Overview of Festival Numbers 2019
30 March 2020
Locals attended the Edinburgh Festivals in record numbers during 2019, according to the release of festival information, which debunks the myth that the festivals are only for tourists. Almost 40% of attendees across the city’s 11 major festivals in 2019 were city residents, eager to take part in the world of culture on their doorstep.
Alongside the record number of 1.84m [37%] attendances from locals, the information identifies that 1.1m [23%] of attendances came from elsewhere in Scotland. This reveals a balance of 60% of festival audiences being Scottish residents, with the remaining 40% from beyond Scotland.
The information is drawn from the festivals’ box office and audience data for 2019 [see attached below] and uses the BOP Consulting ratio [4.24] from their work on the Festivals Impact Studies, to calculate the number of attendees from the level of attendance.
Such findings echo the results of the Council’s own research through the Edinburgh People Survey during 2018 which showed that 72% of residents believe the festivals make Edinburgh a better place to live.