A top comedian has accused Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival of being a Scottish version of Munich’s beer-fuelled Oktoberfest.
According to German comedian Henning Wehn, artists and shows are becoming “redundant” and thousands of partygoers are flocking to the city to drink.
The Fringe festival, which started on Friday and runs until August 26, has launched the careers of countless comedy stars, including Rowan Atkinson, Billy Connolly and Steve Coogan.
But Wehn, 50, who regularly appears on Radio 4, told fans in his online newsletter: ‘The biggest difference from the Fringe of 20 years ago is that nowadays every bit of open space has been transformed into a temporary giant beer garden with 24-hour permits and a little gig hut in the corner somewhere to tick the boxes.’
Former Fringe favorite Wehn, who calls himself “The German Ambassador for Comedy,” will not appear at this year’s festival.
German comedian Henning Wehn said performers and shows at the Edinburgh Fringe were becoming ‘redundant’, with thousands of revellers flocking to the city to drink
Life on the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival with hordes of tourists and artists promoting their shows
Entertainers perform on the Royal Mile during the opening weekend of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on August 3
Oktoberfest: Waitresses carry beer mugs in a beer tent on the opening day of the 2018 festival
Edinburgh: Artists ahead of their performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Pictured: The 188th Oktoberfest in Munich last October
Festival posters in the city centre ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Instead, he embarked on a nine-month UK tour with a sold-out performance in Hastings on Sunday night.
Wehn said: ‘I’m going to miss it again, after enjoying it immensely last year and not being able to be there for the first time since 2004.
‘There are currently a lot of opinion pieces out there about how the festival has become too crowded and unaffordable for aspiring artists who don’t have a trust fund behind them.
‘I always have to laugh when I see a grant scheme that is designed to level the playing field by giving working class artists some money, especially when it comes to big Fringe venues like Underbelly or the Assembly Rooms.
‘As far as I can tell, they are the ones who are ahead of the problem!
‘That artists are redundant in the current version of the Fringe was never more apparent than during the 2021 Covid Fringe, when I was one of the few artists in town but the beer gardens were as big as ever.
‘The fact that these beer merchants had access to generous emergency funding for the arts sector only made the situation more sinister.
Performers pose for photos as they return to the Edinburgh Fringe this year
A crowd moves through the venue on the final day of Munich’s Oktoberfest last year
Head coach Thomas Tuchel with FC Bayern Munich chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen at the Oktoberfest
Festival posters in the city centre ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Revelers drink beer from traditional beer mugs in the Hofbraeu tent on the opening day of the Munich Oktoberfest 2023
Edinburgh: Ginger Johnson to perform at the Pleasance Theatre Opening Gala on August 3
‘The local authority could reduce overcrowding in an instant if they could prevent the whole of Edinburgh from turning into an Oktoberfest.
‘Hotel capacity will not be taken up by stag and hen parties if they can’t walk around in a beer garden.’
Wehn had previously complained about the cost of accommodation in Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival.
He claimed he was quoted a monthly rate of £9,000 for an “average two-bedroom apartment” and £7,000 to stay in “a camper van on someone’s driveway”.
Nearly 4,000 shows are expected at this year’s Fringe Festival.
Well-known TV series such as Baby Reindeer and Fleabag were created at the festival.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been contacted for comment.