Edinburgh festivals and arts groups win £1.1m from council in tourist tax funding battle

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Edinburgh's cultural organisations have secured a 25 per cent funding increase after pressing the city council to reconsider how visitor levy revenue is allocated. The Edinburgh International Festival, Book Festival and Fringe Society are among those sharing roughly £1.07m in additional support. A new £2.62m Innovate Fund, also backed by the visitor levy, will accept applications from eligible arts and community organisations starting next week.

The council had initially proposed only a five per cent increase, drawing sharp criticism from cultural leaders who had gone more than a decade without a real-terms funding rise.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society chief executive Tony Lankester welcomed the outcome but cautioned that greater effort is needed to channel tourist tax revenue toward the arts sector.