Ex-performer launches AI tool to help festival-goers 'cut through the noise' of the Fringe

A pair of Edinburgh-based entrepreneurs have launched a new AI-powered planning tool to help people navigate the Fringe. 

The web-based show planner, FringeFlow.Ai, is designed to tackle “choice fatigue” and support small acts. 

Co-developed by Sean Errey, a former Fringe performer who is now a marketing professional, the tool can provide festival-goers a personable, walkable day-long itinerary in seconds .

The AI planner collates the user’s preferences, which can be from comedy to “something weird” to providing a random walking route of shows to attend, with the aim of giving all performers a fair chance of being part of the itinerary.  

“We love the Fringe and the wider festival, but we also know how overwhelming it can be,” Errey said.  “When I performed in 2013, I saw incredible small shows struggling to find an audience while others dominated the listings. It’s not simply about talent but about how hard it is to choose on any given day!” 

Unlike traditional listings apps, FringeFlow.Ai doesn’t rank shows by price or popularity but instead uses a built-in randomising algorithm to create a schedule out of any show that matches the user’s interests. 

Errey continued: “That randomness is part of what makes the Fringe magical. We didn’t want to flatten that experience, we simply wanted to make it easier to access.” 

The free-to-use tool was trialled earlier this month and received positive feedback from both seasoned festival goers and newcomers. 

The tool also includes suggestions for food and drink stops between shows as part of a wider effort to support local business. 

Errey added : “This isn’t AI trying to replace creativity – it’s tech designed by people who love and live the Fringe. What we’ve done is build a tool to support discovery, not dictate it. If we make the Fringe more navigable, we make it more inclusive. FringeFlow is about giving more artists a shot at being seen.”