OSCR Scottish charity profile

The Free Fringe

Known as PBH's Free Fringe

ActiveCharity number SC052628
Registered19 June 2023
Main locationCity of Edinburgh
Legal formCompany (the charity is registered with Companies House)

01 Identity

Scottish charity record

Snapshot 25 August 2026
OSCR charity number
SC052628
Status
Active
Regulatory type
Standard
Designated religious body
No
Geographical spread
A specific local point, community or neighbourhood
Volunteers
over 250 volunteers
Staff
0
Postcode
NW5 1AD

02 Purpose and work

What the charity exists to do

We put on about 6000 performances of about 400 shows free of all charges to performers and public at the Edinburgh Fringe, thus enabling access to this world-famous event for performers and public, without the otherwise high cost of participation. This develops our performers' competences in the performing arts and makes those arts accessible to the citizens of Edinburgh and to visitors to that city. We negotiate performance spaces free of charge to us: the spaces get the refreshment sale profits. We select and programme the shows from those who apply to us, usually at least twice as many as we have space for. We operate as a collective and nobody is remunerated for the work they do for the Free Fringe, although of course suppliers are paid.

Charitable purposes

  • the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science

Beneficiaries

  • No specific group, or for the benefit of the community

Activities

  • It carries out activities or services itself

Constitutional objectives

2 The company's objects are: a. The advancement of the Performing Arts. b. The advancement of access to the Performing Arts by performers and public. In furtherance of these objectives the organisation will undertake the following activities: i. Stage, promote, facilitate, perform and support shows of all types and genres at the Edinburgh Fringe, with free non-ticketed admission to the public. ii. Stage, promote, facilitate, perform and support shows of all types and genres at any other events and locations that may be deemed fit. iii. Provide performance space to such performer-applicants at the Edinburgh Fringe who shall be deemed suitable on artistic grounds and can be accommodated within the available spaces, without any compulsory charge to those performers. iv. Carry out all reasonable activities to encourage public attendance at these performances, including but not limited to printed and electronic listings of such performances and activities, as far as resources permit. v. Carry out all reasonable measures to facilitate the staging of these performances, including but not limited to the purchase, borrowing or hiring of lighting, sound equipment, chairs and staging, as far as resources permit. vi. Appoint volunteer applicants to such posts as may be deemed necessary, such as Artistic Director, Scheduler, Publications Manager etc, such applicants not to be remunerated except for reimbursement of genuine expenses. vii. Receive from performers such voluntary contributions as they may think fit to give in respect of the performance spaces and services given to them without compulsory charge. viii. Encourage a collaborative, mutually supportive and self-sufficient atmosphere among performers, fostering realistic expectations of what their presence at the Edinburgh Fringe can achieve. ix. Encourage all tasks necessary to the fulfilment of these objectives to be carried out by performers themselves, thus fostering a completely self-sufficient organisation. The company?s objects are restricted to those set out in article 2 (but subject to article 3).

03 Annual returns

Income and expenditure history

2 periods
Year endIncomeExpenditureStaffReturn received
31 December 2025£0£00Not supplied
31 December 2024£32,855£24,193017 September 2025

Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.

04 Contact record

Principal office or trustees address

Address supplied to OSCR
31 Fortess Road, London
Website supplied to OSCR
freefringe.org.uk
Parent charity
Not supplied

No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.

05 Provenance

Source for this profile

© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.