FringeShip. To learn more, visit FringeShip.com.
The FringeShip is operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, with significant sustainable efforts and carbon offsetting measures in place, in accordance with Leith’s climate change protocol.
Dean Village
Royal Botanic Gardens
Calton Hill
Calton Hill
