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[title]Thinking of a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer but worried all the good value accommodation has gone? Or just casting around for a cool UK holiday in August? Let us blow your mind with FringeShip.
Okay: what is FringeShip?
In a nutshell, it’s a 1,300-guest cruise ship called Ambition that will be moored off Edinburgh’s buzzy port of Leith for a week of this year’s three-week Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Why is FringeShip?
Well, there are a couple of ways of looking at that. It’s the brainchild of Playbill, the American theatre magazine that is best known for distributing free copies of its famed monthly publication to serve as programmes for basically every Broadway production and plenty of off-Broadway ones too. It has a fairly low UK profile; a wheeze like this is certainly a good way of changing that.
But why does the Ed Fringe need a floating hotel?
Long story short, Edinburgh is notoriously tricky to get short-term accommodation for during its enormously popular summer festival season. In fact, it was made illegal to boot student tenants out during August so their homes could be let as Fringe accommodation and Airbnb licensing rules have been greatly tightened up since 2017. All that means FringeShip fills the need for reasonably priced accommodation in the city for one week.
How reasonably priced are we talking here?
Based on two people sharing a double cabin, FringeShip prices start at £1,250 a head (that's about £178) for seven nights (you’ll pay more if you want a fancier cabin with a window or a balcony). Even if this was accommodation only it would compare pretty favourably to basically anything else in the city bar a hostel during festival season. But that’s before you consider the extras…
Extras? What, like all your food is included?
Yes, exactly that: buffet-style breakfast and lunch plus a la carte dinner are included (booze isn’t) plus access to the ship’s facilities, including the onboard spa, fitness centre, exterior jogging and walking track, swimming pool and more. This is a huge advantage over basically every other form of accommodation in the entire city.
Well, that sounds amazing! How close is Leith to the festival action?
Closer than you’d think. Plenty of people stay there to get away from the insane central Edinburgh costs and walk or take public transport (the tram stops right on Ambition’s doorstep and is less than a 20-minute ride into the centre of Edinburgh!). But FringeShip will also be offering its own luxury coach service factored into the cost of the stay. It will loop from the ship to the heart of the festival until late at night, so between that and the tram, you’ll have full access to the festival from morning to night.
A week is a long time for a city break: is there actually a week of stuff to do in Edinburgh?
Hell, yes. There are more than 3,500 shows at the Fringe itself, and that’s before we get onto the festivals that run concurrently like the Military Tattoo and International Festival. Plus, Edinburgh itself is a stunning historical city with loads to do. And you’ll be perfectly placed to explore the rest of beautiful Scotland. Finally, there will be two shows a day performed free to guests in the ship’s own theatre. If you want some inspo for what to see at the Fringe check out our 2024 guide.
You mean, you could have a great time just staying on the ship for a week, eating three meals and watching two shows per day, without ever setting foot on dry land?
To be clear, it would be a total misstep to miss all the action of Fringe and do that – but yes, you’d have a good time. FridgeShip is much, much more than just a simple hotel.
The FringeShip will be anchored off Leith from August 8-15. Book a cabin by clicking here.
