Five things you need to know today
Ken Loach coming to Edinburgh, road closures for festivals,.
Road closures begin this week for the Festival
Streets in the city centre will be closed from Thursday 24 July in preparation for the Edinburgh festivals. The closures will remain in place until 7 September to allow for the takedown as well as the duration of the festivals themselves.
To accommodate Edinburgh Fringe and Tattoo from 1 August to 24 August these closures will be made on streets around the Royal Mile:
The east-west section of St Giles Street (accessed from Bank Street) is set aside for loading during the closure times.
High Street, Parliament Square and Cockburn Street closed to vehicles between 10.30am to 9pm loading and unloading permitted from 9pm until 10.30am no waiting permitted at any time
St Giles Street is closed to vehicles 10.30am – midnight (10.30am – 9pm Sunday)
Blair Street will be closed from 28 July to 26 August as follows:
Normal one-way is rescinded and there is an area restricted to allow loading and turning at the northern end of the north-south section
Closed to vehicles from South Bridge for 30 metres westwards
Lawnmarket from Castlehill to George IV Bridge will be closed to all vehicles as follows from 31 July to 7 September
Servicing, loading and unloading every day 6.30am – 10.30am is from the eastern end of Johnston Terrace (entry via Johnston Terrace)
Pedestrian and cycle only zone, no vehicle access
Johnston Terrace will be closed with no access into or out of the Lawnmaret from 31 July to 7 September. There will be access from Castle Terrace for blue badge holders, taxis and cycles during that time - except during the operating times of the Tattoo. Servicing loading and unloading of vehicles will be possible from 6.30am to 10.30am.
From 30 July to 23 August
4pm to midnight on Saturdays 2, 9, 16 and 23, and also Friday 22 August
Closed to vehicles from: 5pm to midnight 30 and 31 July and 5.30pm to midnight on weekdays (1 – 21 August)
Cowgate
Between the junctions with Candlemaker Row and Blackfriars Street from 28 July to 26 August this road will be closed to vehicles, except cycles from 3pm to 5am every day
Essential local access is maintained, during the closure time, in and out by way of Guthrie Street.
East Adam Street
From 28 July to 26 August the junction of East Adam Street at The Pleasance will be closed
George Street
This street will be closed between Hanover Street and Frederick Street to accommodate Edinburgh Fringe from 24 July to 26 August
Pedestrian and cycle only zone, no vehicle access
A servicing, loading and unloading area will operate at the Hanover Street side of the closure from 6am to 8am daily
Emerging textile designer
A graduate from Edinburgh College of Art has been named one of the UK’s most exciting emerging textile designers, winning a top prize at this year’s TEX+ 2025 Awards, held in London.
Winnie Sowter was awarded the prestigious Helga Goldman Prize which comes with a £1,000 prize for Innovation and Creativity. This prize honours outstanding originality in design and was awarded by the trustees of TEX+ in memory of one of the organisation’s founders.
The TEX+ Awards are a national celebration of graduating textile designers and were launched this year by legendary trend forecaster Li Edelkoort, with high-profile guests including Orla Kiely and Zandra Rhodes in attendance.
Held at Chelsea College of Arts in London, the TEX+ 2025 Showcase brought together 25 of the UK’s most promising textile graduates, selected for their excellence in innovation, technical skill, commercial appeal, sustainability and social impact.
Winnie Sowter’s work stood out for its imaginative and technically accomplished approach, earning recognition from leading industry figures.
New Fringe venue
As Teviot Row remains closed for renovation, Gilded Balloon have found a new venue from which to entertain.
The Gilded Saloon bar & kitchen will open on 30 July alongside a club which can hold 200 people this is a collaboration between Gilded Balloon, Paradise Palms and Scots music festival Kelburn Garden Party.
Located on 45-47 Lothian Street overlooking Bristo Square and right next to city favourite Paradise Palms, the new venue will launch a vibrant programme of music, performance, comedy and events, operating 7 days a week.
he Gilded Saloon will serve up a broad selection of draught beers, wines and spirits alongside hearty modern pub grub and a Fringe pop-up, ‘Coop’, during August by local chef Tomas Gormley (known for his restaurants Skua and Cardinal).
Film Festival news
During this year's festival filmmaker Ken Loach will take part in n on stage event along with his collaborators, Paul Laverty and Rebecca O'Brien.
The trio will discuss the acclaimed films they have created together over the years including Palme D'Or Winners The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016). The event takes place on Wednesday 20 August at 11am at Tollcross Central Hall.
This event will then be followed by a special retrospective screening of the filmmakers’ 2006 Palme D'Or winning film The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Starring Cillian Murphy, the film is a heartfelt and stirring epic exploring the rift that emerges between two brothers who find themselves fighting against one another in the conflict over Irish independence in the early 1920s.
Presented from a 35mm print, this screening will be preceded by a special introduction by the filmmakers. The event takes place on Wednesday 20 August at 1.30pm in Filmhouse Screen 1.
Tickets are now on sale for both events via the EIFF website.
All night trams
Beginning on Friday 1 August, trams will operate a normal daytime and evening service, followed by trams every half an hour in both directions throughout the night, until normal service resumes the following morning.
Edinburgh Trams have operated this service since 2017, ensuring that Festivalgoers can get home safely after the events end during the busiest part of the year. The tram line travels through the city centre, passing multiple venues both permanent and temporary on its route between Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven.
The extended services coincide with the much-anticipated Oasis reunion tour, which also arrives in Edinburgh in August, playing three dates at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium as part of a wider series of major events throughout the month.
Sarah Singh, Edinburgh Trams Head of Service Delivery said, “Between 1-25 August, we’ll expect to see a huge surge in customers as Edinburgh becomes the epicentre of the world’s biggest arts festival. As in previous years, we’re happy to do our part in meeting the needs of the city as it welcomes artists and visitors from across the globe.
“In addition to our usual timetable throughout the week, which will operate the usual 7-minute service, we’ll be running trams from every 30 minutes on Friday and Saturday nights, with extra trams also rolling out before and after the Murrayfield events in order to get people home as quickly and safely as possible.”
