Save Assembly

Save Assembly

Assembly turns 30 in 2010.

Since 1981 it has run the Assembly Rooms every year as an integral part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In this time more than 2500 shows have performed to over 4,000,000 people.

Assembly is well established as a premier festival venue and represents some 20% of the entire Fringe box office, generating something like £15 million worth of visitor spend every year.

The quality of the work is exceptional and year on year this success is rewarded with accolades from the Press and countless awards.

After 2010 the future of the organisation is in question.

Edinburgh Council are working on a plan to regenerate the Assembly Rooms. The core of this plan is based on borrowing £6 million from themselves which will be repaid by turning the bottom of the Assembly Rooms into shops and a restaurant. This will financially prejudice the future of Assembly and take away an essential festival hub.

We fully support the fact the Assembly Rooms should be refurbished. What we question is the current plan, which we do not believe has been supported by a proper options analysis. We are seeking an outcome which would allow us to work with the Council to sustain the Assembly festival operation and see the Assembly Rooms as a vital centre throughout the year.

If you would like to share your opinion on Assembly please write to us using our contact form or email info@assemblyfestival.com. Please make sure you make an entry in all of the boxes if using the contact form below.