St Andrew Square to house venues

Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square is to become a new Fringe space this August.

The square – between The Stand and the Assembly Rooms – will become the new home for The Famous Spiegeltent and a new 150-seat yurt venue, The Stand In The Square.

The hub will be run by Salt ‘n’ Sauce Promotions, the owners of The Stand who have also operated Assembly Rooms in George Street for the past two years.

Boss Tommy Sheppard, pictured, said: ‘We first thought about putting festival events in the square ten years ago, but it was our experience of running a major outdoor event in George Street over the last couple of years which proved to ourselves and others that we know how to do it well.

‘This is a wonderful public space and we will make use of the natural amenity and beauty of the area to create a superb new event space for residents and visitors alike.’

David Bates, the Australian impresario behind the Famous Spiegeltent, added: ‘It is our fifth festival site in Edinburgh since 1996 and will become, without doubt, the sparkling jewel amongst the many temporary festival sites that mushroom around the city every August.’

With the new spaces, Sheppard will be hoping to rebalance the centre of the Fringe, which has increasingly gravitated towards Bristo Square in recent years.

St Andrew Square, a Georgian design which is also home to Harvey Nichols, will have its own tram stop once the controversial transport project becomes operational. And much of George Street will again be off-limits to traffic to allow for an ‘al fresco’ festival space.

The plans will require final approval from the licensing authorities but have received the backing of council leaders.

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Published: 25 Mar 2014