'Exploitation': The dark reality of flyering at the Edinburgh Fringe

A number of promoters have spoken to The Herald about what they say is the festival’s “seedy” underbelly, which they claim damages a vibrant and essential aspect of the Fringe. Fearing retribution from employers for speaking out, the individuals quoted in this article have been granted pseudonymity. 

‘Kathyrn’, who has flyered at the Fringe for three seasons, said that she’s noticed “more and more exploitation” with each successive year.

“It’s very pervasive”, she observed. “The more I do and the more people I speak to, I’ve realised it’s not just a one-off.”

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A key issue is the amount of shifts offered to flyerers, which can often exceed contractual expectations. The typical promoter is young, often 18 or 19, leaving many first time flyerers unaware of how to navigate the system. One year, Kathyrn noted, she worked 170 hours over the course of the month, despite only being contracted for 100. 

“I wasn’t aware of the expectations”, she remarked. “I was told this was a part time job. But that’s the nature of the Fringe.”

“Everyone gets hours cut on the day, the day before, while you’re on shift. You lose control of a bit of your life… Payment is always a sticky issue. There’s always some reason why it is delayed.”

“It’s a seedy business, people don’t want to talk about it.”

Likewise, ‘William’, a two-year veteran of the Fringe, told The Herald that shifts were often contingent on who handed out the most flyers. Performers compete fiercely for box office wins and the coveted “sell-out” status, relying heavily on flyerers to promote their shows and drive ticket sales.

“People who were ‘better’ got more hours, and people who were ‘worse’ got less,” he remarked. While several of William’s friends regularly worked for ten or twelve hours at a time, he often received two-hour shifts, something he chalks up to being assigned to promote lesser known shows in “quieter” areas. While he raised a complaint about the disparate hours, “nothing was really changed".

“It makes the job feel like you are always on your toes”, William, who was not under contract, noted. 

‘Duncan’, who flyered for the first time this year, said that shifts were often variable, and could be cancelled at a moment’s notice.

He remarked: “We were promised four hours at first, but some people were getting three hours or less… If a show sold out, you were told your shift was cancelled.”

Often the responsibility of safeguarding flyerers falls to “street team managers”, who are sometimes paid little more themselves. 

That’s not to mention the flyerers who work directly for performers, responding to Facebook posts advertising two or three hour shifts in various Edinburgh locales. Paid by the hour, these promoters are often offered bonuses depending on the number of people who attend the performance they are advertising. 

There often isn’t enough support for female promoters, who can face harassment whilst on the street. Kathryn told The Herald how she was accosted outside a venue earlier this month, as a “touchy-feely” man kissed and hugged her, leaving her “very uncomfortable.” While the venue’s security team was helpful, Kathryn had no one within her company to turn to for assistance.

Crowds in Edinburgh for the Fringe

Similarly, Duncan noted “there wasn’t really an HR or person to talk to” if things went wrong. Due to the nature of the zero hour contracts commonly used for Fringe flyerers, many promoters couldn’t afford to take time off, even after traumatic events.

“If we don’t work… we don’t get paid,” Duncan quipped. “It feels like companies don’t want you to take time off. It’s like you are letting them down.”

“Lola”, who has been a flyerer since she was 15, explained that companies will often demand that promoters split up across Edinburgh, and will discipline employees for being spotted standing close to each other. Lola said that this often creates frightening experiences, particularly walking alone at night through the city. She remarked: “You have to choose whether to follow your employer’s policy, or risk being in harm’s way.” 

Some flyerers have said that verbal abuse from members of the public has also increased. William remarked that many people he encountered were “downright rude.” Lola added that drunken festival goers are prone to “slapping piles of leaflets out of flyerer’s hands”, only to laugh as promoters scramble on the ground to pick them up. 

“Compared to last year, people were a lot less receptive overall to being flyered”, William said. “It made the work quite taxing. Rejection is fine. But it was a very impolite rejection.”

“The prices have gone up, so people were angry about having to pay more.”

There is an argument that irregular shifts and divergent pay is part and parcel of the job, and it is important to note that many flyerers have had positive experiences at the Fringe. Yet, as our sources shared, the current system is rife with abuse, and flyerers deserve protection. Otherwise, experiences like Lola’s, which was so poor she decided against returning in 2024, will become more common. 

Asked how things could improve, William said that promoters deserved more support from venues and companies. He noted: “There needs to be more of an effort from the companies to create a support network where you can report incidents.”

Likewise, Kathyrn remarked: “A massive culture shift is needed. I’d love to see some sort of flyerers’ union.”

“Each company should have to be responsible and have a liaison with flyerers. There needs to be someone available in each company to look after flyerers, not just manage them.”

Fringe Festival organisers were contacted for comment.