Edinburgh Festival arena to open at the end of June
● Jazz Festival to ‘spill out’ into Bristo Square after graduation parties
By BRIAN FERGUSON Arts Correspondent t r e a n d t h e As s e mbl y Ha l l . Organisers say Bristo Square wi l l b e c o me a “s o c i a l h u b” throughout the music festival, which gets under way on 12 July this year, with organisers promising free performances from some of the leading acts in the line-up.
H o we ve r U n d e r b e l l y, t h e Fringe company which ran last year’s outdoor arena, has reached an agreement with t h e u n ive r s i t y t o o p e r a te i t from the last weekend in June, when graduation ceremonies start at the adjacent Mcewan Hall. Its exact operating hours are yet to be decided but are likely to be from mid-morning till late at night.
The new festival arena was created last summer - a year after the university completed a £33 million redevelop - ment of the Mcewan Hall and Bristo S quare. The jazz festival, which moved out with August more than five years ago to avoid a clash with other events, operated in Teviot Row, best known as the Fringe venue run by Gilded Balloon, for the first time last August as part of 40th anniversar y celebrations. It was promoted as the official “hub” of the event, with more than 40 different events in the 2018 line-up.
This year’s expanded pro - gramme will include informal free shows b oth inside and outside the building.
Producer Fiona Alexander said: “We now have more gigs in Teviot than anywhere else in the city. It’s also in the real hear tland of the festival, so you can easily walk to George S quare, the Festival Theatre or the Jazz Barr on Chambers Street.
“It will be great to be able to use Bristo Square throughout the festival. Last year it was a building site when our festival was on. It will make a huge difference to have that space animated this year. In a lot of people’s minds, those kind of outdoor spaces we have seen in George Square and St Andrew are what the Edinburgh festivals are all about.
“We don’t really have that many al freso-type venues in Scotland, but they really work well, even in the rain. People don’t just want to go to a gig, they want a whole experience.
“Edinburgh has a reputation as a festival city, but it is about striking the right balance. If there was a festival on ever y month it would feel very different. Our festivals are reasonably well spread out these days.”
Sarah Fleming, head of operations at Underbelly said: “The universit y approached us to open Bristo Square earlier to enhance the area for graduates and their families to enjoy, and to remain open for the jazz festival as an extension of their venues. We will remain open throughout August as usual.
“We’r e d e l i g h t e d t o wo r k with our long term partners at the university and a fellow festival to add to the experience of their students, families and audiences.”