Edinburgh Fringe show goes flyer-free to cut waste
An Edinburgh-based comedy game show is taking a different approach to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe by promoting itself without printing a single flyer.
Fungasm: Save or Smash has partnered with Leith-based Pilot Brewery to create a limited-edition lager, with every can featuring a QR code giving drinkers the chance to win tickets to the show. The initiative is part of a flyer-free marketing campaign built around local collaboration, reuse and low-impact transport.
Instead of relying on traditional street flyering, the production is experimenting with ways to create conversation rather than paper waste, while supporting independent businesses across the city.
Producer Jessie Lindsay, who previously worked with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society advising artists on media and marketing, said:
“Flyers are deeply embedded in the Edinburgh Fringe, and they do have a certain analogue charm. But the word-of-mouth and personal connection that makes the Fringe special doesn’t need to disappear. Instead, the way artists create those connections can be reimagined.”
Sustainability runs throughout the production, with second-hand costumes and props, reused stage materials and cargo bikes used to transport equipment across Edinburgh. Local Greenlight awardee BANZAI Bikes is supporting the campaign by providing an e-cargo bike to deliver the first cases of Fungasm Lager to venues across the city.
The project also asks a wider question: how can artists help imagine and build more resilient futures? On 22 August, Jessie Lindsay will co-host a Climate Café at Fringe Central exploring the role artists can play in responding to a changing world - sign ups via Fringe Connect or just come along on the day!
Fungasm: Save or Smash runs at the Gilded Saloon Basement (Venue 44) from 23–30 August, with performances beginning at 7:40pm.