Pleasance Courtyard closes as storm batters Edinburgh

One of the biggest venues at the Edinburgh Fringe has been forced to close as the city braces itself for storm-force winds.

The Pleasance Courtyard will remain closed until at least 6pm today as Storm Floris hits the Scottish capital, with gusts of up to 70mph expected.

The news comes after the  Military Tattoo announced last night that they had cancelled today’s fears due to safety concerns.

Pleasances bosses announced at lunchtime that the venue would be shutting for the day saying: ‘Due to the adverse weather conditions, we will be closing the Courtyard for the safety of our audiences, companies and staff.’

They will reassess the situation at 4pm to see if shows after 6pm can go ahead. If not another call will be made at 6pm to see if shows after 8pm will be allowed.

Jonny Patton, the venue’s head of theatre, told companies with daytime shows at the Courtyard: ‘I appreciate this is not ideal and please know it was not a decision taken likely, we have a weather management plan which dictates the conditions within which we are able to operate safely.

‘Please bear with us - we are working as quickly as we can to ensure the impact of this is lessened as much as possible. ‘

The Pleasance Dome is not affected, and other venues have also said they  will remain open, including Underbelly, despite having open-air shows in George Square.

Workers have also been seen taking down some Fringe posters in the city centre to avoid them blowing over, while Princes Street Gardens have also been closed to the public. 

Fringe by the Sea, an outdoor event in North Berwick, has also pulled today show’s for safety reasons.

Published: 4 Aug 2025