Fest Magazine
Fest Magazine is a free, advertising-supported digital publication covering the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performing arts, operated by Radge Media Ltd since 2006 and serving festival audiences and arts venues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Fest Magazine does
Fest Magazine is a digital-only arts and entertainment publication dedicated to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the broader performing arts scene. Operated by Radge Media Ltd, a privately-held UK media company headquartered in Edinburgh, the publication serves as a specialist editorial platform covering comedy, theatre, music, and dance for the world's largest arts festival. Content is organized into Features (including Q&A interviews, curated mixtapes, and opinion pieces), Reviews, and show listings, with a separate archive subdomain housing historical coverage dating back to 2006.
The publication operates as a free, advertising-supported digital magazine distributed exclusively through festmag.com and archive.festmag.com, with no paywalls or subscription requirements for readers. Its underlying technology is a standard online digital magazine publishing platform (WordPress-based, per the site's URL structure) with no proprietary technical features, integrations, or APIs disclosed. Audience acquisition is driven by organic editorial content marketing, supplemented by an email newsletter subscription channel ("Festival updates") and organic social media presence on Facebook and Twitter/X.
The business model is advertising and sponsorship, targeting arts venues, performers, and festival-related businesses through a dedicated "Advertise with us" channel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective advertisers are directed to contact the publication directly. Fest Magazine serves two primary customer segments: arts and entertainment enthusiasts who rely on the publication for festival discovery and critical reviews during the compressed August Fringe window, and artists, performers, and venues seeking editorial coverage and audience engagement. The publication has continuously operated for nearly two decades with a small 13-person team and no external funding, M&A activity, or leadership transitions disclosed in the source material.
Fest Magazine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fest Magazine
- Legal name
- Radge Media Ltd
- Website
- https://festmag.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fest Magazine is a free, advertising-supported digital publication covering the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performing arts, operated by Radge Media Ltd since 2006 and serving festival audiences and arts venues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fest Magazine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Arts and Entertainment Journalism
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
Keywords
Fest Magazine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Advertising and sponsorship: Fest Magazine operates as an advertising-supported digital publication, offering advertisement opportunities through their 'Advertise with us' page. The magazine features sponsored content and promotional opportunities for arts-related businesses and venues.
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Fest Magazine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fest Magazine is a free, advertising-supported online arts publication that produces editorial content about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the wider performing arts scene. Its core product is digital editorial content - features, critical reviews, performer Q&As, opinion pieces, and curated themed mixtapes - delivered through festmag.com and an associated archive site, alongside paid advertising and sponsorship placements for arts businesses and venues.
Product overview
Fest Magazine is a single unified digital publication product — an online arts and entertainment magazine focused on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performing arts. The publication offers editorial content organized into categories including Features, Reviews, and Q&A content. The site also provides a What's On show listings section accessible via archive.festmag.com.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fest Magazine Online Publication Fest Magazine's core free-to-read digital publication covering the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performing arts, delivering editorial content organized into Features, Reviews, Q&A interviews, Mixtapes, and Opinion categories for arts enthusiasts, performers, and venues.
- Advertise With Us (Fest Magazine Advertising and Sponsorships) Fest Magazine's paid advertising and sponsorship offering for arts-related businesses, performers, and venues, providing promotional placements and sponsored content opportunities on festmag.com. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and prospective advertisers are directed to contact the publication.
Companies that use Fest Magazine
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Fest Magazine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Fest Magazine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fest Magazine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Scotsman: Edinburgh-headquartered national newspaper with extensive Edinburgh Festival Fringe coverage including reviews, previews, and listings — comparable in Edinburgh-based arts journalism and Fringe coverage, though serving a broader news audience.
- Time Out: Global city-entertainment media brand covering theatre, comedy, music, and cultural events with editorial reviews and listings — comparable in editorial format (reviews, Q&As, features) and arts-and-entertainment advertiser appeal, though at much larger scale and broader city scope.
- What's On Stage: Major UK theatre listings and reviews site covering West End, fringe, and regional theatre with editorial reviews and ticket sales — comparable in delivering theatre reviews and show listings to UK performing arts audiences, with a much larger scale and broader coverage.
- BroadwayWorld: Large performing-arts news and reviews site covering theatre, fringe, and festivals with editorial features and listings — comparable as a performing-arts editorial platform with reviews, Q&As, and features targeted at arts audiences.
- The Stage: UK-wide theatre industry newspaper covering performing arts news, reviews, and listings — comparable in editorial focus on theatre and performing arts, though operating at broader UK scale with a more trade-oriented audience than Fest's festival-reader focus.
- The Guardian Arts: Major UK newspaper's arts section covering theatre, comedy, music, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe with extensive reviews and features — comparable in producing authoritative Fringe reviews and arts editorial content, though as part of a national news platform with vastly larger reach.
Direct peers
- ThreeWeeks: Edinburgh Festival Fringe-focused print and online publication providing previews, reviews, and listings during the Fringe — directly comparable in scope, audience (Fringe attendees and performers), and editorial format to Fest Magazine.
- The List: Edinburgh/Scotland-based listings and reviews magazine covering arts, culture, music, and events in Scotland and beyond — directly comparable as a regional arts-and-entertainment editorial brand targeting Edinburgh audiences including Fringe-goers.
- Edinburgh Guide: Long-running online guide to Edinburgh festivals, including the Fringe, with features, reviews, and listings — comparable as a competing Edinburgh-festival-focused editorial platform targeting festival audiences and arts advertisers.
Emerging players
- A Younger Theatre: UK-based independent online publication focused on theatre reviews, features, and interviews — comparable in niche performing-arts editorial focus and indie digital publishing model, though covering broader UK theatre rather than a single festival.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fest Magazine social profiles
Digital presenceFest Magazine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fest Magazine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Fest Magazine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fest Magazine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fest Magazine
What does Fest Magazine do?
Fest Magazine is a free, advertising-supported online arts publication that produces editorial content about the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the wider performing arts scene. Its core product is digital editorial content - features, critical reviews, performer Q&As, opinion pieces, and curated themed mixtapes - delivered through festmag.com and an associated archive site, alongside paid advertising and sponsorship placements for arts businesses and venues.
Is Fest Magazine a public or private company?
Fest Magazine is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Fest Magazine founded?
Fest Magazine was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does Fest Magazine make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising and sponsorship.
Who are Fest Magazine's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Scotsman, Time Out, What's On Stage, BroadwayWorld, The Stage and The Guardian Arts. Direct peers are ThreeWeeks, The List and Edinburgh Guide. A Younger Theatre is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fest Magazine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fest Magazine.
What industry is Fest Magazine in?
Fest Magazine's product category is Online Arts and Entertainment Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.