While it is six months away, keen festival goers will be planning their trips to Edinburgh for the Festival Fringe.
However for those looking for accomodation in the month may be in for a surprise as prices are already soaring. The capital is not known for its affordable short-stays and in the heart of the arts festival, prices can hit over £1,000 per night.
If you want to stay near the Royal Mile, you might want to start saving now. According to AirBnB, a flat in Tron Square for August 17-20 is available for £1,621 per night. Meanwhile, if you don't mind the noise of the fellow festival goers, a luxury apartment right on the Royal Mile is available for £1,899 per night as it shoots up more than double in price.
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This spectacular property can sleep up to 20 people with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. It offers a living room, kitchen, TV, wifi and all beds are made up as singles.
The same property is available between January 30 - February 2 for £374.
However, just across on the next street on North Gray's Close, you can stay in a flat for £288 per night. While this may seem steep to many, during the festival, it is difficult to rent a room for anything under £100.
This apartment has also more than doubled as at the time of writing, for the end of January, you can stay there for £100 per night.
It is not uncommon to see the desperate pleas from performers and festival workers across social media, begging for somewhere to stay as short-term lets see prices double.
Edinburgh Live reported last summer that there was a fall in sales recorded for the Fringe with some criticising the lack of accommodation as partly to blame.
A spokesman for EdFest.com said the fall in sales was a “major threat for everyone involved in the festival”, and put the blame in part on train strikes, the climbing cost of living and the lingering effects of coronavirus.
“Chief among these however is the soaring cost of accommodation in Edinburgh in August – audiences and artists alike are being priced out of town, out of experiences,” the spokesman warned.
“It is clear to anyone spending time in Edinburgh that there are fewer people in the city this year than in 2019.
“While there are certainly other factors that have affected audience numbers this year, the cost of accommodation is a perennial problem across the board.
“Disruption with public transport, delays with artist visas, and high fuel costs are even more insurmountable when people and performers simply cannot afford to stay in the city.”
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