Opera Scotland

Festival Square, Edinburgh Edinburgh

The Festival Square is used for live screenings of events. It is right across the road from the Traverse and Lyceum. It is just a short walk from Princes Steet and the imposing Edinburgh Castle, but closest of all to the Sheraton Hotel.

The Big Screen was provided by the BBC in a co-operative agreement with Edinburgh City Council and their Events team. Many live HD screenings are planned, targeted at families and will include sporting events, concerts and interactive games.  Responsibility for publicising broadcasts rests with the BBC, who use BBC3. It is expected that the Olympic broadcasts will be very popular.

The capacity of the venue is estimated as 3500 standing. As Festival Square is a public space, consumption of alcohol is not allowed.

In 2011, the Festival Square saw the first ever outdoor transmissions of opera in Edinburgh. They were broadcast live from the Royal Opera as part of the BP Big Screen season, Madam Butterfly and Cinderella (Massenet's Cendrillon).