Fringe dealt new blow as major venue to remain closed for another year

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been dealt a new blow after it emerged that one of its biggest venues would remain closed for the second year in a row.

A major refurbishment of Teviot Row House, the world's oldest-purpose built student union, which has been ongoing for the last year, will not be finished in time to allow Gilded Balloon to return next summer as planned.

Contractors working on the revamp, which Edinburgh University is paying for, have only recently discovered that the entire building will have to be completely rewired to meet safety reasons.

The new-look Teviot, which is run by Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), was due to be unveiled in the spring of next year but is now not expected to be ready until "early 2026” due to the scale of the “significant challenges” which need to be addressed.

The absence of Teviot for next year’s Fringe has emerged amid growing uncertainty over the future of another major festival venue, Summerhall.

Management at the venue, which is currently up for sale, have been hit with a “winding up” order by HMRC over an alleged unpaid tax bill.

Gilded Balloon was due to celebrate its 40th year putting on Fringe shows at the new-look Teviot, which it has been using since 2001.

However it will now have to use "alternative" venues in the area next year after being forced to scale back its programming this summer.

The delays have only emerged since the end of this year's Fringe, when Gilded Balloon was still planning a return to Teviot in 2025.

At the time, Gilded Balloon said: "Our first year in over 23 years without our main venue Teviot Row House has, of course, seen changes to our capacity and the amount of shows we could programme, so we’re really looking forward to returning for Fringe 2025. Next year will be Gilded Balloon’s 40th anniversary and we have some hugely exciting plans in the works for returning to a refreshed and refurbished Teviot Row House."

The revamp of Teviot, which dates back to 1889, is aimed at making the building more accessible and sustainable.

An announcement on the university website states: "As work has progressed and areas of the building have been further uncovered, it has been identified that a complete rewiring of the building is now required.

"Carrying out these additional repairs is essential for safety and compliance, and ensures that we provide excellent facilities for our students, staff and visitors. This means that unfortunately we now expect Teviot to open to all students in early 2026.

"We understand that this delay will be frustrating and disappointing to many of you – we share in this disappointment and apologise for the delay.

"We want to assure you that the university, the students’ association and our contractors are working as hard as possible to minimise the time that Teviot is closed to students.

A spokesperson from UESA said: "Over the last few weeks, the contractors on site have discovered significant challenges with the building’s electrical wiring, which now needs to be completely replaced.

"This will ensure both safety and compliance with appropriate standards. It will also protect against the building needing to be closed again at a future date to do this work.

"Much of this electrical work falls outside of the original project scope so will require additional time to complete.

"The students’ association and the university are working in partnership with the project’s contractors to confirm the exact impact of the new electrical works on the redevelopment timeframe. We expect that this will become clearer later this calendar year as works continue to progress."

A statement from Gilded Balloon said it had agreed a three-year deal to use Teviot from 2026 as well as host shows in "alternative spaces" in close proximity to Teviot in 2025.

Gilded Balloon added: "It will come as no surprise that Teviot Row House holds a very special place in our hearts, as well as the hearts of countless performers, promoters and audiences who attend the Fringe each year.

"While we are obviously gutted at the news that it will not reopen in time for Fringe 2025 as planned, we understand the necessity of the work being done to ensure that it continues to provide modern, accessible facilities from 2026 onwards."