A Victorian-era school building will become a permanent home for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the next 100 years, organisers of the event have revealed as plans for its transformation were lodged. The new complex on Infirmary Street, near the Pleasance Courtyard, the Festival Theatre and Dovecot Studios, is aimed at creating a visible “legacy” of the 77-year-old festival within the city’s cultural landscape. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
It is hoped that the new venture, which has been at least seven years in the planning, will become "the embodiment of the Fringe's rich history and its inspirational future." The Fringe Society has also promised to “radically transform” the carbon footprint of the B-listed building, which dates back to 1885, by giving it a “sensitive retrofit” and ensuring it becomes "a model of sustainable development.” The Fringe Society, the arts charity which oversees the running of the festival, has revealed the first detailed plans for the project since securing a lease agreement with the city council, which owns the building.
Memorabilia drawn from throughout the history of the event – which has long been the biggest celebration of culture anywhere in the world - is.