Refugees and asylum seekers set for free days out at Edinburgh Fringe

Refugees and asylum seekers are set to get free days out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, organisers announced.

Isolated elderly people, single parents and disabled people will also be given vouchers for shows in Edinburgh this summer.

Fringe bosses are working with 32 charities as part of a project aimed at ‘breaking through the barriers’ preventing people in the city from enjoying the event.

Vouchers for tickets for shows will be distributed across the city as the Fringe Days Out venture.

The imitative will also involve groups working with young people, ethnic minority communities and LGBTQIA+ people.

It is aimed at helping people who are unfamiliar with the city centre, or do not normally leave their immediate neighbourhood, to experience the Fringe.

Vouchers will be distributed to help pay for bus and tram journeys, while some funding is also available for taxis who people with additional needs.

An official announcement said: “Our aim for this project is simple: to ensure that everyone involved has a good day out at the Fringe.

“The success of the Fringe relies on Edinburgh and its residents, and we are committed to finding more ways for even more local people to engage with and enjoy the arts.

“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to express themselves through creativity and experience the thrill of live performance, and that the Fringe is an incredible opportunity to do this.

“No matter who you are or where you come from, everyone is welcome.”

A spokeswoman for the Fringe Society said: “The groups we work with are trusted partners in their communities who have built long-lasting relationships with their members.

“These relationships are crucial to the success of Fringe Days Out: by having open conversations with people they know and trust, participants can feel encouraged to take more risks in whether they choose to go and what they choose to see.

“These conversations also help the Fringe Society better understand what else they can do to open doors and enable communities to celebrate culture and creativity on their own terms.”

Fringe Society chief executive Shona McCarthy said: “This project started out as a modest thank you to people in Edinburgh for hosting the Fringe.

“We feel it only makes sense that Fringe Days Out should make the festival available to those who feel on the fringes of the city and the arts, no matter their background or circumstances.

“This project is about breaking through the barriers that stand in the way of people and communities in Edinburgh engaging with the arts.

“And while there is undoubtedly more work to do in making the Fringe fully inclusive and accessible, I am proud of this step along the way.”