17 Fringe shows saved... but moved

Assembly venues relocate after Princes Street fire

Two of Assembly Festival’s venues are to move to St Andrew Square for the Edinburgh Fringe following the fire on Princes Street.

The blaze that all-but destroyed the former Debenhams store earlier this month has meant part of the main thoroughfare will remain closed during the festival while engineers continue to work to make the site safe.

Traffic will be diverted onto George Street, where Assembly Festival planned to again operate two outdoor venues: Bijou, a Spiegeltent-style construction, and the Front Room container space.

Now the operator has announced that the venues will move to St Andrew Square, at the end of George Street, to ensure the 17 shows programmed there can still go ahead. Shows indoors at Assembly Rooms on George Street are not affected.

William Burdett-Coutts, artistic director at Assembly Festival, said: ‘The fire on Princes Street has had, and will continue to have, a significant effect on city centre businesses and residents. Following the subsequent investigations, it became clear that the usual festival road closures Assembly Festival operates on George Street wouldn’t be possible for this year's Fringe season.’

He thanked the council and other partners for making the move possible, adding: ’It is extremely positive news that all 17 of these shows will still be able to go ahead, after the huge amount of work our artists have already put into them.’

Miss Frisky – whose Remix Roulette is one of the shows affected – said: ‘Orchestrating a move like this so quickly after the Princes Street fire is a massive testament to everyone involved.’

Earlier this year, the operators of the 106-year-old Famous Spiegeltent complained that they would not be able to operate in St Andrew Square because of tough new planning laws enforced by the city council but originating with the Scottish Government.

They wanted to operate for both the Fringe – where it would have been home to cabaret hit La Clique – and the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. However that would have meant remaining in place for more than 28 days, meaning it would be considered a permanent structure, requiring a lot more red tape.

The full list of shows relocating to Assembly at St Andrew Square are:

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Published: 27 Jul 2026