Christopher BarrettEdinburgh International Festival (EIF) will take place outdoors for the first time in its 74-year history.
Three outdoor spaces across this city, including Edinburgh Park and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College Quad, will be used for the event which is due to run from 7-29 August.
Organisers said the event would use bespoke, temporary, outdoor pavilions to stage live performance events throughout the festival. As well as covering concert stages, the structures will accommodate socially distanced seating areas for audiences.
Organisers are working with Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and other relevant authorities to implement appropriate Covid safety measures. These will include shorter performances with no intervals, physical distancing, regular cleaning and contactless ticketing.
Festival director Fergus Linehan said, “We are hugely grateful to the artists who have agreed to come on this journey with us, the stakeholders, donors, and sponsors who have stood by us through a tough year and our audiences who have cheered us along throughout. We look forward to sharing full details of the programme in early June.”
EIF is one of a number of annual cultural events held in Edinburgh every August, collectively attracting audiences of more than 4 million.
Last month Government pledged to support Edinburgh festivals with £1m of funding.