Edinburgh Festival announces outdoor plans for 2021
Hattie Fisk
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
The world’s leading performing arts festival, Edinburgh International Festival, reveals its plan to host live events this August, constructing bespoke outdoor pavilions across the city.
Taking place from 7-29 August, the live performances are to be staged in constructed pavilions, featuring covered concert stages and socially distanced seating areas. The new stages will be scattered across the city in iconic locations, including Edinburgh Park and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College Quad.
Online elements will still be prioritised in a bid to improve the festival’s accessibility. High-quality streamed performances of opera, orchestral music, theatre and contemporary music will be released for free throughout the festival period.
Fergus Linehan, the festival’s director said: ‘Edinburgh’s summer festivals were officially cancelled almost exactly a year ago. Today, we are delighted to announce that in August 2021 the Edinburgh International Festival will return to live performance.
‘While there are still uncertainties ahead, we are confident that this programme will give us the very best chance of delivering a season of live performance from 7 – 29 August. All our planning will be led by the advice we continue to receive from our partners in Government.’
Covid safety precautions will be implemented, and the festival organisers are having direct discussions with the Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council. These measures will include contactless ticketing, shorter performances with no intervals, physical distancing and regular cleaning.
Culture and communities convener, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: ‘The Edinburgh International Festival is an explosion of performing arts, cultural exploration and sheer exhilaration that takes place across the city.
‘After the challenging year we’ve all had and the disappointment of not being able to enjoy the festival in the usual way last year, it will be fantastic for audiences to share in the live performance experience again with an exceptional outdoor pavilions programme for local audiences alongside the Festival’s online offering.’
Full details of the festival's security measures will be published in the coming months, and the full 2021 programme will be announced on 2 June.
General booking for the festival will open on 11 June. Find out more information here.