11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Why are Oasis and their fans seen as a threat to the Fringe?
While Scottish fans of Oasis were scrambling to book tickets for their three shows in the Scottish capital, festival folk were wondering what they had done to deserve what many still see as an easily-avoidable nightmare.
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While the Fringe has previously faced competition from sporting events, like the 2012 London Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two years later, its organisers have never before had to grapple with the prospect of a run of stadium concerts at Murrayfield in August.
Although outdoor shows have been staged almost year at Murrayfield since 1983, when Oasis and AC/DC arrive in Edinburgh in August it will be the first time that stadium concerts at the home of Scottish rugby will have clashed with the Fringe.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.
The main source of anxiety from Fringe venue operators is how much these shows will distort the market for ticket sales for their shows and programmes.
An overall audience of 290,000 music fans are expected to attend the three Oasis shows on August 8, 9 and 12, and an AC/DC show on August 21, which was announced in February.
The most immediate impact of the three Oasis concerts being confirmed was to send the price of accommodation in the city soaring way earlier than normal – unsurprising when previous Murrayfield shows have been credited with filling every hotel room in the city.
A key source of frustration from Fringe venues and the Fringe Society is that the Murrayfield shows have simply exacerbated the most serious challenge facing the festival.
The cost of accommodation for artists and audiences was already said to be putting off growing numbers of people from even considering a trip to Edinburgh in August.
Performers and companies are already said to have tried to avoid going head to head with the Oasis shows.
However most of the concerns about the Murrayfield gigs are over the impact on the last-minute ticket sales that are relied upon to fill Fringe venues in August.
First, there are real fears that the prices being charged for accommodation throughout August will be too much of a deterrent for people to seeking to book a last-minute trip.
Then there are concerns about Edinburgh's ability to cope with a huge influx of Oasis and AC/DC fans into an already busy city.
The Fringe Society and Fringe venues are already planning targeted marketing initiatives to try to persuade Murrayfield ticket-holders as well as local residents who are within easy reach of the festival to buy tickets for shows.
While the challenges thrown up by this year's culture clash will undoubtedly provide plenty of opportunities, particularly in parts of the city not normally busy with Fringe-goers, it is doubtful that anyone involved in the festival will be hoping for a repeat next year.
But with Murrayfield now firmly established as Scotland's premier venue for outdoor stadium shows, they may be powerless to do anything that would prevent a repeat.
