- Edinburgh International Festival initiates ‘Lights Down, Phones Off’, with Festival Director Nicola Benedetti helping to turn off phones at pre-concert ‘Sound Check’ desk
Edinburgh International Festival Director Nicola Benedetti was at Queen’s Hall yesterday for the first chamber performance of the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival, where she joined staff at a new ‘Sound Check’ desk helping audience members turn off their phones ahead of the concert.
The desk marks the launch of Lights Down, Phones Off, a Festival-wide initiative encouraging audiences to switch off phones, notifications and alarms for the duration of performances.
This initiative follows feedback from audiences and artists, with phones interrupting every concert in the 2025 Queen’s Hall chamber series, and invites a deeper connection with the performances themselves.
Nicola Benedetti, Festival Director, said: “Live performance is unlike anything else, and the Edinburgh International Festival is here to protect the rarity of this experience.
“The power of our programme is intensified by the tangible, collective presence of everyone in the room, and we want you to be with us fully.
“When the lights go down and the performance starts, we would like phones to disappear from our hands, minds and ears. Views on this have been widely and boldly expressed in recent months and we are acting in communion with our beloved audiences, and extraordinary artists.
“The late, great Alfred Brendel, whom we pay tribute to in our Queen’s Hall series this year, said it best: ‘The audience’s contribution is concentration and silence – it’s an electricity the musician can charge from.’ That electricity is real, I’ve felt it from the stage my whole life. We encourage our audiences to switch off their phones, and let the art do the rest.
“We believe that live performance is most powerful when artists and audiences are in real communion with one another. On or off the stage, we all have a role to play. We’re asking for your full attention so we can give you something unforgettable.”
The 2026 edition of the Edinburgh International Festival takes place from 7 – 30th August. Programme information and tickets are available at www.eif.co.uk.