Street Events Administrator (fixed term)

Background

The idea at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is simple: anyone with a desire to perform and a venue willing to host them is welcome. No individual or committee determines who can or cannot perform at the Fringe.

It all began in 1947 with eight companies – six of them from Scotland – taking a risk, turning up uninvited and performing on the ‘fringe’ of the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival. Over 75 years later, the Fringe has grown to become one of the greatest platforms for creative freedom in the world, second only to the Olympics in terms of global ticketed events. In 2024, 3,745 shows took place in 296 venues across Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society was founded by artists to nurture and uphold the Fringe's values of inclusivity, experimentation and imagination. We exist to support, advise and encourage everyone who wants to participate in the Fringe, provide information and assistance to audiences, and celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world.

We are seeking to appoint a proactive and well-organised individual to the role of Street Events Administrator, playing an integral role supporting the project manager and street participants for the Street Events.

During the Fringe, the Street Events team manages vibrant street performance areas in the heart of the city. These spaces become the focus of the carnival atmosphere that takes over Edinburgh in August, with thousands of locals and tourists mingling to see the spectacular acts that travel from all over the world to entertain the crowds.

Reporting to the Street Events Project Manager, the Street Events Administrator is the backbone of our office operation. The first point of contact for all enquiries both before and during the Fringe, administration of our database, inbox and comms, responsible for a smooth running of the office which will ensure a smooth running of the street. This role is fast-paced, varied and feeds into all facets of the Street Events operations.

Role and responsibilities

You will perform a wide range of duties, including but not limited to:

• being the first point of contact for all general enquiries, management of the Street Events email inbox
• administration of our event scheduling software systems
• preparing all passes and welcome information for performers arriving in Edinburgh
• general administrative support for the Street Events
• consolidating daily EON pitch reports from stewards and coordinators
• keeping the event equipment areas clean, tidy and well stocked.

Person specification

Essential

• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment while maintaining confidence and sensitivity.
• Understanding and experience of working within events.
• Excellent computer and IT skills and the ability to pick up new systems quickly.
• Effective communication skills: tact, diplomacy, assertiveness and confidence when dealing with people from all backgrounds.
• Excellent time-keeping and the ability to prioritise tasks in an effective way.
• Ability to use initiative in a busy environment.
• Knowledge and understanding of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Desirable

• Experience of event / stage / festival management / artist liaison.
• Previous experience in scheduling performances and using event management software.
• A knowledge of street performance and busking.

Rate of pay and benefits

The rate of pay for this post is £14.15 per hour.

Normal working hours are 35 hours a week, worked from 10:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday with a one-hour unpaid lunch break. In the run-up to and during the festival you may be required to work additional days and hours. From Monday 03 August to Sunday 30 August your hours will increase to 42 hours worked between 08:30 and 16:30 over six days between Monday and Sunday. Your working hours will be organised according to a rota system which the Society will notify you of in advance of the Fringe.

We use positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act in relation to disability or race. This means that if we have two candidates of equal merit in our process, we will seek to take forward the Deaf, disabled, Black, Asian or ethnically diverse candidate in order to diversify our staff team.

The Fringe are active members of the Festivals Edinburgh Sustainability Working group and include climate action as one of the headline targets in the Fringe development goals. As part of the commitments of this work, all Fringe staff members are expected to assist with the Fringe Society’s environmental goals and consider these in all elements of your work.

We are also committed to maintaining the open-access policy of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of the community. We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and aim to successfully employ and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. We expect employees to support these commitments and to assist in their realisation.

• 2026 Street Events Administrator Job Description

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