Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeThe 2026 Edinburgh Fringe festival opened on Friday, with the organisers calling on audiences to “mix it up” and jump into the thousands of shows on offer over the next four weeks. The Fringe Society, which supports and promotes the festival, said the average ticket price at the Edinburgh Fringe this year is £13. As the festival season officially launched on Friday, Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, encouraged audiences to jump in and buy a ticket. The Edinburgh Fringe is one of the greatest spectacles of performing arts and culture, and you are the heart of it.