EDINBURGH FRINGE VENUES
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all venues, but we’ve tried to collate the major and middle-sized paid venues with notes about how each run and what kind of shows they host each August to give you a starting point in your research. For a full list of all the rooms and venues available during the Fringe, check out Edfringe's Venue Search. If you know of a venue that you feel should be on this list, please do get in touch at [email protected]
The Big Four
The “Big Four” are the biggest and most prestigious venues. They’re generally the most competitive and expensive. However they offer benefits like strong media exposure and a certain cachet. It's tougher (but not unheard of,) for a first-time Fringe company to get accepted to one of these unless they have a good profile - this might include impressive reviews from other performances, awards from other festivals, TV or radio appearances or a good word from an industry professional.
These venues (plus Just the Tonic) also produce the Edinburgh Comedy Festival programme. They each have their specialities, but it’s worth noting that there is no one genre they adhere to - each will put on just about any show, but will want to know that it’s good. Here’s an overview of each of the Big Four:
The Big Four
The “Big Four” are the biggest and most prestigious venues. They’re generally the most competitive and expensive. However they offer benefits like strong media exposure and a certain cachet. It's tougher (but not unheard of,) for a first-time Fringe company to get accepted to one of these unless they have a good profile - this might include impressive reviews from other performances, awards from other festivals, TV or radio appearances or a good word from an industry professional.
These venues (plus Just the Tonic) also produce the Edinburgh Comedy Festival programme. They each have their specialities, but it’s worth noting that there is no one genre they adhere to - each will put on just about any show, but will want to know that it’s good. Here’s an overview of each of the Big Four:
Assembly
With a Fringe history stretching back 33 years, Assembly is home to some of the largest, highest-profile comedy and theatre acts on the Fringe. Their venues are accordingly grandiose, with capacities ranging from 60 to 840. Some are in the Assembly Garden, a very Fringey hub that gets a lot of foot traffic.
Be aware that Assembly is rather confusingly spread out in several locations across the city - consider putting a map on your flyers. There is also a venue called the Assembly Rooms which is completely unrelated.
Applications open from September the previous year.
www.assemblyfestival.com
Gilded Balloon
Located in Bristo Square, by the Pleasance Dome and the Udderbelly, Gilded Balloon offers nine different venues, from the smallest of which is 50 seats, the largest at 350.
Gilded Balloon takes a wide variety of performers and styles, and some of their more cabaret-style venues (such as Nightclub and Wine Bar) suit musical performances particularly well. The Gilded Balloon has become the unofficial home of Australian performers on the Fringe, and specialises in both theatre and comedy, with a healthy smattering of cabaret.
Applications open January.
www.gildedballoon.co.uk
With a Fringe history stretching back 33 years, Assembly is home to some of the largest, highest-profile comedy and theatre acts on the Fringe. Their venues are accordingly grandiose, with capacities ranging from 60 to 840. Some are in the Assembly Garden, a very Fringey hub that gets a lot of foot traffic.
Be aware that Assembly is rather confusingly spread out in several locations across the city - consider putting a map on your flyers. There is also a venue called the Assembly Rooms which is completely unrelated.
Applications open from September the previous year.
www.assemblyfestival.com
Gilded Balloon
Located in Bristo Square, by the Pleasance Dome and the Udderbelly, Gilded Balloon offers nine different venues, from the smallest of which is 50 seats, the largest at 350.
Gilded Balloon takes a wide variety of performers and styles, and some of their more cabaret-style venues (such as Nightclub and Wine Bar) suit musical performances particularly well. The Gilded Balloon has become the unofficial home of Australian performers on the Fringe, and specialises in both theatre and comedy, with a healthy smattering of cabaret.
Applications open January.
www.gildedballoon.co.uk
Pleasance
Pleasance has two main hubs for performance - the Pleasance Dome on Bristo Square and The Pleasance Courtyard, located on The Pleasance, a street which comes off the Royal Mile. Each has a large array of venues of various sizes, though Pleasance Courtyard is home to Pleasance Grand, which, at 700 seats, is one of the largest Fringe venues available.
With plenty of more intimate venues such as Below (55 seats), Cellar (50 seats) and Ten Dome (75 seats), they scale up to larger sites such as Pleasance Two (154) and King Dome (180 seats). Pleasance is most famous for its comedy acts but across its myriad venues, puts on just about anything.
There’s applications are generally open from October the year before.
www.pleasance.co.uk/edinburgh
Underbelly
The Underbelly, owners of the huge upside-down purple cow that tours the country in non-Fringe season and is parked on Bristo Square during August, has a great array of cow-themed venues and a number of bars in Edinburgh. Their centrepiece is the Udderbelly (the cow) itself in Bristo Square, which has a bustling night-life outside it all month long, and a number of venues surrounding it.
Their other location is (appropriately enough) on Cowgate, just a few minutes’ walk from Bristo Square or The Royal Mile, which features more venues with a subterranean vibe. They vary in size from from 59 (Delhi Belly) to 410 (Udderbelly). They have a strong programme of comedy and are supporters of up-and-coming acts, including theatre and spoken word.
Applications open as early as August for the following year’s festival.
www.underbelly.co.uk/edinburgh
Medium-Sized Venues
The Stand
Traditionally the home of high-calibre stand-up (Foster’s winner Bridget Christie was at the Stand in 2013, and it’s often home to luminaries like Daniel Kitson, Andy Zaltzman and Stewart Lee), The Stand is a comedy club all year round. Often leaning towards the cerebral and experimental, a first-timer would be lucky to get into The Stand without an existing profile. Be aware that it’s also a bit out of the way of the main Fringe hub.
www.thestand.co.uk/edinburgh.aspx
Pleasance has two main hubs for performance - the Pleasance Dome on Bristo Square and The Pleasance Courtyard, located on The Pleasance, a street which comes off the Royal Mile. Each has a large array of venues of various sizes, though Pleasance Courtyard is home to Pleasance Grand, which, at 700 seats, is one of the largest Fringe venues available.
With plenty of more intimate venues such as Below (55 seats), Cellar (50 seats) and Ten Dome (75 seats), they scale up to larger sites such as Pleasance Two (154) and King Dome (180 seats). Pleasance is most famous for its comedy acts but across its myriad venues, puts on just about anything.
There’s applications are generally open from October the year before.
www.pleasance.co.uk/edinburgh
Underbelly
The Underbelly, owners of the huge upside-down purple cow that tours the country in non-Fringe season and is parked on Bristo Square during August, has a great array of cow-themed venues and a number of bars in Edinburgh. Their centrepiece is the Udderbelly (the cow) itself in Bristo Square, which has a bustling night-life outside it all month long, and a number of venues surrounding it.
Their other location is (appropriately enough) on Cowgate, just a few minutes’ walk from Bristo Square or The Royal Mile, which features more venues with a subterranean vibe. They vary in size from from 59 (Delhi Belly) to 410 (Udderbelly). They have a strong programme of comedy and are supporters of up-and-coming acts, including theatre and spoken word.
Applications open as early as August for the following year’s festival.
www.underbelly.co.uk/edinburgh
Medium-Sized Venues
The Stand
Traditionally the home of high-calibre stand-up (Foster’s winner Bridget Christie was at the Stand in 2013, and it’s often home to luminaries like Daniel Kitson, Andy Zaltzman and Stewart Lee), The Stand is a comedy club all year round. Often leaning towards the cerebral and experimental, a first-timer would be lucky to get into The Stand without an existing profile. Be aware that it’s also a bit out of the way of the main Fringe hub.
www.thestand.co.uk/edinburgh.aspx
Zoo Venues
If your show has a strong focus on physical and experimental theatre, Zoo is the place for you. It welcomes pretty much everything from stand-up to traditional theatre, but their programme also features a lot of dance, plus trapeze, music, new writing, cabaret and multimedia. International shows also have a strong representation at Zoo. With two venues - Zoo and Zoo Southside, both quite centrally located, there are five spaces available ranging from the Aviary (50 seats) to the Main House (200 seats). It’s worth noting the Main House benefits from a very large stage, making it perfect for large-scale dance shows.
www.zoovenues.co.uk
C Venues
Traditionally a first time at the Fringe venue, C is a sprawling set of rooms which boasts the largest programme of new writing on the Fringe. It’s a favourite of student drama and theatre companies but is open to all genres. Some productions might toss up between doing a C Venues show and a free show - you can be more reliably assured of a soundproofed space with a proper lighting rig and the ability for a total black out at C, so if your show needs these to work, veer towards C, but be aware they have a reputation for being rather disorganised.
www.cvenues.com
If your show has a strong focus on physical and experimental theatre, Zoo is the place for you. It welcomes pretty much everything from stand-up to traditional theatre, but their programme also features a lot of dance, plus trapeze, music, new writing, cabaret and multimedia. International shows also have a strong representation at Zoo. With two venues - Zoo and Zoo Southside, both quite centrally located, there are five spaces available ranging from the Aviary (50 seats) to the Main House (200 seats). It’s worth noting the Main House benefits from a very large stage, making it perfect for large-scale dance shows.
www.zoovenues.co.uk
C Venues
Traditionally a first time at the Fringe venue, C is a sprawling set of rooms which boasts the largest programme of new writing on the Fringe. It’s a favourite of student drama and theatre companies but is open to all genres. Some productions might toss up between doing a C Venues show and a free show - you can be more reliably assured of a soundproofed space with a proper lighting rig and the ability for a total black out at C, so if your show needs these to work, veer towards C, but be aware they have a reputation for being rather disorganised.
www.cvenues.com
Just The Tonic
Offering spaces to comedy, theatre, music and children’s shows, Just the Tonic is a reliable venue with a few central locations. Just the Tonic at the Tron is about 30 seconds from the Mile, and Just the Tonic at Caves is another a minute away on Cowgate, and a brand new space at Bristo Square called Medina. Rooms range from 60 to 150 capacity. Comedy shows are also included in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival programme.
www.justthetonic.com/edinburgh-festival
theSpace UK
theSpace venues are a series of 8 locations grouped close to the Mile, and range in size from 40 to around 100, with several coming in at around 55 seats. Featuring a diverse programme, theSpace offers high-quality rooms for shows of any variety, but particularly theatre, comedy and cabaret. Plus, their Surgeons Hall venue has a cafe and free Wi-Fi.
www.thespaceuk.com
Offering spaces to comedy, theatre, music and children’s shows, Just the Tonic is a reliable venue with a few central locations. Just the Tonic at the Tron is about 30 seconds from the Mile, and Just the Tonic at Caves is another a minute away on Cowgate, and a brand new space at Bristo Square called Medina. Rooms range from 60 to 150 capacity. Comedy shows are also included in the Edinburgh Comedy Festival programme.
www.justthetonic.com/edinburgh-festival
theSpace UK
theSpace venues are a series of 8 locations grouped close to the Mile, and range in size from 40 to around 100, with several coming in at around 55 seats. Featuring a diverse programme, theSpace offers high-quality rooms for shows of any variety, but particularly theatre, comedy and cabaret. Plus, their Surgeons Hall venue has a cafe and free Wi-Fi.
www.thespaceuk.com
Bedlam just before the Fringe
Bedlam
One of the few student-run theatres in the UK, Bedlam is a beautiful 90-seater theatrical space that puts on anything from musicals to experimental theatre to improvised comedy. It’s between Bristo Square and the Royal Mile, placing it slap-bang in the centre of Edinburgh. It’s also housed in a church, and used to be a psychiatric hospital, hence the name. As a theatrical space, it has excellent technical specifications.
www.bedlamtheatre.co.uk
Richard Stamp, editor of FringeGuru: “I have got a favourite venue, and it's Bedlam…[it’s] a beautiful place, it's a lovely theatre...as an audience experience, it's the perfect combination of being a proper theatre with proper seats and a proper stage and proper lighting, yet also having that Fringe vibe to it.”
Sweet Venues
A Grassmarket venue, Sweet welcomes all types of performance and has four available spaces ranging from 24 to 115 seats. It produces its own brochure and its website states that it is dedicated to giving a full Fringe experience to its performers.
www.sweetvenues.com
Gryphon
It's only been a few years on the Fringe, but Gryphon is making a mark with its highly professional way of running things. They're up for any kind of performance: "We’ve hosted performances ranging from children’s theatre to drama, musicals, cabaret, cirque and comedy, by companies from around the world."
Chris Harcum (The American Gun Show, Gryphon 2013): I liked the fact that they were a nonprofit group and asked for a set fee up front rather than a split with guarantee because I knew what we would be spending... Overall, they gave me a feeling of confidence I don’t think I’d have a lot of other places. The only real downside is that they are a little isolated where they are so you don’t have as much foot traffic... I loved the folks at the Gryphon and can’t recommend them enough.
www.gryphonvenues.com
Paradise Green
Paradise has a good name and an emphasis is on theatre, but its definition of "theatre" includes musicals, dance and physical theatre, performance poetry and some music. They are very upfront, quoting their prices on the website and have a straight up fee for hiring, which means acts can budget accordingly. Paradise has three venues grouped around George IV Bridge and Grassmarket, but note there's no alcohol license, so don't count on getting discount beers at your venue.
One of the few student-run theatres in the UK, Bedlam is a beautiful 90-seater theatrical space that puts on anything from musicals to experimental theatre to improvised comedy. It’s between Bristo Square and the Royal Mile, placing it slap-bang in the centre of Edinburgh. It’s also housed in a church, and used to be a psychiatric hospital, hence the name. As a theatrical space, it has excellent technical specifications.
www.bedlamtheatre.co.uk
Richard Stamp, editor of FringeGuru: “I have got a favourite venue, and it's Bedlam…[it’s] a beautiful place, it's a lovely theatre...as an audience experience, it's the perfect combination of being a proper theatre with proper seats and a proper stage and proper lighting, yet also having that Fringe vibe to it.”
Sweet Venues
A Grassmarket venue, Sweet welcomes all types of performance and has four available spaces ranging from 24 to 115 seats. It produces its own brochure and its website states that it is dedicated to giving a full Fringe experience to its performers.
www.sweetvenues.com
Gryphon
It's only been a few years on the Fringe, but Gryphon is making a mark with its highly professional way of running things. They're up for any kind of performance: "We’ve hosted performances ranging from children’s theatre to drama, musicals, cabaret, cirque and comedy, by companies from around the world."
Chris Harcum (The American Gun Show, Gryphon 2013): I liked the fact that they were a nonprofit group and asked for a set fee up front rather than a split with guarantee because I knew what we would be spending... Overall, they gave me a feeling of confidence I don’t think I’d have a lot of other places. The only real downside is that they are a little isolated where they are so you don’t have as much foot traffic... I loved the folks at the Gryphon and can’t recommend them enough.
www.gryphonvenues.com
Paradise Green
Paradise has a good name and an emphasis is on theatre, but its definition of "theatre" includes musicals, dance and physical theatre, performance poetry and some music. They are very upfront, quoting their prices on the website and have a straight up fee for hiring, which means acts can budget accordingly. Paradise has three venues grouped around George IV Bridge and Grassmarket, but note there's no alcohol license, so don't count on getting discount beers at your venue.
Summerhall
Summerhall
A beautiful warren on venues, Summerhall has a reputation for high quality experimental theatre and music performances. It's a decent walk away from the festival hub, however its reputation has a strong enough pulling power that it's not of too much concern.
festival.summerhall.co.uk
Greenside
The Guardian quote on their website says "Undoubtedly one of the most charming venues on the Fringe," which is a pretty good endorsement. Quite new and boasting a second, Bristo Square location as of 2014, Greenside is building a reputation for putting on innovative theatre.
www.greensidevenue.co.uk/
Venue 40 (Quaker Meeting House)
A functioning Quaker Meeting Room all year round, Venue 40's ethos is a continuum of Quaker philosophy: "Our values of equality, peace, integrity and simplicity influence our theatre programme selection and the way we run the venue."
www.venue40.org.uk
Spotlites @ Merchants’ Hall
Offering three venues of 26, 50 and 150 seats and located just off Princes Street, Spotlites is quite theatre-focused but programmes multi-genre shows from around the world. Their website states that they offer technical support, coverage in the venue brochure - print run of 40,000, press, publicity and media support and advice, promotion on the venue website, “generous” bar discount (!).
www.spotlites.co.uk
A beautiful warren on venues, Summerhall has a reputation for high quality experimental theatre and music performances. It's a decent walk away from the festival hub, however its reputation has a strong enough pulling power that it's not of too much concern.
festival.summerhall.co.uk
Greenside
The Guardian quote on their website says "Undoubtedly one of the most charming venues on the Fringe," which is a pretty good endorsement. Quite new and boasting a second, Bristo Square location as of 2014, Greenside is building a reputation for putting on innovative theatre.
www.greensidevenue.co.uk/
Venue 40 (Quaker Meeting House)
A functioning Quaker Meeting Room all year round, Venue 40's ethos is a continuum of Quaker philosophy: "Our values of equality, peace, integrity and simplicity influence our theatre programme selection and the way we run the venue."
www.venue40.org.uk
Spotlites @ Merchants’ Hall
Offering three venues of 26, 50 and 150 seats and located just off Princes Street, Spotlites is quite theatre-focused but programmes multi-genre shows from around the world. Their website states that they offer technical support, coverage in the venue brochure - print run of 40,000, press, publicity and media support and advice, promotion on the venue website, “generous” bar discount (!).
www.spotlites.co.uk
