Who's Hiring at the Edinburgh Festivals in 2026
Every active festival recruitment page in one place — with what they're hiring for and how to apply.
Last updated April 2026
Edinburgh's festivals don't recruit through a single portal. Each venue and organisation runs its own hiring process, posts on its own website, and works to its own timeline. That makes finding festival jobs harder than it should be.
This page rounds up every active recruitment page we know of — the major Fringe venues, the festival organisations, and the year-round theatres that ramp up for August. For each one, we've summarised what roles they typically hire, what the work is like, and where to apply. Every link goes directly to the employer's own recruitment page.
We update this page regularly through the spring and summer as venues open and close their applications. If you spot a recruitment page we've missed, let us know.
Fringe Venues
The big Fringe venues are the largest festival employers in Edinburgh. Between them, Assembly, Underbelly, Pleasance, and Gilded Balloon hire hundreds of seasonal staff every summer for bar, front of house, tech, box office, and site crew roles. Most open recruitment in March or April and continue hiring through to July. Smaller venues like Summerhall, ZOO, and C Venues offer more intimate working environments — some paid, some volunteer-based.
Assembly Festival
One of the Fringe's biggest venue operators, running Assembly Hall on the Mound, Assembly Rooms on George Street, Assembly George Square, and Assembly Checkpoint. They hire large seasonal teams for bar, front of house, box office, and technical roles. Recruitment typically opens in March/April. Assembly pays the real Living Wage and is one of the more structured Fringe employers — expect a proper application process and training.
Are you Assembly Festival? Post your roles here for free
Underbelly
Arguably the biggest single Fringe employer, operating venues across Bristo Square, the Cowgate, and George Square. Underbelly runs some of the highest-volume bars in Edinburgh during August — Bristo Square alone serves thousands of people between shows. They hire extensively for bar staff, front of house, events crew, and technical roles. Site crew roles start weeks before the festival for venue builds. Apply early — they fill hundreds of positions.
Are you Underbelly? Post your roles here for free
Pleasance
Pleasance Courtyard and Pleasance Dome are two of the most iconic Fringe venues. The Courtyard bar is one of the festival's main social hubs and needs a large team to staff it. Pleasance also runs one of the biggest volunteer programmes on the Fringe — around 200 volunteers help with front of house each year, getting free show tickets in return. Paid roles include bar, box office, and technical positions. A great option if you want a well-organised Fringe experience.
Are you Pleasance? Post your roles here for free
Gilded Balloon
Comedy-focused venue operator based at Teviot Row House (Edinburgh University Students' Association), Patter House, and the Museum. Home to Late 'n' Live, the Fringe's legendary late-night comedy show, which means their bars run into the early hours. If you're a night owl, this is the venue for you. They hire bar staff, front of house, and technical crew. Shifts often finish at 3am or later during the festival's second and third weeks.
Are you Gilded Balloon? Post your roles here for free
Summerhall
A former Royal Dick veterinary school turned arts venue, Summerhall hosts some of the Fringe's most interesting experimental work — theatre, visual art, music, and immersive experiences. It has a different feel from the big commercial venues: smaller, more eclectic, and popular with the arts crowd. They hire front of house, bar staff, and gallery attendants. If you prefer a more intimate, arts-focused environment over high-volume bars, this is worth a look.
Are you Summerhall? Post your roles here for free
ZOO Venues
A smaller venue operator known for championing physical theatre, dance, and adventurous new work. ZOO runs intimate performance spaces and has a loyal following among Fringe regulars. They offer a mix of paid roles and volunteer positions in front of house and technical. A good choice if you want close contact with the artistic side of the festival rather than the bar-and-crowd experience of the bigger venues.
Are you ZOO Venues? Post your roles here for free
C Venues
A network of performance spaces across central Edinburgh operating on a largely volunteer-based model. C Venues run more shows than most people realise. In exchange for your time on front of house and technical duties, you get free access to shows and genuine festival experience. It's not paid work, but it's one of the most accessible ways to get your foot in the door — many people who go on to paid Fringe work started here.
Are you C Venues? Post your roles here for free
Festival Organisations
These are the organisations that run Edinburgh's major festivals — the Fringe Society, International Festival, Book Festival, Art Festival, and Military Tattoo. Their roles tend to be more office- and operations-focused than venue work: administration, marketing, press, participant services, and event coordination. Some offer longer contracts starting before the summer, making them a good option if you want more stability than a three-week Fringe gig.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
The organisation that coordinates the Fringe itself — not a venue, but the body that registers shows, runs the Fringe box office and Half Price Hut, and supports participants. They hire seasonal staff for box office, participant services, press office, marketing, and administration. Fringe Society roles are office- and operations-focused rather than venue-based, and they're popular — apply as soon as positions are posted.
Are you Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society? Post your roles here for free
Edinburgh International Festival
The original Edinburgh festival, running since 1947. The International Festival is a curated programme of world-class theatre, music, opera, and dance — a different beast from the open-access Fringe. They hire for events, administration, technical, and front of house roles across their programme. Contracts tend to be more structured and longer than Fringe venue work, sometimes starting in June or July.
Are you Edinburgh International Festival? Post your roles here for free
Edinburgh International Book Festival
The world's largest public celebration of books and ideas, hosting hundreds of author events each August. The Book Festival hires seasonal staff for events, front of house, bookselling, and administration. The atmosphere is calmer than the Fringe — think author green rooms and tented venues rather than 2am bar shifts. A good option if you prefer daytime hours and a literary crowd.
Are you Edinburgh International Book Festival? Post your roles here for free
Edinburgh Art Festival
A visual arts festival running across Edinburgh's galleries and public spaces throughout August. Smaller team than the Fringe or International Festival, but they hire for gallery invigilating, event coordination, marketing, and administration. Roles suit people with an interest in visual art or gallery work.
Are you Edinburgh Art Festival? Post your roles here for free
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The iconic military performance spectacle on Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, attracting 220,000 visitors over its August run. The Tattoo is a major operation — a temporary 8,600-seat grandstand is built and dismantled every year. They hire for events, hospitality, retail, stewarding, and operations. The work is different from Fringe venue jobs: more structured, outdoors on the Castle Esplanade, and focused on a single nightly performance.
Are you Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo? Post your roles here for free
Theatres & Venues
Edinburgh's year-round theatres get significantly busier during festival season and take on additional staff. These roles often come with more structure and predictability than Fringe venue work — regular shift patterns, established teams, and venues that operate all year.
Traverse Theatre
Edinburgh's dedicated new writing theatre, based in the heart of the city. The Traverse programmes its own festival season alongside the Fringe and hires for front of house, technical, and administration roles. It's a year-round venue that ramps up significantly in August, making it a good option if you're interested in new writing and want a more intimate working environment than the large Fringe venues.
Are you Traverse Theatre? Post your roles here for free
Edinburgh Playhouse (ATG)
The UK's largest seated theatre (3,059 capacity), part of the ATG Entertainment group. The Playhouse hosts large-scale musicals and touring productions year-round and is especially busy during the festival season. ATG hires for front of house, bar, technical, and administration roles across all their venues — apply through the central ATG careers site and filter for Edinburgh.
Are you Edinburgh Playhouse (ATG)? Post your roles here for free
Central Resources
Edinburgh Festival City is the umbrella organisation representing all eleven Edinburgh festivals. Their jobs page pulls together opportunities from across the festival landscape — useful if you want to see what's available beyond the Fringe.
Edinburgh Festival City
The umbrella body representing Edinburgh's eleven major festivals. Their jobs page aggregates opportunities across multiple festival organisations in one place — useful for seeing what's available beyond the Fringe. If you're open to working at the Book Festival, International Festival, or Art Festival as well as the Fringe, start here.
Are you Edinburgh Festival City? Post your roles here for free
Guides for Jobseekers
Once you've found which venues are hiring, these guides will help you prepare your application and plan your summer.
- How to Find Edinburgh Festival Jobs in 2026 — where to look, when to apply, and how to stand out
- Edinburgh Fringe Jobs — Every Role and How to Get Hired — a deep dive into every type of Fringe role
- Bar Work in Edinburgh This August — the most common festival job, explained in detail
- Temporary Jobs in Edinburgh This Summer — the full picture beyond the festivals
- Your Guide to Working at the Edinburgh Festival — the essentials of festival employment
- Working in Edinburgh in August — transport, cheap eats, and the practical survival guide
- Edinburgh Festival Accommodation — finding somewhere to live in August
Know a recruitment page we've missed?
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