Reviews & features: News

This year’s Edinburgh International Festival will take the changes and challenges facing contemporary Europe as its theme, it was announced today. Highlights of the programme include the world premiere of Matthew Bourne’s new dance work ‘Dorian…

Four of the biggest Fringe venues have announced their plans to band together to launch the ‘largest comedy festival in the world’ this August. Assembly, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance and Underbelly yesterday announced their intention to launch the…

The Edinburgh International Film Festival has just announced a significant boost to its funding over the next three years. As part of the UK Film Council's Film Festival Strategy, the EIFF will receive £1.88m of Lottery money between now and…

Edinburgh International Film Festival programmers have been out in force in recent weeks. Festival director Hannah McGill has been scouting at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals, while other members of the team were spotted at the Rotterdam and…

Plans to create a new grandstand to host the Edinburgh Military Tattoo could see the Castle Esplanade freed up for other festival events. Discussions between Tattoo producer Major-General Euan Loudon and director of the Edinburgh International…

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has reported another record breaking year for ticket sales, with visitors taking in 1.7 million shows. The number of tickets sold jumped by more than 10% against last year, with some 18,626 performers taking part in more…

Plans to undertake a £12 million revamp of Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms will have a negative affect on arts centres across the city, critics have warned. The proposals will see the George Street venue transformed into a year-round facility, capable of…

The end of the Fringe may be in sight but the carnival atmosphere shows no signs of abating. Due to overwhelming demand, the Spiegel Garden will stay open for an extra week this August, continuing the festivities after most performers have left town. As…

The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) commenced last night at Edinburgh’s Cineworld in Fountain Park with the UK premiere of David Mackenzie’s Hallam Foe. Organisers of the film festival felt that Hallam Foe, shot on location in Edinburgh and…

Napier University Business School is hosting the fourth annual Festival Fringe Debate on Wednesday 15 August at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh. The topic for this year’s debate is ‘Today’s Festival leaders: to lead or to be led?’ Influential figures…

Scotrail’s extended Edinburgh Festival timetable is now in operation, with additional carriages and extra trains scheduled to take Festival-goers to Edinburgh from Glasgow, Stirling and Inverkeithing. Scotrail is adding carriages to more services than…

The Fringe Half-Price Hut opened last week, offering Festival-goers a range of tickets for half the regular price. Situated on the pavement-level roof of the Princes Mall shopping centre, the Half-Price Hut displays a list of shows offering tickets at…

Organisers of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) have announced plans to hold the event two months earlier next year, in a bid to move outside the city’s renowned festival season. The switch will see the film festival take place June…

Festival fever went into overdrive this week with the Fringe, Jazz and Book festivals each reporting impressive sale hikes on last year. A spokesman for the Fringe said they were up 10% on their 2006 figures, having already smashed previous records on…

Edinburgh Fringe director Paul Gudgin has announced that he is to leave the post in June. Gudgin, who has held the post for eight years, led the annual celebration of theatre, comedy, music and dance to its most successful year in 2006, with ticket…