32 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Festivals 33
companion ticket to customers who need one. Just make your
needs known when you buy your ticket for the Fringe event.
Edinburgh Food Festival
http://www.edfoodfest.com; 27-31 Jul
This four-day festival, based in George Square Gardens,
precedes the opening of the Edinburgh Fringe with a packed
program of talks, cookery demonstrations, tastings, street food
stalls and entertainment.
Access to this pop-up venue is via a steepish ramp at the
back (accompanied by a staff member) and, while the square is
ramped and the surface is boarded and covered with astroturf,
it’s still quite uneven. The streets surrounding the square are
cobbled and uneven. During festival season, there’s an acces-
sible toilet set up in the square. Access to the box office at the
Assembly is apparently poor.
If attending a Fringe performance at this venue, the viewing
platform gives you a great view.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
0845-373 5888; http://www.edbookfest.co.uk; 13-29 Aug
Held in a little village of marquees in the middle of Charlotte
Sq, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is a fun fortnight
of talks, readings, debates, lectures, book signings and meet-
the-author events, with three cafes and two tented bookshops
thrown in. The festival lasts for two weeks in August, to coincide
with the Edinburgh International Festival.
There are two parking bays for PWDs at the end of George St.
There are metered parking spaces along George St along with
some bays for disabled drivers. Drop-off/pick-up for wheelchair
users is outside the Entrance Tent or at the west end of George
St. There is level access across the pedestrian crossing between
the end of George St and the entrance, and a shallow ramp up
into the Entrance Tent. Once inside Charlotte Square Gardens,
there is level access around the whole of the Book Festival site
and the venues within it. Wheelchairs are available to borrow free
of charge.
There are infrared systems in all theatres, except the Baillie
Gifford Story Box and the Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab, to as-
sist people with auditory impairments. Earphones can be collect-
ed from the Information Desk in the Entrance Tent. A selection
of events are BSL interpreted. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are
welcome. A brochure of events is available in large print, Braille
and audio CD – all available by contacting 0131-718 5666 or
[email protected]. (For bookings, call 0845-373 5888.)
Artlink’s Access Service offers support to disabled visitors to
Edinburgh to attend Book Festival events with a volunteer es-
cort. For further information, contact Artlink on 0131-229 3555
(Typetalk 18001 0131 229 3555) or email info@artlinkedinburgh.
co.uk. Alternatively, contact the Box Office (boxoffice@edbook-
fest.co.uk) to discuss specific access needs.Edinburgh International Festival
0131-473 2000; http://www.eif.co.uk; 5-29 AugFirst held in 1947 to mark a return to peace after the ordeal of
WWII, the Edinburgh International Festival is festooned with su-
perlatives – the oldest, the biggest, the most famous, the best in
the world. The original was a modest affair, but today hundreds
of the world’s top musicians and performers congregate in Edin-
burgh for three weeks of diverse and inspirational music, opera,
theatre and dance.
Full details about accessible performances, including touch
tours, captioning, BSL interpretation, audio description and
ticket discounts, can be found at http://www.eif.co.uk/access#.
V4XZs-J95hE. You can also download a brochure for the festival,
a 36-page access guide and audioguides, and add your name to
an access mailing list. Links to individual venues, many of which
have been reviewed above, can also be found on this page.Edinburgh International Film Festival
http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk; Jun 2017One of the original Edinburgh Festival trinity, having first been
staged in 1947 along with the International Festival and the
Fringe, the two-week June film festival is a major international
event, serving as a showcase for new British and European films,
and staging the European premieres of one or two Hollywood
blockbusters. There are always a small number of captioned and
audio-described screenings. See website for details closer to the
event.Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival
http://www.edinburghjazzfestival.com; 15-24 JulHeld annually since 1978, the Jazz & Blues Festival pulls in top
talent from all over the world. It runs for nine days, beginning
on a Friday, a week before the Fringe and Tattoo begin. The first