Venue information

Address for The Hub

Castlehill
Edinburgh
EH1 2NE

Contact information for The Hub

About The Hub

Welcome to our home, The Hub.

The Hub is home to the Edinburgh International Festival offices. Throughout the year, the building is used to host Art of Listening workshops for school children. In the summer it becomes a green room of the Festival with the Main Hall is used as a performance space.

The Hub opens to the public on Wednesday 17 July 2024.

Our box office is open:

  • 17–31 July – Monday to Saturday 11am to 5pm
  • 1–25 August – Monday to Saturday 11am to 5pm (open late on performance nights at The Hub) Sunday 11am to 5pm

If you have a ticketing enquiry, please contact the Box Office via email at [email protected] or by telephone on 0131 473 2000.

Our phone lines are open from 10am–8pm Mon–Sun from 1–25 August.

History

Built between 1842–1845 to house the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, The Hub was curiously never consecrated as a church, even though it looks like one. Despite this, the building was used by various congregations as a place of worship until 1979.

The building was then renovated as offices and a performance space for the Edinburgh International Festival and renamed 'The Hub' in 1999, when it was ceremonially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. Artist Jill Watson decorated the main staircase with over 200 plaster figures on shelves, representing past International Festival performances of dance, music, theatre and opera. The top row shows the audience applauding the performers below.

Your visit to The Hub

The Hub is located on Castlehill, at the top of the Royal Mile. During August the Lawnmarket and Johnston Terrace are closed to vehicles from 5pm. The closest drop off point is on Victoria Street. The five-minute walk up the hill to The Hub is steep and there are areas of cobbled street, so if you are a wheelchair user or have limited mobility you may want to attend with a companion.

If you are attending a performance at The Hub, we ask that you arrive in plenty of time as latecomers may not be admitted.

There is a complimentary cloakroom facility. Please do not bring bags larger than 30cm x 30cm x 15cm.

Children under the age of 16 must be supervised by a responsible adult.

Please contact us if you have any specific questions about your visit to The Hub.

Your safety and security at International Festival events is of the utmost importance to us. Please note that bags may be subject to security searches. If you spot anything suspicious during your visit to the International Festival, please do let a member of the team know.