Category: South Side

Summerhall Arts supports artists all year round and fuels Scotland’s wider arts ecosystem

From early-stage development and residencies to award wins, national tours, festivals and international collaborations, Summerhall Arts’ year-round support is helping artists build the work that drives Scotland’s cultural life

Following a hugely successful Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with eight Scotsman Fringe First Award wins, more than 65 five-star reviews, over 180 four-star reviews and increased visitor numbers across its performance and visual arts programme, Summerhall Arts is highlighting the vital year-round artist development work taking place at its Edinburgh base.

While August provides a high-profile showcase for the work developed at Summerhall, the organisation’s support for artists continues throughout the year. To date, Summerhall Arts has supported more than 400 artists, delivered 48 Summerhall Surgeries, provided 35 paid development spaces, held 40 Exhibitions and supported artists through its Studio programme, residencies, commissions and partnerships.

This work provides artists with space, financial support, rehearsal and development opportunities, creative feedback and connections with audiences and industry professionals, helping early ideas develop into work that can go on to Scotland’s festivals, theatres ,venues and galleries as well as national and international stages.

Imogen Stirling, Development & Producing Lead at Summerhall Arts, said: “Having a year-round base in Edinburgh is vital.

“The development work we do here doesn’t simply fuel our Fringe programme, it supports artists to create work that goes on to venues and festivals across the city and beyond.

“It gives artists space to experiment, develop ideas and build new work throughout the year, making it an important part of Scotland’s cultural infrastructure.”

FROM SUMMERHALL SURGERIES TO FRINGE FIRSTS, FESTIVALS AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

At the heart of Summerhall Arts’ artist development work are its Summerhall Arts Surgeries, a live works-in-progress platform giving artists the opportunity to test early-stage ideas in front of supportive audiences, peers and industry professionals.

The programme has now supported 48 projects, providing artists with vital feedback, creative exchange and the opportunity to build relationships that can continue long after the initial presentation.

Increasingly, the Surgeries are becoming the beginning of a longer development journey, with artists moving into further development space, residencies, Summerhall’s own performance programme and opportunities elsewhere in Scotland and beyond.

Recent examples include F-Bomb Theatre’s Float, which progressed through the Summerhall Arts Surgeries before being selected for Made in Scotland at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe, followed by a presentation at Gilded Balloon and a London tour.

Corinne Salisbury’s Slayers developed through the Summerhall Arts Surgeries before progressing to Assembly at the 2026 Fringe, where it won a Fringe First Award.

Hey Thanks! Theatre Collective’s BearGirl similarly progressed from a Summerhall Surgery to Assembly at the 2026 Fringe, where it was an Assembly ART Award runner-up.

Wonder Fools’ Tether received development space at Summerhall before becoming a Fringe First-winning Summerhall show at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe. Development of the work also helped initiate a significant international collaboration with Korea, a relationship that was formed at Summerhall in 2025..

Sadiq Ali Company’s Tell Me received development space at Summerhall before going on to Manipulate Festival and a sell-out 2026 Edinburgh Fringe run.

The longer-term impact of Summerhall’s support can also be seen in the development of Biff Smith’s Dance With The Silence, which progressed through Summerhall’s Surgeries and Studio opportunities before Biff went on to become world champion of spoken word.

Summerhall’s residency and development programme has also supported artists whose work has gone on to significant national opportunities, including Emma Howlett, who was selected for The Stage’s Fringe Five following her residency at Summerhall with the work Aether that awarded her with the National Theatre Studio Directors Course and the Royal Court Writers’ Group in 2025. and then her fourth Summerhall show, a  successful five star run of her new show The Plot in the Main Hall at this years’ Fringe.

Looking ahead, Babyplay by Amber Charlie Conroy represents another developing Summerhall pathway. The work was selected for the Summerhall Arts and the Hugo Burge Foundation New Writing Commission, has been written and shared, and took part in the Summerhall Arts Surgeries. It will continue its development at Summerhall as part of the organisation’s 2027 Edinburgh Fringe programme.

MORE SPACE, MORE TIME AND MORE SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS

Summerhall Arts is now expanding its artist development offer, providing opportunities at different stages of the creative process.

The organisation will offer 11 free space weeks, 12 supported weeks with £500 bursaries and eight enhanced residencies offering £1,000 of support, allowing artists to access everything from essential rehearsal space to more substantial financial support for projects requiring dedicated development time.

The Summerhall Arts Studios programme provides further intensive development opportunities, with support worth up to £3,100 per week.

The first Studio artists of Year Two, Delululand, have already demonstrated this longer-term pathway. Following participation in the March Summerhall Arts Surgeries, the company is now continuing its development through a supported Studio week.

Summerhall Arts will also deliver two editions of the Surgeries each year. A winter edition will support six companies whose work could progress towards presentation at the 2027 Fringe, connecting directly with the new Recovery Room initiative.

Recovery Room will give selected artists a further week of dedicated rehearsal and development space following their Surgery, allowing them to respond to audience and industry feedback and adapt their work towards presentation at Summerhall.

A spring edition will focus on earlier-stage work with potential to develop towards the 2028 Fringe and beyond, creating a clearer pathway from initial experimentation through to production and presentation.

Summerhall Arts has also selected Cat MacLeod and Raymond Wilson for its First Draft Commissions, supporting both artists to develop new pieces of writing from their earliest stages towards completed first drafts. Alongside the financial commission, the programme provides an ongoing relationship with each artist, including opportunities for conversation, creative feedback and development.

YEAR-ROUND PERFORMANCE, VISUAL ARTS AND CINEMA

Summerhall Arts’ commitment to artists extends across its year-round programme of performance, visual arts, cinema and creative learning.

The second half of 2026 will see Summerhall Arts present and support Concerned Others by Tortoise in A Nutshell, The Rhinestone Cowboy, Imaginate Festival, Tom Molineaux with Andy Arnold, Junk Ensemble and Kate Taylor, Accidents of the Soul from Shotput, Not For Glory by Charlotte Mclean, Jack Anderson and Malin Lewis. and Offspring by Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir.

The visual arts programme continues with current exhibition Forming Space with Garvald Edinburgh and the upcoming Conversation with our Ocean by Elizabeth Ogilvie and Robert Page, Didar, Out of Sight Out of Mind with CAPS Advocacy, the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, Colour in Silence: Memorial Exhibition by David Peacock, Rosita Mackenzie’s Touching Light, Ruth Dafnis’ Second Hand Smoke, two Winter Market Exhibitions and the next season of Multi-Year Funding exhibitions featuring Jules Bradbury and Johanna Flanigan, with a third artist to be announced.

Also continuing are the Reconfigure Life Drawing Exhibition, and the third annual  Group Show, for which applications will open in December. 

The In Vitro Residency programme, in partnership with the Hugo Burge Foundation will include residencies and exhibitions from Flore Gardner and Juliana Capes, while Summerhall’s creative learning programme will offer  a programme of workshops, running Wednesday to Sunday between 11am to 5pm from November through April in the Histology lab.

Summerhall Arts will also continue its work with screen culture through the Edinburgh Short Film Festival.

Sam Chapman, Head of Visual Arts and Cinema at Summerhall Arts, said: “Our visual arts and cinema programme is an essential part of Summerhall Arts’ year-round commitment to artists.

“It is about much more than presenting exhibitions and films – it is about creating opportunities for artists to develop their practice, experiment with new ideas, make connections and reach audiences.

“Through our exhibitions, commissions, residencies, partnerships and moving image programme, we are able to support artists at different stages of their careers and give them a platform within a genuinely interdisciplinary environment.

“That sense of connection is particularly important in Scotland, where artists and arts organisations are often working across different disciplines and sectors.

“We want Summerhall to be a place where artists can come to develop an idea, take a creative risk, meet other artists and audiences, and build something that can continue beyond these walls.

“The strength of Scotland’s visual arts and wider cultural ecology depends on having spaces where that work can happen throughout the year.”

A CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM THAT DOESN’T STOP IN AUGUST

The work audiences see at the Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland’s festivals and on stages around the country often begins months or years earlier, with artists needing somewhere to experiment, develop ideas, rehearse, receive feedback and take creative risks.

Sam Gough, Chief Executive of Summerhall Arts, said: “The success of August is only one part of the story. What audiences see at the Fringe is often the result of months or years of development, experimentation, rehearsal and support.

“The Surgeries are particularly important because they give artists somewhere to take those first risks, but the real value comes from what happens afterwards – the relationships that continue, the work that develops and the opportunities that open up.

“We have seen artists come through our many development programmes and go on to win Fringe Firsts, be part of the Made in Scotland showcase, national tours, major festivals and international collaborations. That is why year-round support matters.

“The Fringe and Scotland’s festivals do not exist in isolation; they are part of a wider cultural ecosystem that depends on artists having places to develop work throughout the year.

“At a time when that ecosystem is under enormous pressure, with organisations including The Skinny and the CCA among those lost or facing significant challenges in recent years, protecting year-round cultural infrastructure and the spaces where artists can take risks is vital. The future of our festivals depends on the artists and organisations that create and develop the work long before it reaches August.

“As Edinburgh considers the future of the Tourist Levy, it is important that the income generated by visitors is recognised as an opportunity to invest in the cultural infrastructure that makes the city what it is. Supporting year-round venues, artists and risk-takers helps sustain the whole ecosystem, not simply the festival period.”

REMOVING BARRIERS FOR AUDIENCES

Alongside its support for artists, Summerhall Arts is also looking at how audiences can access work.

While the exhibitions programme is always free to attend, the organisation is now introducing a new Pay What You Want approach to the performance programme, removing the requirement for audiences to qualify for a concession.

Rather than asking audiences to prove  that they are unemployed, a student or eligible for another concession, audiences can simply choose the price they want to pay to support the performance and Summerhall Arts.

The approach forms part of Summerhall Arts’ wider commitment to removing barriers and creating a more open relationship between artists, audiences and the organisation.

From a first experiment in a Surgery to a Fringe First-winning production; from a residency to a national tour; from a development week to an international collaboration, Summerhall Arts’ year-round work is helping artists build sustainable creative journeys.

As Edinburgh’s cultural calendar moves beyond the intensity of August, Summerhall Arts continues to invest in the artists, ideas and organisations that will shape Scotland’s future cultural landscape.

La Clique announced for Edinburgh’s Christmas in Bristo Square

Unique Assembly has announced the addition of world-renowned sexy circus cabaret La Clique to this year’s Edinburgh’s Christmas line-up as the city’s festivities cross the bridge into the historic Old Town, marking the first time a Spiegeltent will take residence in Bristo Square.

Providing a glamorous cabaret option for the festive season, La Clique Noël will light up the stage in the Palais du Variété’s new home of Bristo Square, for seven weeks of Sexy, Funny and Dangerous Christmas Kabaret. 

Tickets for La Clique Noël on sale now via www.edwinterfest.com

Brand new for 2026’s season, La Clique Noël joins a packed line-up for Edinburgh’s Christmas with Santa’s Stories, LNER Big Wheel and the Around the World Starflyer already on sale. The world-famous traditional Christmas markets will once again pop up in Princes Street Gardens in the capital’s New Town from 14 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, hosting beautifully decorated chalets selling gifts, decor and festive food. 

Born at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2004, La Clique has gained international acclaim as the original trailblazing Spiegeltent cabaret show performing all over the world from Edinburgh to London, Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore, New York, Paris and more.

The Olivier Award winning show will take over its new home in Bristo Square for six nights a week, with matinees on weekends, kicking off on Friday 20 November at 7.30pm. Plus, a host of more festive announcements to come from Edinburgh’s Christmas. 

La Clique Noël will once again host the best of the best boundary pushing performers set to entertain Christmas crowds with dazzling acrobatics, razor-sharp wit, sights and sounds you will never forget in the intimate setting of the Palais du Variété fusing cabaret, circus, and sideshow burlesque for a specially curated festive show.

This year’s cast includes Heather Holliday, renowned sword swallower and firebreather; David Pereira, award-winning ‘shaving cream’ acrobat and sublime aerialist; Mario Queen of the Circus, a showman comic known for his crowd surfing, juggling and much more.

With sold out seasons and critical acclaim from around the world under its belt, La Clique’s Christmas edition is sure to add an extra touch of magic to Edinburgh’s Christmas this year under the warm glow of the Spiegeltent. The perfect festive night-out for party-goers and groups looking for the perfect Christmas Cabaret experience.

La Clique’s David Bates said: “Christmas and Hogmanay feel like the perfect time for La Clique to return to its birthplace in Edinburgh. This very special cast are delighted to be in town for 7 weeks – resident in the perfect environment which itself is the star of the show – the Palais du Variété Spiegeltent in Bristo Square.

” La Clique has played to millions of folk in its 22 years but none more special than the audiences in its Auld home toon! Fresh, New, Cutting Edge – La Clique is a reinvention of itself and this year will be no exception. Strap yourself in, leave your troubles at the door and escape with us!”

Directors of Unique Assembly who create and produce Edinburgh’s Christmas said: “Unique Assembly are delighted to welcome back ‘La Clique’ to Edinburgh for festive fun guaranteed to get you on Santa’s naughty list. “

“La Clique was born in Edinburgh and has grown into an international smash-hit, celebrated around the world as well as the city we pride ourselves on representing.

“Unique Assembly has made Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay some of the most celebrated events in the world, which last year welcoming over 3M visitors to world-class attractions, making both events accessible to local and international audiences.’’

La Clique Noël takes place from Friday 20 November until Sunday 3 January.

Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations spread across the city for seven weeks of festive fun, with more events still to be announced.

For tickets, visit www.edwinterfest.com

Abacus at The Scholar recognised among world’s top 10% restaurants

Abacus at The Scholar is celebrating being named among the top 10% of restaurants worldwide in the Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards 2026 – with 10% off dining throughout September.

In Edinburgh’s Southside, Abacus is a relaxed, sociable restaurant bringing together hotel guests, locals and visitors throughout the day. Its menu offers something for every occasion, from long lunches and coffee catch-ups to dinner and drinks with friends.

The menu includes Scottish hot-smoked salmon rillette and locally sourced dry-aged steak to heritage roast carrots with burrata and dukkha, complemented by a selection of cocktails, European wines and low- and no-alcohol serves.

Following a refreshment in 2025, Abacus combines calm, natural interiors with splashes of colour and artwork inspired by the vibrancy of the menu. Booth seating and relaxed dining spaces create a setting that works throughout the day, while a private dining space for up to 10 guests also offers a more intimate setting.

Gavin MacLennan, Group General Manager at University of Edinburgh Hospitality Collection, said: “To be recognised in the Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice top 10% of restaurants in the world is a huge achievement for the whole Abacus team.

“It’s particularly special because the recognition comes from the people who have visited us and taken the time to share their experiences. We have worked hard to create a restaurant that feels welcoming and relaxed where people enjoy delicious food and want to spend time together.

“Offering 10% off throughout September is our way of saying thank you, and hopefully giving even more people a reason to join us around the table.”

Guests can quote “Tripadvisor” when dining at Abacus until 30th September 2026 to enjoy 10% off their meal.*

Abacus at The Scholar Hotel is open seven days a week, serving breakfast and an all-day menu from 12 noon until 9.30pm.

Seven new culture, heritage and infrastructure projects to benefit from Visitor Levy investment

Councillors have agreed to proceed with seven additional Visitor Levy-funded projects to protect and enhance heritage and cultural spaces across the city.

Following approval at Thursday’s Full Council meeting, transformative projects involving Leith Customs House, the Tron Kirk and the Portobello Kilns will be funded through the Levy’s Culture, Heritage and Events investment programme.

Meanwhile The Causey, Access to the Lost Shore and Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, City Centre Public Realm (including George Street and Princes Street), and developing a network of nature footpaths and walkways across the city will proceed under the Visitor Levy’s City Operations and Infrastructure programme.

Together, these projects are set to strengthen Edinburgh’s cultural offering, protect and revitalise nationally significant heritage buildings and public spaces, and improve access to natural and historic destinations across the city.

The seven projects were originally proposed at the special Visitor Levy budget meeting of the Council in February, where councillors agreed an overall funding package worth over £90 million over the next three years to sustain and enhance Edinburgh’s reputation as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable destinations in the world.

As with all of the other projects agreed under the Visitor Levy’s investment programmes, the proposals have been developed by Council officers, informed by feedback from public consultation and industry engagement, elected members and other stakeholders.

The independent Edinburgh Visitor Levy Advisory Forum has also been consulted and provided feedback on the projects.

Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “Our Visitor Levy is already beginning to strengthen the services and spaces that make our city so special and supporting these additional initiatives shows how we can continue to invest in projects that support a safer, more accessible and more welcoming Edinburgh for residents and visitors alike. 

“Feedback from our partners and community groups across Edinburgh has played a central part in shaping these new proposals. From restoring the Portobello Kilns to improving public transport access to the Lost Shore and EICA, we’re confident these investments in our culture and heritage will deliver lasting benefits, encouraging visitors to see more of Edinburgh beyond our city centre.

“The projects reflect our ambition that the levy is a city-wide fund and spending decisions must be taken with the whole city in mind. We’re making sure Edinburgh continues to thrive and that the Visitor Levy delivers visible improvements for everyone who lives and works here all year round.”

ADDITIONAL PROJECTS OVERVIEW

Leith Customs House

Funding will support the development phase of restoring Leith Customs House, Scotland’s oldest Custom House and a Category A‑listed building.

The investment will enable essential preparatory work to progress the building’s transformation into an accessible community and creative hub, including delivering a proof‑of‑concept exhibition and an economic impact assessment to support future funding.

Tron Kirk

Investment has been approved towards the major restoration of the Tron Kirk, a landmark 17th‑century building on the Royal Mile that has been on the Buildings at Risk Register since 2023.

The funding will support a coordinated programme delivered by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, linking the restoration of the Tron Kirk with the redevelopment of Hunter Square.

The combined programme will repair and future‑proof the building, improve accessibility, protect vulnerable historic features and create new opportunities to develop local heritage skills and enhance visitor experiences.

Portobello Kilns

Investment has been approved to rebuild the 1906 Portobello Kiln, one of the last surviving industrial pottery kilns in Scotland and a key feature of the Portobello Conservation Area.

The project will restore the kiln to its original form alongside the previously conserved 1914 kiln, fulfilling the Council’s statutory obligations under scheduled monument consent and preventing further deterioration of this nationally significant heritage asset.

The project will be delivered in partnership with Portobello Heritage Trust and will be developed alongside wider proposed improvements to the Portobello Promenade through the Visitor Levy’s City Transformation Fund investment programme.

Nature Footpaths and Walkways

Funding has been approved to develop and improve nature footpaths and walkways across Edinburgh, encouraging visitors to explore destinations beyond the city centre such as the Pentland Hills, Cramond Foreshore and the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena at Ratho.

The investment will support with developing designs, community engagement and works to create accessible, inclusive routes that enhance biodiversity, improve visitor experiences and deliver benefits for local communities.

The Causey

The Causey will transform West Cross Causeway into a people‑first public square with wider pavements, traffic calming measures and segregated cycling routes. Once complete, it will host performances, markets, art installations and community events.

The first phase will deliver core infrastructure improvements, while the second phase will extend upgrades towards Nicolson Street to improve connections with the wider area and improve public spaces.

Lost Shore & EICA Bus Services

A new six‑month trial bus service is providing direct links between the city centre, Lost Shore, EICA and Ratho. The trial will gather data on who uses the service to inform future decisions on a permanent service.

The amount of Visitor Levy funding supporting the service will be reviewed following the trial stage, reflecting the results of the data showing the proportion of visitors using the service.

City Centre Public Realm (Princes Street / George Street)

Funding will support potential work on major public realm upgrades across Princes Street and George Street to create more accessible, attractive and pedestrian‑friendly streets.

A report on the overall project will be brought to the Transport and Environment Committee outlining the need for public realm investment within the city centre, including both Princes Street and George Street.

These projects sit alongside those previously agreed in February to be delivered over the next three years, including (but not limited to):

  • Ambitious projects to renew and restore principal areas of Edinburgh, including investments in our town centre high streets and £2m and £2.5m respectively towards transforming the city’s key coastal visitor attractions at Cramond foreshore and Portobello Promenade.
  • £5m to restore Leith Theatre and create a year round culture and live music space, expanding cultural opportunity beyond the city centre.
  • £3m towards transforming the iconic Old Royal High School into a world class, accessible national centre for music, shaped by community engagement and open to all.
  • £2.75m to create a Market Street Arts Hub, reinvigorating the City Art Centre and creating a new arts and learning destination at one of the city’s major visitor gateways.
  • £3.85m to speed up the setted streets renewal programme and £3m for new and upgraded public toilets to maintain Edinburgh’s streets, public spaces and public infrastructure to a world-class standard.
  • Funding to ensure the city’s streets and open spaces are cleaned and kept to a high standard, including a £100,000 per year upgrade and replacement programme for bins in high footfall areas, £500,000 per annum to expand work to tackle graffiti through extra support for private businesses and £1.3m on additional operations services for the city centre (waste, cleansing, patrols).
  • Investing in our premier parks across the city to create improved spaces where the highest footfall and impact on the environment is experienced – and increases to the parks repairs budgets, while doubling the number of park rangers across the city.
  • Programmes to green the city with additional investment in planting, such as floral gateways, to improve the look and feel of the city’s green spaces as well as the overall visitor experience

In accordance with the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act (2024), funds raised by the levy must be reinvested in local facilities and services substantially used by business and leisure visitors. All investment streams will be formally reviewed alongside the overall scheme in 2029.

Community-Led Campaign Secures £1.86 Million Visitor Levy Investment

SUCCESS AT LAST FOR THE CAUSEY AFTER NINETEEN YEAR CAMPAIGN

Council backing will unlock the permanent transformation of the historic Southside space into a greener, safer and more welcoming place for residents and visitors.

A 19-year community campaign to transform The Causey in Edinburgh’s Southside is set to become reality following approval of £1.86 million from the city’s Visitor Levy programme.

The investment will enable the permanent transformation of West Crosscauseway and its traffic island into a vibrant, people-focused public place, with widened pavements, traffic-calming measures, segregated cycling facilities and a new accessible public space.

Combined with £300,000 already being provided through the Council’s core budget, the funding will support delivery of the project’s two phases over the next two years. The published Visitor Levy recommendation comprises £462,000 towards key infrastructure improvements at the Causey Triangle and £1.4 million for the second phase, extending the work towards Nicolson Street to improve connectivity and the wider public realm. 

The decision represents a defining moment for a project first conceived in 2007, when the late Edinburgh architect Alison Blamire transformed the neglected traffic island into a temporary “tropical island”, allowing local people to experience its potential as a place for people rather than vehicles.

Alison Blamire also gave the space its name: “The Causey” derives from the “cassies” or “causeys” – the cobbled setts that paved Edinburgh’s earliest streets, likely quarried from nearby Salisbury Crags. Since then, The Causey has grown into one of Edinburgh’s longest-running community placemaking campaigns.

Local residents have sustained the vision through workshops, exhibitions, consultations, creative events, street activations and regular “Sit Oots”, building support for a permanent transformation of the space. Previous coverage has highlighted the project’s long community history and the persistence required to overcome funding delays and other setbacks.

The project has previously been hailed as an exemplary community initiative and has been developed through collaboration between Causey Development Trust, local residents, City of Edinburgh Council officers, the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, Edinburgh World Heritage and landscape architects Ironside Farrar. The current council papers formally describe it as a community-led project and recognise that it originated as a community initiative.

Sarah Drummond, Chair of Causey Development Trust, said: “This is a transformational moment for The Causey and the culmination of 19 years of extraordinary determination by local people.

“What began with local architect Alison Blamire’s inspired transformation of a traffic island into a tropical island can now become the permanent, welcoming and people-focused space that the community has always known was possible.

“This is a powerful example of what community-led action can achieve. Local people have shaped the vision, sustained it through years of setbacks and continued to demonstrate how this neglected space could bring people together.

“The Causey also shows exactly how Visitor Levy investment can work for Edinburgh. It will improve everyday life for residents while creating a greener, safer and more welcoming experience for visitors moving through the city’s Southside and festival footprint.

“We are enormously grateful to everyone who has kept faith with this project, including our volunteers, local residents and businesses, councillors from across the political spectrum, council officers and the many partner organisations who have helped us reach this point. This investment means that, after nearly two decades, the community’s full vision can finally be delivered.”

Located on the edge of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site and within the Southside Conservation Area, The Causey sits on a busy route connecting residential communities with major cultural, educational and visitor destinations.

It is within walking distance of Assembly Roxy, Festival Theatre, Summerhall, George Square and Edinburgh Futures Institute, home of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The Council’s Visitor Levy assessment specifically identifies the site’s location within Edinburgh’s festival footprint and the benefits it can offer festivalgoers as well as residents.

The transformed space will be designed to support informal gatherings and community-led activity, as well as potential outdoor performances, pop-up markets, art installations and exhibitions. New public-realm and active-travel infrastructure will create a safer, more attractive environment for people walking, wheeling and cycling.

The project builds on the implementation of the Traffic Regulation Order in July 2026, which introduced the first physical changes at the site following the long-running campaign.

The permanent capital works will complete the wider vision for The Causey as a civic space for culture, connection and community life.

Opens Today: GATHER exhibition at St Margaret’s House

CREATIVE COMMUNITY HUBS NETWORK

GATHER is a brand new exhibition showcasing work by artists and community members from across Edinburgh, coming together for the very first time.

As well as artwork from the other hubs, the exhibition features 21 Art for Grown Ups members showing their work, plus our community banner (still a work in progress but almost complete!) on display alongside artwork created by NEA and Royston Wardieburn Community Centre members.

This is a truly special exhibition, and we’d love for you to join us!

GATHER EXHIBITION

Opening: Friday 11 September 2026, from 4:30pm

Main Exhibition: 12 – 26 September 2026

St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road, Edinburgh EH7 6AE

Free. No need to book.

The Creative Community Hubs Network consists of eight partner organisations based across Edinburgh: WHALE Arts, The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Granton:hub, North Edinburgh Arts, Duncan Place Leith, The Crannie, Lyra and Craigmillar Now.

Read more here: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/gather-exhibition/

Greens and Labour win Edinburgh by-election seats

TOUGH NIGHT FOR SNP

The results of the Southside/Newington (Ward 15) and Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) by-elections have been announced at Waverley Court.

Ruth Elliott (Scottish Labour Party) and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) have been duly elected to serve in the City of Edinburgh Council for Ward 15 and Ward 17 respectively. Ruth Elliot received 2,153 votes, and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) received 1,781 votes.

The new councillors were elected through the Single Transferable Vote system.

The turnout was poor – 6,741 votes (27.3%) in Ward 15 and 6,427 votes (22.9%) in Ward 17.

The declaration was made in the early hours of this morning (Friday 4 September) by Depute Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Chris Highcock.

Depute Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Chris Highcock, said: “I would like to welcome Councillors Elliot and Martinico into their new roles and wish them all the best as they begin serving their wards.

“My thanks goes to everyone who took part in these by-elections, alongside our elections team and council colleagues, who have been working hard behind the scenes over the last few months.”

SCOTTISH GREENS HAIL HISTORIC BY-ELECTION WIN

Portobello housing campaigner Lorenzo Martinico has made history by becoming the first Scottish Green to win a council by-election in the City of Edinburgh. 

Lorenzo is a local housing campaigner and was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Edinburgh University, specialising in computer security and digital privacy.

Reacting to the result, Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer MSP said: “This is a truly historic day for Edinburgh and the Scottish Greens. For the first time ever our capital has elected a Scottish Green councillor at a by-election, showing the failing Labour administration that Edinburgh demands better.

“By electing Lorenzo, voters in Portobello/Craigmillar have demanded radical change in Scotland’s capital. Just a few months ago, Greens won our first ever Holyrood constituency here in the heart of the city. This result confirms that we are fighting to win next May’s council elections in Edinburgh.”

“I know that Lorenzo will make a huge difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar. He will push to deliver urgently needed rent controls, tackle the climate emergency, and build a more affordable Edinburgh.”

Edinburgh Green Group co-convenor and fellow Portobello/Craigmillar councillor, Cllr Alys Mumford said: “Portobello-Craigmillar is now the first ward in Edinburgh to be represented by two Green Councillors, and residents there will benefit hugely from Lorenzo being their new local Councillor.

Alys added: “We’d like to congratulate Lorenzo on his election and also pay tribute to Isabella, who narrowly missed out on securing our second by-election win in Southside/Newington, but whose vote share increase reflects a growing desire for change.

“Green volunteers and activists ran a fantastic campaign across both wards and the results show that our message of hope is resonating with the people of Edinburgh.”

Lorenzo Martinico, the newly-elected Green councillor for Portobello/Craigmillar, said: “I am really honoured that my neighbours in Portobello/Craigmillar have chosen me to represent them as their councillor.

“I would like to thank the hundreds of Scottish Greens volunteers and supporters who have spent the last two months campaigning for us, securing our first by-election wins in the city. 

“It’s been an honour to be part of such a positive and energetic campaign. When I first moved to Edinburgh, I could never have imagined I would be elected as a councillor.

“There are thousands of people like me who weren’t born here but have chosen to make Edinburgh their home – I hope my election gives them a bit of hope, at a time when some in our community feel unsafe because of how they sound when they speak, because of the colour of their skin or their religion.

“I am looking forward to working to make a difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar.”

The by-elections were initiated by the resignation of two SNP city councillors who were elected as MSPs in May’s Scottish Parliament elections. Another two city councillors – Green Kayleigh Kinross‑O’Neill and Lib-Dem Sanne Dijstra Downie – also became MSPs in the Holyrood elections but both decided to stay on as councillors, carrying out dual roles until next May’s council elections.

Full details of the by-election results are available on the Council website.

Council by-elections this Thursday

By-elections in Southside/Newington (Ward 15) and Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) take place this Thursday (3 September).

We’re urging residents in these wards to remember their polling cards and to cast their votes.

Residents in these wards who are aged 16 or over and have registered to vote can participate in Thursday’s by-elections.

One new councillor will be elected for each ward. The current electorate for Ward 15 is 24,666 and for Ward 17 it’s 28,062.

Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said: “With these by-elections fast approaching, I encourage residents in these wards to take this opportunity to have their say on Thursday. Please remember your polling cards and check your polling place. These new councillors will represent your communities on issues affecting your local area and Edinburgh as a whole.

“Our elections pages provide useful information on how the Single Transferable Vote system works – you can rank candidates in order of preference, choosing as many or few as you’d like.

“If you’re voting by post, please return your completed ballot as soon as possible to make sure your vote is counted.

Please check your polling place as this may have changed since the last time you voted. If you bring your polling card to vote this will help us and speed up the process, but this isn’t mandatory.

A full list of the candidates standing in both wards is available on the Council’s website.

Further information on voting in Ward 15 and Ward 17, including accessibility information and spoken ballot papers are also on the Council’s website.

Polling places will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 3 September.

Polling Places (Ward 15):

  • Nelson Hall Community Centre (New for 2026)
  • Blackford and Grange Parish Church Centre
  • St. Catherine’s Argyle Church
  • Newington Trinity Church
  • Reid Memorial Church Hall
  • 75th Braid Scouts’ Millar Hall
  • Cameron House Community Education Centre

Polling Places (Ward 17):

  • Portobello Library (New for 2026)
  • Branch Out Together
  • St Mark’s Episcopal Church (New for 2026)
  • Bingham Community Centre
  • St Martins Parish Church
  • Craigmillar Library
  • Hays Business Centre
  • Newcraighall Leith Victoria FC

The by-elections will use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference, rather than using a single cross. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they like.

The electronic count will take place at Waverley Court, starting at the close of poll at 10pm on September 3. 

“IS EDINBURGH  POLITICS AS LEFT AS IT THINKS IT IS?”

 The Communist Party of Britain’s (CPB) candidates in Edinburgh’s two by-elections have called out political opinion in the city.

The party is standing candidates Richard Shillcock (Southside/Newington ward) and Peter Olech (Portobello/Craigmillar ward) in the September 3rd council by-elections.

The Communist candidates note Edinburgh’s reputation for liberal politics. Many voters—particularly young ones—across Labour, Greens and the SNP see themselves as voting for a much better, new kind of Scotland.

But Communists are presenting crucially different policies to what is on offer from the other parties.

Communists say particular policies of Edinburgh’s established parties might sound good in isolation but they are overshadowed by the liberal commitment to rejoining the EU and/or to Scottish “independence”.

The EU. Rejoining the EU means accepting the EU’s foundational principles of the free movement of capital, goods and services, and its restrictions on state funding of industry.

Communists say we need to trade extensively with Europe but we need to be able to control the movement of capital and we need to be able to direct state-led investment if working people are ever to own and control a rebuilt productive economy.

“Independence”. Similarly, we need to control our own currency. A separate Scotland, in or out of the EU, means losing our central bank. Greece’s debt crisis had its roots in adopting the euro and losing its central bank.

Communists say the Scottish people have the right to decide whether to secede from the UK, but that better prospects for working people lie in strengthening working class organisation across Britain to win deeper and deeper federal autonomy in which working people own and control the productive economy.

Housing. Few idealistic voters would say “just let the market sort out housing”. But that is exactly what is happening when other parties’ housing policy is for a mix of measures like “affordable housing” at the expense of council housing. Communists say only large-scale, permanent investment in council housing, owned and run by the local authority, can solve the housing problem.

Women’s rights. Communists say that we need to urgently implement the Supreme Court ruling on sex in the Equality Act 2010. Local government should fully uphold women’s rights and protections under the Act, including the right to single-sex services. The Scottish Government should enforce the Act.

Violence against women. Liberal activists have been arguing that prostitution is “sex work”, that it is a mutually consensual transaction, that it can be empowering and that it should be decriminalised and destigmatised.

Communists say prostitution is not work. A woman’s body is not a workplace. Prostitution is unique sexual exploitation, reflecting class and sex inequalities. We need to support women to exit prostitution, with zero tolerance towards the sexual exploitation of women by men. 

Caring for each other. There is strong liberal support—in the Greens, LibDems and SNP—favouring assisted dying.

Communists stand with disabled activists in opposing assisted dying. It cannot be made safe. It will disproportionately endanger disabled people. Communists call for adequate funding for end-of-life care.

The local by-elections were triggered following the resignation of two local SNP councillors who were recently elected as MSPs to Holyrood. 

The Communist Party urges voters across Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar to use their ballot papers to vote for the policies they believe in—ones that will defend and extend the rights and the quality of life of working people.

Record book sales and 20% increase in footfall cement EIBF’s place at the heart of the most important conversations of our time

  • 20% increase in footfall, with more than 28,000 people welcomed to the site on each of the Book Festival’s three weekends
  • Fewer events delivered more ticket sales, with 62% of tickets sold to people in EH postcodes
  • Changing Your Mind: Book Festival audiences gathered to explore the defining questions of our age, from AI and social media to democracy, culture and the future of society
  • People in 52 countries tuned in online, extending the Book Festival’s international reach
  • 62 schools from across Scotland were welcomed during the National Year of Reading, with every child receiving a free book
  • 217 library watch parties across more than 80 libraries in 22 local authority areas brought Book Festival conversations to communities across Scotland
  • International artists, writers and cultural leaders came together through Global Ink and Scotland to the World
  • Val McDermid and Jo Sharp’s This Door of the Seas and Lyse Doucet’s The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan were among the Book Festival’s bestselling books

Edinburgh International Book Festival has concluded a record-breaking year that reaffirmed its position as one of the world’s leading spaces for public conversation.

With a smaller programme but a higher proportion of available tickets sold, the Book Festival brought together writers, thinkers, artists and audiences to explore the defining issues of our time under this year’s theme, Changing Your Mind.

In its third year at Edinburgh Futures Institute, footfall increased by 20% compared with last year, while ticket sales rose despite a smaller programme. Meanwhile, 62% of tickets were sold to people in EH postcodes, underlining the Book Festival’s strong local support.

Alongside major discussions on politics, technology and society, audiences flocked to hear acclaimed fiction writers including John Grisham, Maggie O’Farrell and 2026 International Booker Prize winners Yáng Shuāng-zǐ and Lin King.

The programme also brought together leading voices writing in English alongside internationally celebrated authors in translation, reinforcing the Book Festival’s reputation as a global home for literature and storytelling.

Together, these conversations demonstrated the Book Festival’s role as a space where complex issues can be explored openly, while helping connect people of all ages with books, writers and reading.

Jenny Niven, Director and CEO of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “Changing Your Mind was more than this year’s theme. It was an invitation to approach the world with curiosity rather than certainty, and to do that in real life, in the company of other people, has felt both joyful and necessary. 

“In the National Year of Reading, it is heartening to see footfall increase, more tickets sold across a smaller programme and our Waterstones bookshop achieve its biggest-ever sales. At a time when literacy rates are declining, book festivals have an important role in helping people discover the pleasure, confidence and connection that reading can bring. Our schools programme, free books for every child attending and year-round work with communities are all part of that commitment. 

“With 62% of tickets sold to people in EH postcodes, the Book Festival remains deeply rooted in Edinburgh. At the same time, people in 52 countries joined us online. That combination of strong local support and international reach shows a Book Festival that is both determinedly local and open-heartedly international.”

A PLACE TO DISCUSS THE DEFINING ISSUES OF OUR TIME

From artificial intelligence and social media to democracy, culture and creativity, the Book Festival provided a space for audiences to engage with some of the defining questions of our age.

Former technology executive and whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams highlighted the urgency of debates around social media and public discourse, arguing that “it’s really important that we start to build up that offline muscle of disagreement”, and warning that social media algorithms encourage people “to fix our identity in increasingly strident and narrow boxes.”

Professor Daisy Fancourt explored the growing importance of meaning, creativity and culture in an AI-driven world, arguing that “What we’re all inherently going to want more and more in an AI world is meaning.”

Politics and public life also remained central to the programme. Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown considered how citizens can help bring about positive change, while former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin reflected on the challenges and choices that shaped their leadership. Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also joined the programme, bringing audiences into conversations about the political and economic questions shaping public life.

The appetite for new perspectives extended beyond Book Festival events. The Book Festival’s Waterstones bookshop recorded its biggest-ever sales.

Among its bestselling titles were Val McDermid and Jo Sharp‘s This Door of the Seas and Lyse Doucet‘s The Finest Hotel in Kabul, reflecting audiences’ appetite for ideas and stories that help them see the world differently.

YEAR-ROUND IMPACT ACROSS SCOTLAND

The Book Festival’s commitment to access and participation extended far beyond Edinburgh through a programme of free digital activity hosted in communities across Scotland.

This year, more than 80 libraries across 22 local authority areas hosted 217 watch parties, enabling audiences to experience major Book Festival events together in their local communities. People from 52 countries also tuned in online, extending access to the programme around the world.

These free screenings ensured geography and cost were not barriers to participation and demonstrated how the Book Festival continues to use technology to connect audiences with writers, thinkers and ideas.

THE BBC

A new collaboration with the BBC brought Book Festival conversations to wider audiences through programmes including Front Row, Loose Ends and Take Four Books, extending the reach of writers, thinkers and cultural commentators appearing across the programme.

SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF READERS

The Book Festival welcomed more than 62 schools from across Scotland and 21 from Edinburgh, with every child receiving a free book to take home.

Taking place during the National Year of Reading, the schools programme is central to the Book Festival’s commitment to encouraging reading and helping children build lasting relationships with books.

GLOBAL REACH THROUGH GLOBAL INK

2026 marked the third year of Global Ink, supported by Expo, bringing international festival directors from four continents to Edinburgh. The programme created opportunities to exchange ideas, develop partnerships and strengthen Edinburgh’s position as a global meeting place for literature, culture and ideas.

SCOTLAND TO THE WORLD

This year’s Book Festival also saw the continued development of Scotland to the World, showcasing ambitious collaborations between writers, musicians and theatre-makers.

Highlights included India Alba, Ali Smith’s collaboration with the New European Ensemble, Delusions by Len Pennie and Paul Leonard-Morgan, and a Japanese Noh Theatre adaptation of The Song of Rona Island, demonstrating how Scottish stories can inspire new artistic forms and reach audiences around the world.