The most famous is definitely the one in Edinburgh, the “Fringe Festival” par excellence, the one that actually coined this term, “fringe,” which literally means “edge” but, in the world of performing arts and live entertainment, takes on the meaning of “alternative.” The Fringe Festival was born in the Scottish capital in 1947, alongside the Edinburgh International Festival, from a group of companies excluded from the official event and, since then, the two events have taken place simultaneously every year, for almost the entire month of August.
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But over time this term has also extended to other “alternative” performing arts festivals in Europe: Avignon, Manchester, London, Amsterdam, Tallinn, Milan… Every summer the main European cities offer very rich and varied calendars, which for many enthusiasts also become an opportunity to visit and get to know the places hosting them. So much so that, nowadays, the success of these events is no longer linked only to the cultural and artistic offer, but also (especially?) to the setting that hosts them: the availability of hotels or rooms, venues and restaurants, activities to do between shows, livability, food, shops, climate. And costs.
For this reason, Stasher analyzed 17 cities in the UK and Europe that host an established fringe festival, assigning each a score based on the breadth of the program, the livability of the destination, and the cost of the stay. Avignon ranked first, with 72.64 points. Its festival, lasting 22 days with about 1,780 shows, features one of the broadest programs among those analyzed; moreover, among the top ten cities, Avignon also offers the lowest price for a meal, at £12.79.
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In the top ten, five cities from the UK stand out: Brighton, Manchester, Edinburgh, London, and Durham – a result that reflects the strength and variety of the British fringe scene. Brighton is second (69.51 points) with its 31-day Brighton Fringe and 87.6 attractions per 10 km², one of the highest values among the top ten destinations. Manchester is third (68.40 points), also thanks to the cheapest average hotel rate among the top ten destinations (£76.61 per night), as well as a high density of restaurants, 236.2 venues per 10 km². Edinburgh is “only” fourth (60.13 points), despite having the richest theater program (3,649 shows in 25 days), because the accommodation costs are the highest in the ranking, at £296 per night.
And Italy? Our country enters the top ten thanks to Milan, but only in eighth place and, needless to say, what boosts the score is mainly the culinary offer: the Lombardy capital actually has the highest density of restaurants of all the cities analyzed, at 418.1 per 10 km², as well as a record number of attractions, 246.8 attractions per 10 km². However, it is the most expensive city among those ranked (yes: even more than London): the overall budget needed to stay during the Fringe Milano Off Festival (from September 21 to October 11) includes an average expense of over £406 per night in hotels and over £17 for a meal. This heavily impacts the result, lowering Milan in the ranking of the top ten destinations.
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