Venue Info

Opening Times

Please check our Box Office weekly opening times.

Location

The Festival Theatre is located at the heart of Edinburgh on 13-29 Nicolson St, Edinburgh EH8 9FT. Find out more about how you can reach us on the Festival Theatre Find Us section. 

Seating Plan

The Festival Theatre has an attractive period auditorium dating back to 1928. Download our Seating plan. 

Venue History

The Festival Theatre is situated on Edinburgh’s longest continuous theatre site.

Formerly the Royal Amphitheatre, Dunedin Hall, Newsome’s Circus, the Empire Palace and the Empire, the venue, with its current auditorium dating back to 1928 and a brand new stage, glass façade and front-of-house areas was relaunched in 1994 as the Festival Theatre.

Among the many famous faces to have trod the boards are Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, Fats Domino, Margot Fonteyn and David Bowie.

Today, at just over 2,500 square feet, the Festival Theatre stage is the largest performance area in Scotland and the third largest in the UK. Home to Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera, and a key venue for the National Theatre of Scotland, the National Theatre and the Edinburgh Festivals, it has also gained an international reputation as one of the world’s leading dance houses. With a seating capacity of 1,915, the year round programme includes cutting-edge contemporary dance, large-scale musicals and event theatre, international ballet and opera productions and a variety of stand-up comedy and live music shows.