Edinburgh Festival Stays Top £260 a Night as Accommodation Costs Jump 300% in 10 Years
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Edinburgh Festival Stays Top £260 a Night as Accommodation Costs Jump 300% in 10 Years
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Summary
Hotel rooms in Edinburgh averaged just over £260 a night in August 2025, up 9% from a year earlier and 64% above pre-Covid levels, while venue operators said their accommodation costs have risen about 300% over a decade.
Those housing costs are driving the affordability squeeze more than tickets: self-catering stays averaged £204.68 a day for one or two people, and visitors this year also face a new 5% tourist tax for the first five nights.
Ticket data across nearly 600,000 festival shows showed the average cheapest ticket rose in cash terms from £10 to £12.80 since 2016, but fell by £1.37 in real terms after inflation.
The pattern varies by festival: the Fringe's average lowest ticket fell in real terms from £14.17 to £12.80, while the Military Tattoo posted the biggest increase, up 36% to £48.
The pressure matters beyond audiences and performers because Edinburgh's summer festivals drew 1.5 million resident attendances last year and are estimated to contribute £852 million annually to Scotland's economy.
With ticket prices dropping but lodging costs soaring, are strict new housing regulations secretly killing Edinburgh's famous summer festival economy?
As Edinburgh's hotel prices skyrocket and new tourist taxes hit, will emerging artists be forced to abandon the world's biggest arts festival entirely?
Could the exorbitant cost of a simple hotel room finally crown smaller regional events as the new kings of Scotland's summer arts scene?