Cancel

Open app

Search

Festival Theatre

4.3 (37 reviews)
Closed Closed

Festival Theatre Photos

Recommended Reviews - Festival Theatre

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

FFS
Eilidh G.

I haven't been here for ages, I used to live in Edinburgh when I was a student and one of my first gigs was here and it was to see the cranberries.. I've also been to a couple of theatre things and a comedy gig which was part of the fringe. But they are all so long ago that I can't remember so I will review when I was last there which was last night to see FFS a collaboration of the two bands Franz Ferdinand and sparks. My friend had managed to get front row seats so I was super excited. The outside of the venue is all glass and looks so modern amongst all the old Edinburgh buildings, it definitely stands out. We arrived and went for a drink in the bar before heading in to find out seats. Our seats were great and we had a good view (you can tell you are close when you can see a loose hair on the lead singers head that you want to remove for them) the band was amazing and the atmosphere was great, the only downside was being a seated gig and the whole should we or shouldn't we stand up.. Eventually we got up and danced for the rest of the gig. The theatre is a beautiful building and it was good to experience a band in that environment..

Foyer
Cressida F.

Oh, THIS is how you do it. This. Right here. Classic Nouveau design in the auditorium meets chic ultra-modern comfort in the foyer. The huge glass-fronted foyer goes up three storeys, and never feels crowded even in the pre-show buzz. I can't believe I haven't reviewed the Festival Theatre before given how many times I've come here and loved it. They do everything right. Unlike so many theatres of its size, the Festival Theatre is spacious and light in the foyer, and even the toilets don't feel as cramped as most theatres. The interval snack prices are no more wince-worthy than other places (we're talking £3 for a tub of ice cream - but yes, still I stick to my five-star guns, because that's not unusual). Even with the Playhouse in town, it holds its own with a ferocious mix of programming that spans the popular and esoteric alike, from Warhorse to the Rambert Dance Company. The shows tend to have short runs, too, meaning you get some really excitingly inventive shows with sets that are designed to tour more easily than their extended-residency counterparts. As the home venue of the Edinburgh International Festival, it's a theatre that prides itself on progressive and intellectual art while still catering to audiences of a sufficient size to populate its impressive and rich auditorium. (Standing ovations are somewhat vertigo-inducing up in the Gods, mind you - it's pretty steeply raked and you might feel safer just clinging to the arms of your chair..!) It even has its own tragic history and a mysterious haunting story. What more could you possibly want from a house of art and superstition?

Amy G.

This is a beautiful theatre with a gorgeous glass front which is great for watching the world go buy while having a coffee. I have fond memories of coming to this theatre to see the ballet since I was very young. I rather distinctly remember on my 9th birthday vomiting on the stairs during a performance of Cinderella. Ahh memories. But this theatre really is lovely. Its the sort of theatre that you get a little dressed up to go to, like people used to do back in the day. I was lucky enough to see a stunning performance of the Nutcracker here in January, which obviously is mostly attributed to Scottish Ballet but the theatre played a huge role also. Everything from the sound to the lighting was fantastic and it really was a magical evening. There is a number of bars for you to have a quick tipple during the interval, but you have to be quick out your seat because it gets very busy fast. Tickets can be expensive, but it really attracts some of the better quality shows so it is worth it and it really makes for a nice evening out.

See all

12 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Amy G.
28
331
318

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Fiona H.
7
412
404

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 5
Oh no 0
Photo of Katy W.
19
15
30

10 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0
Photo of Gavin M.
108
1090
546

16 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of G L.
37
65
63

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Emily T.
24
570
287

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

14 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

17 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

18 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

18 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

11 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0
Photo of Louisa R.
6
26
504

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

13 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

£10 student on the day tickets are available for most shows, all good!

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Sam C.
16
339
350

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

17 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

16 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

19 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

17 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

18 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

18 years ago

We have always found there to be a vast array of choice on offer at the Festival Theatre. Modern, clean and a nice cafe.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Festival Theatre Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Festival Theatre

They have a very traditional theatre and a traditional but modern entrance.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

Read more highlights

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

The Caves

The Caves

(23 reviews)

Old Town, Royal Mile, Newington

All I can say is what a joke The Caves bar management was last night. Waited a year and 8/9 months…read moreand traveled just under 2 for a gig only to be kicked out 5 minutes in for trying to help a miss understanding of speech, guy behind me at the bar shouted over "dae use take caird" and I heard the guy behind the bar say did he just ask if we sell gear, and I approched the bar and said with my card in my hand in front of them "he's asking do you accept card" and then I got a yes we do off one guy then no more than 1 minute later bouncers came and took the guys behind me in the line away then come back and took me away, was thinking what have I done I've not even been in there enough time to even slip up, and the bouncer explained to me and these 3 other guys who I had never met in my life that we weren't allowed back in because bar management had kicked us out for apparently asking the bar if they "sold gear", so I asked can I at least speak to the bar management who kicked us out and was refused, aye these guys were going off there heads but I was trying to be civil about it obviously I'm going to be angry about it but I'll still try and keep my head about me, and then they 3 guys left and then asked again can I speak to the management yet, and yet again was refused and was told I would need to wait till the end of the night after the gig was finished to speak to a manager, and we'll I was waiting on my friend coming out anyways at the end to get the bus home but I still tried asking, can a manager speak to me yet I've been kicked out unfairly for trying to resolve a misunderstanding, and kept being denied, then it comes to the end of the night and asked the bouncers, so now can I speak to a manager, and then was yet again told no you can't after waiting 3 hours in the cold because I don't know people from edinburgh so I couldn't meet up with anyone and I didn't want to sit in a pub myself so I just stayed outside and waited on my mate coming out, and the hope I'd get back into this gig, all I can say I'm sorely disappointed about not getting to see that gig and how poorly executed the situation was, totally unprofessional If the guy who kicked me out gave me an explanation as to why I was kicked out so early into a gig that I'd paid to see, I maybe wouldn't have such a strong bad opinion about this place, all it would've took was no more than 2 minutes of time to explain what actually happened to see if it could be solved. People had seen it happen and heard what I said and tried complaining to the bar management and they weren't interested to hear anything, basically seemed like a case of if your face doesn't fit your not welcome.

If you are ever invited to go to the Caves- DO IT!…read more It usually is open for particular events, rather than everyday club nights and can host a variety of music tastes. What makes this place so amazing is the fact that it's in actual caves, with many secret corridors and rooms- all of which are open during the Fringe. The upstairs bar and balcony is great to have a drink and chill and watch the people downstairs. The atmosphere is further enhanced by the cool lighting and the dark and heavy furniture and decoration, which anywhere else would look tacky but here it somehow works brilliantly. It certainly has a lead as far as ambiance is concerned and it basically represents one of those clubs that totally sums up the city you are in- it represents what you expect to find from a secret Edinburgh. If only it was open more often! Oh and keep you eyes peeled for the Cow backside on the corner, as theire are no big signs for the entrance of the Caves.

The Out of the Blue Drill Hall - Exhibition at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall. Image: Craig McLean

The Out of the Blue Drill Hall

(15 reviews)

£

Leith

Love this place! Everyones very welcoming and it seems to do everything! Cafe, artists studios,…read moreperformances, classes/workshops, occasional club nights, gigs, book sales, flea markets, veg' markets, DIY workshops, vintage sales and even wiff waff Wednesday (highly competitive - in a fun way) table tennis! There's probably more on offer but I've just not managed to see it all yet! I've had the fortunate experience to perform here with a dance group (Code Butterfly) a few years ago and we danced all around the space and the audience followed us. There is an amazing network of old tunnels that surround the main hall and maze of staircases that the normal Joe Blogs wouldn't be able to explore unless they came to the show! Blessed! That aside, the cafe is cheap and they serve a lovely brunch at the weekends. There is plenty of local information for groups and community happenings. The perfect place to go to find activities to do or groups to join if you are new to the city. It's a beautiful, quirky venue in an original Drill Hall. Staff are very helpful and friendly. There is a homely, nourishing, homemade, community feel about the place. Child friendly venue, although at the same time it's not over-run with noisy screaming kids. Out Of The Blue's sister venue is Bongo Club, which explains some of OOTBs ethos. The only downside I'd say about OOTB is it's a bit chilly, they do try to heat the space with heat lamps etc, but it must be hard to heat such a vast space. Just wrap up warm and grab a hot chocolate and you'll soon heat up! :)

Out of the Blue is an old TA drill hall just off Leith Walk, now converted into a local community…read morecentre. There's a big central area that usually houses some sort of art exhibition, there's a little dance studio, and there are lots of small offices around the sides let to local businesses. And there's a small cafe that does reasonable coffee and is quite popular at lunchtimes. It's an interesting space and worth remembering about if you're down this way. The cafe service could perhaps be faster when they're busy, but they do a good veggieburger and there are some nice comfy sofas to sit on. A few years ago they first used it as a Fringe venue and it's a great space for that. They often have concerts and other small events on at other times. But it's always worth popping into if you're in the area to see what's happening as there's always something going on, and if you're lucky (and it's quiet) it's a great refuge from the bustle of the city in which to unwind for a while.

Pleasance Courtyard

Pleasance Courtyard

(13 reviews)

Newington

Wow! Pleasance really rocks during the Festival! I've been here a couple of times out of season,…read morebut that doesn't prepare you for the madness that takes over the place for the Fringe. There are awnings, tents, stalls and even a couple of small venues jostling for position in the courtyard like a medieval carnival or something. Take a deep breath before plunging in, otherwise you'll be completely overwhelmed by the noise and spectacle. I found it a little hard to find what venue my show was actually being performed in as the ticket simply said 'Pleasance courtyard', but as the performance time grew closer some helpful ushers appeared with big signs and started organising queues for the various shows, so it all worked out well. I loved the bar area towards the rear with it's comfy armchairs; a nice place to relax between shows and fairly close to the loos as well, which was nice. One of the better-organised Fringe venues, this ranks alongside Assembly and Gilded Balloon at the top of the Fringe pile.

I love coming here during the Fringe, it's a fine selection of venues all in one big area…read more I've been to 4 shows in this courtyard and I don't think I've been in the same place twice. The larger theatre "Pleasance One" up the stairs is very old school, with the raised stage and cushioned bench seating angled to the back; the middle sized "Below" venue is a more modern style - with stage area at the front and the seating rising up to the back of the room. Then, there was the "That" - it was a shipping container with a sound system, bench seats and the comic stood in the corner. It sounds awful but it really worked well. The comic even worked it into his opening comments, so it's also useful. The staff here wherever you go are all cheerful and helpful beyond belief, managing huge queues with ease and a smile. Also, in between shows or before and after, there's several drink and food stalls and seating in the main courtyard, superb for those odd days when the sun shines on the Fringe. One of the nicer venues to visit, pop along and take in a couple of shows!

Festival Theatre - theater - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...