Summerhall Fringe 2020 is Cancelled

Further to the announcement by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and the Edinburgh Festivals, Summerhall will not be presenting its usual Fringe programme in August 2020. Summerhall has spoken with all companies who were due to participate and will refund their deposit payments in full.

Rowan Campbell, Summerhall's General Manager said,

"The COVID-19 pandemic and health crisis has already changed the cultural landscape of 2020 drastically and as a leading Fringe venue we have to respond to that challenge. On the advice of the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government, the Festival Fringe Society have announced they will withdraw their services overseeing the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and we agree that it is neither possible nor desirable for the event to go ahead as planned in August. This has not been an easy decision for myself, or the team in our 10th year - and I would like to thank the brilliant team at Summerhall for their patience, and our audiences and companies for their understanding as we negotiate these unprecedented times"

Verity Leigh, Summerhall's Programme Manager added,

"While we are of course sad that our Fringe programme cannot go ahead, our absolute priority is the safety of our audience, artists and all those involved in the festival.

"2020 was set to be a special year for Summerhall as we celebrated our 10th Fringe programme. That means that in planning 2020 we've already taken some time to look back on the previous 9 years and the many amazing theatre-makers who have shown their work at Summerhall. We are so proud of that legacy, and we look forward to celebrating some of those artists and makers, along with plenty of new voices, as part of our 10th Fringe in 2021. As soon as it is safe to do so, we hope that people from Edinburgh and beyond will join us back at Summerhall for a pint, a cuppa and to experience our year-round programmes."

All info regarding Summerhall re-opening through Summer 2020 will be in accordance with Council and Government guidelines and will be updated on our website and social channels over the coming weeks and months.