Open-air concerts in Princes Street Gardens postponed until next year
The Edinburgh Summer Sessions concert series has been cancelled for the second year in a row because of the Covid pandemic.
Festival organisers had hoped that this year’s gigs, which were due to take place against the backdrop of Princes Street Gardens, would go ahead as restrictions were eased.
But the lifting of restrictions in Scotland is scheduled for August 9, after some of the events were due to take place.
As a result, the ever-popular music festival has now been postponed until August 2022.
Acts including Tom Jones, Lionel Richie, Michael Kiwanuka, Simple Minds and Travis have set new dates for 2022. Meanwhile, festival chiefs are trying to schedule a new date for Sydney indie trio DMA’S.
A statement on the Summer Sessions website reads: “Unfortunately, 2021’s edition of Edinburgh Summer Sessions was set to begin before all legal Covid restrictions are due to be lifted in Scotland on 9 August, therefore we have had to take the difficult decision to reschedule all shows for August 2022.
“We have been working hard alongside artist teams to schedule new dates and are already looking forward to returning next summer, for what is sure to be an incredible festival.
“We are working hard to make new arrangements for the DMA’S show in Princes Street Gardens.
"Please hold on to your tickets and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.”
Restrictions in Scotland are set to ease to Level 0 on July 19, despite continued concern over a rise in case numbers and the spread of the delta variant, though there will still be a limit on event sizes.