Oasis have had 'negligible' impact on Fringe ticket sales
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However this year's programme has expanded over the last three years to 3834 shows, the second highest tally in the 78-year history of the event, which has been long been the world's biggest celebration of culture.
There were widespread fears about the impact of the only Oasis reunion shows in Scotland clashing with the Fringe as soon as the shows were announced days after last year's Fringe had drawn to a close, particularly on the price of accommodation. Two of the three gigs are being held across the second weekend of the festival.
Tony Lankester was appointed chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society earlier this year. (Image: Gordon Terris)
However the society has also revealed that there is still widespread availability at an official 'Fringe Village' at Queen Margaret University's campus in Musselburgh, as as well as in [[Edinburgh]] University accommodation.
Mr Lankester, who is overseeing his first Fringe, has nonetheless urged concert promoters to avoid staging future shows at Murrayfield in August.
George Square is one of the busiest areas during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. (Image: Alistair Leith)
Although the home of Scottish rugby has been playing host to concerts since the early 1980s, the sold-out shows by Oasis – on August 8, 9 and 12 – and a one-off gig by AC/DC – are the first to clash with Edinburgh's main summer festivals season.
Scottish Rugby officials recently set out ambitions to host up to 12 concerts a year at the stadium, which will have a capacity of almost 70,000 for the Oasis shows.
Mr Lankester said he had held talks with Glasgow-based promoters DF Concerts, who are working on the Oasis shows, since taking up his post.
He said: 'The ticket sales pattern is pretty as much as we would expect by now and is not dissimilar to this time last year. Saturdays are our biggest selling days
'Some of the venues are nervous, because no-one is quite sure how things are going to play out, but in general they are saying the same thing. No-one has raised a red flag with us yet, but by far the lion's share of tickets are sold in August.
'These concerts have had a negligible impact on ticket sales so far. Given the extent to which bookings happen on the day, it will be really interesting to see what happens during the Fringe.
'On balance, I would prefer it if these concerts were not taking place in August, but they are there and they are happening this year.
"There are obviously increased concerts for promoters if they put on concerts in August. I don't think it would be their first choice for a time of year to put them on.
'We have done some postcode analysis of the Oasis ticket purchases. Broadly speaking, around half of those people who are coming to those concerts will sleep in their own beds at night. They are either from Edinburgh or are a commutable distance away from Edinburgh.
'Of the other half, some of them will be staying in a commutable area outside Edinburgh. A lot of people going to these concerts will come into town and go back out again.
'DF Concerts said to me that they believe most of the crowds will not extend beyond Haymarket.'I hope some people will be sticking around, will make a weekend of it and will pick some Fringe shows to see. We will have to see how that plays out. I would encourage people not to leave it till the last minute. They should dive into the programme now and pick out a couple of things.'
Last year's Fringe attracted the event's fourth highest attendance since the festival was launched in 1947.
The Fringe broke the two million ticket sales barrier in 2014, when the official programme boasted 3193 shows.
Mr Lankester, who took over as chief executive of the Fringe Society in April, previously said he would like the festival to reach three million ticket sales, which has only been achieved once previously, in the 2019 festival, the last to be staged before the Covid pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020.
However, speaking ahead of the Fringe's official launch on Friday, Mr Lankester said: 'I don't think we will get to three million this year. I might be wrong.
'But the path to getting there is not about getting more people to come to the Fringe. It's about getting the people who do come here to buy more tickets.
'The Fringe isn't a brand you need to tell people about. For me, it's about the individual visitor experience, how we maximise the benefits to the Fringe of people being here and maximise their experience of the Fringe.
'If we can get people to move from buying two tickets a day to four tickets a day that would be great. That's how we can grow.'
The Fringe Society has insisted there are still affordable accommodations open ahead of the official launch of the festival on August 1, including at the Fringe Village, which has been targeted at people working in the festival.
He added: "Queen Margaret University tell us they still have around 80 beds available, which cost £300 a week. They have put a lot of work into creating a really nice community. Edinburgh University also still has beds available, at roughly the same price. There are still viable options available for people who are not coming here for the whole month."
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