– More than 384,000 people passed through Edinburgh Waverley station during the second weekend of the festivals
– Increase of 8 per cent compared to the equivalent weekend in 2016
– More services, late-night trains and extra carriages compared to the regular timetable
The number of people passing through Edinburgh Waverley station during the second weekend of the August Edinburgh festivals increased by 8 per cent compared to 2016, the ScotRail Alliance confirmed today.
More than 384,000 people passed through Edinburgh Waverley station between Friday 11 August and Sunday 13 August. This is an 8 per cent increase compared to the 355,000 people who passed through Waverley during the second weekend of the festivals in 2016.
It was revealed last week that more than 340,000 people passed through Waverley during the first weekend of the festivals this year, highlighting the scale of the operation being undertaken by the ScotRail Alliance.
Customers are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance by visiting www.scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app or buying a ticket at the station before boarding.
Highlights of the ScotRail Alliance’s August festivals programme include:
– Additional late night trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street (via Falkirk High) operating daily, departing from Edinburgh at 00.01 and 00.30.
– A major increase in the number of carriages between Glasgow and Edinburgh, particularly Friday to Sunday, both via the Airdrie/Bathgate line and via Falkirk High
– Many extra carriages between Edinburgh and Fife on Friday evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday
Juliet Donnachie, station manager at Edinburgh Waverley, said:
“These figures show the scale of the operation the ScotRail Alliance is running during the Edinburgh festivals.
“Our station teams at Waverley and across the whole network are working flat out to get customers to and from Edinburgh hassle free. The festivals are a great advert for the city and the country as a whole, and we are proud to play our part in making them a success.
“We know that our trains will continue to be very busy during the festivals, so we are encouraging all customers to plan their journeys in advance.”
– First weekend of Edinburgh festivals saw 340,000 people pass through Edinburgh Waverley station
– Customers are urged to plan their journeys in advance
– More services, late-night trains and extra carriages compared to the regular timetable
More than 340,000 people passed through Edinburgh Waverley station during the first weekend of the August Edinburgh festivals, the ScotRail Alliance confirmed today.
The number of people who passed through the station between Friday 4 August and Sunday 6 August shows the scale of the operation undertaken by the ScotRail Alliance to help the festivals run smoothly.
Looking ahead to this weekend (11-13 August), the ScotRail Alliance expects this to be the busiest weekend of the festivals. Customers are encouraged to plan their journeys in advance by visiting www.scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app or buying a ticket at the station before boarding.
Highlights of the ScotRail Alliance’s August festivals programme include:
– Additional late night trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street (via Falkirk High) operating daily, departing from Edinburgh at 00.01 and 00.30.
– A major increase in the number of carriages between Glasgow and Edinburgh, particularly Friday to Sunday, both via the Airdrie/Bathgate line and via Falkirk High
– Many extra carriages between Edinburgh and Fife on Friday evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday
– An extra service running after midnight between North Berwick and Edinburgh, getting people to and from the Fringe by the Sea
The ScotRail Alliance’s Operations Director Perry Ramsey said:
“Once again Edinburgh’s festival season proves to be a huge draw for visitors coming to enjoy the events.
“We’re proud to play our part in getting people to and from Edinburgh. Where possible, we’ve cut back on any non-essential train engineering or maintenance, so that we have the maximum number of carriages available for use over this busiest weekend.
“We know that our trains will be very busy, so we are encouraging all customers to plan their journeys in advance by visiting scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app, or buying a ticket at the station before boarding the train.
“We want everyone to enjoy their day, and smooth and safe travel to and from Edinburgh is all part of that.”
– More services, late-night trains and extra carriages compared to the regular timetable
– Trains will be very busy, so people are urged to plan their journeys in advance
The ScotRail Alliance is urging people going to Edinburgh’s August festivals to plan their journeys in advance, as it announced more services, late-night trains and extra carriages for the three-week extravaganza.
Thousands of people will travel to Edinburgh for the events, which means services will be much busier than normal.
Highlights of the ScotRail Alliance’s August festivals programme include:
– Additional late night trains between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street (via Falkirk High) operating daily, departing from Edinburgh at 00.01 and 00.30.
– A major increase in the number of carriages between Glasgow and Edinburgh, particularly Friday to Sunday, both via the Airdrie/Bathgate line and via Falkirk High
– Many extra carriages between Edinburgh and Fife on Friday evenings and all day Saturday and Sunday
– An extra service running after midnight between North Berwick and Edinburgh, getting people to and from the Fringe by the Sea
Perry Ramsey, Operations Director at the ScotRail Alliance, said:
“Edinburgh’s August festivals are one of the highlights of the year, attracting talent and tourists from all over the world. It’s a great chance to showcase the very best of Scotland.
“The ScotRail Alliance will once again do everything it can to help the events run smoothly. We will put on more services, late-night trains and extra carriages compared to our regular timetable.
“But despite these extra services and carriages we are putting on, trains will be very, very busy during the festivals. Thousands of people will be travelling to and from Edinburgh to enjoy the great attractions the festivals have to offer.
“To make journeys as hassle free as possible we are urging passengers to plan their journeys in advance by visiting scotrail.co.uk, downloading the ScotRail app and buying a ticket before they board.
“We are also encouraging passengers to use all the available services between Edinburgh and Glasgow, including Glasgow Central, and the high and low levels at Glasgow Queen Street.”
Comedian Craig Hill, who will perform his Someone’s Gonna Get Kilt show at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC), said:
“It’s very exciting to have the Edinburgh Festival Fringe happening again, especially with the 70th anniversary celebration.
“The city gets packed with people from all over the world enjoying the shows and the atmosphere, so of course the streets as well as the trains will be very busy.
“Make sure you plan your Fringe experience and your journeys in advance, so it’s all nice and easy and make sure you have loads of fun, fun, fun!”
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:
“We are delighted that the ScotRail Alliance is providing extra rail services to and from Edinburgh during August.
“These additional services will make it easier for people to enjoy the Fringe and Edinburgh’s other major festivals, and also comfortably get back to their homes right across Scotland’s central belt.”
The ScotRail Alliance is advising those heading to the TRNSMT festival this weekend to make their travel plans now.
Music fans heading to see the likes of Radiohead, Kasabian and Biffy Clyro are warned that trains to and from Glasgow will be busier than normal all weekend, and those planning to attend are encouraged to travel early in the day where possible.
The ScotRail Alliance will be adding extra carriages to services through Bridgeton, and on key routes to and from Glasgow wherever possible all day on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be extra carriages on late evening services on Friday.
The last trains on many routes will depart before, or very shortly after, the event ends each night. Fans are urged to double-check the times of their last trains, and make alternative arrangements to get home if they plan on staying later.
With huge numbers expected to attend, queueing systems will be in place at key stations across the network and extra staff will be on hand to help things goes smoothly.
Top five tips
1. Buy your ticket before you board. You’ll need a valid ticket for travel, and checks will be in place at many stations.
2. Check your train times. Remember to leave time to catch any connecting services that you need.
3. Listen up! We’ll have extra staff on the ground to help things go smoothly. To help them help you, please listen to their instructions.
4. Download the ScotRail app. You can use it to buy tickets, check train times, and see live service information.
5. Don’t leave it too late – services will be busy, and you might not be able to board your first choice of train.
Communications director Rob Shorthouse said: “The new festival is an exciting event, and we will be doing everything we can to help make it a success.
“Thousands of people will be travelling to the event, so we will be adding extra carriages to services right across the central belt and the west of Scotland to try to make things a bit easier for people.
“But trains will be much busier than usual, so we encourage people to plan their journey in advance and make sure they have their ticket before boarding.”
The ScotRail Alliance today confirmed that extra services will be provided for Edinburgh spectators and runners on Sunday 28 May.
The extra trains are due to run between Edinburgh and Prestonpans from early afternoon onwards. All trains will serve Wallyford and Musselburgh stations, near to the finishing line.
ScotRail also advise that, due to platform extension works, a small number of services will start or terminate at Haymarket, rather than Edinburgh Waverley.
A ScotRail Alliance spokesperson said: “Please allow extra time for travel, and buy your ticket in advance, not on the day. The last trains of the day are likely to be busy, so please aim for an earlier service to avoid disappointment.”
After the huge success of last year’s event, the Foxlake Outdoor Festival, Dunbar, returns bigger and better this year not only with an exciting lineup of music and comedy performances for all the family, but with the completely new WINTON CASTLE HIGHLAND GAMES & ADRENALINE ARENA.
Organisers look forward to welcoming a selection of Highland Games from Winton Castle. As part of the Foxlake Outdoor Festival Winton Castle are bringing some of their traditional outdoor games with an East Lothian twist!
Forget welly boot throwing, a Winton Games includes, Tossing the Caber, Wheat Sheaf Pitching (still strong in East Lothian agricultural shows, the Wheat Sheaf must be thrown over the bar which increases in height), The Winton Ski (Strap your team onto a set of ski’s and start the stopwatch), Hay Bale Rolling Relay and just for fun The Winton Dash (an old school obstacle course, against the clock!). There will also be Archery & Falconry Displays.
Winton Castle is an exclusive use events venue near Pencaitland in East Lothian, just half an hour from Edinburgh. Winton is a popular venue for weddings, business events and adrenaline-rush activities.
The Foxlake Festival looks forward to welcoming an array of other adrenaline activities including a huge Free Fall Stunt Bag with a total drop height 8m, a 7m high climbing wall, amazing displays of free running with Access Parkour and The Clan Scotland Cycle Stunt Team performing stunt shows throughout the weekend.
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to jump out of a plane or fall from a building, the Free Fall Stunt Bag is the activity for you. Thrill-seekers can climb the tower and jump from an 8m height to the adrenaline rush of free-falling through the air. The Free Fall Stunt Bag is super safe experience and is suitable for everyone!
On both days of the Festival the Adrenalin Arena welcomes you to join them at 12.00, 2pm and 4pm where there will be 15 minute Parkour displays followed by a 30 minute workshop with crowd participation. Whilst at 1.00pm, 3pm & 5pm there will be a 45 minute BMX Stunt show with amazing tricks and stunts which will have you on the edge of your seat.
There will also be a selection of Britain’s finest comedians for guaranteed laughs throughout the weekend. Foxlake are delighted to announce the following headliners onto the Comedy Stage: Des Clarke, Tom Stade & Darren Connell. Additional acts include Charlie McIntosh from Scotsquad, Janey Godley, Gary Little, Joe Heenan, Jamie Dalgleish – former Scottish comedian of the year, Rossco Mclelland – current Scottish comedian of the year, Jojo Sutherland – Award winning Scottish stand-up, Carina MacLeod – Stand-Up Comic and Gaelic TV presenter / actress, David Kay and Zara Janjua, an experienced broadcast reporter presenter.
Returning again this year, with something for everyone, is the Decades Music Stage, featuring everyone’s favourite tribute bands and celebrating the last 60 years of music. There will be a talented line-up of East Lothian’s finest local musicians including Tribute acts by Abba A Rival, Take This, Durananduran, Jersey Notes (4 Seasons), Little Fix, Status No, Eltan John, George Michaels, Glasgow Blues Brothers, Simply Rod (Stewart) and Beatles Revisited. All supported by local talent through ELJam (East Lothian Youth Music Forum).
Following the massive success of this event in 2016, when the first ever Foxlake Outdoor Festival sold out weeks in advance, Foxlake Adventures in partnership with East Lothian Council, decided to extend the festival to a full weekend across the 20 and 21 May 2017, offering families and individuals the opportunity to get outdoors and begin their own adventure in East Lothian.
There will be tickets available for each day, weekend tickets and once again children’s tickets will be absolutely free. Tickets start at £17 for an adult day entry and £30 for a weekend ticket. NB. TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED PRIOR TO THE EVENT AND WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON THE GATE.
These hugely popular elements of last year’s event will return alongside the Industry Wake Parks who will once again run an Industry Pro Wakeboard Tour Event. Bringing some of the most talented wake boarders from around the world to compete, this is a further growth of Scotland’s biggest wakeboard event. This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy and watch the thrills of professional wakeboarding.
Alongside the wakeboarding, music, comedy and Adrenalin & Country pursuits arena, organisers are bringing back the popular Kids’ Zone with the inflatable village filled with every bouncy castle imaginable to keep the children entertained, they can also take on the challenge of the climbing wall and even get their faces painted.
James Barbour, Managing Director of Foxlake Adventures commented: “We are mega excited to be hosting the Foxlake Outdoor Festival for a second year running. Our aim is to work with East Lothian Council to ensure the event is even bigger and better this year after the success of the inaugural Festival in 2016.
“On the day we will be welcoming some of the UK’s top professional wakeboarders which include National and World Champions and of course our Foxlake ‘Come and Try’ sessions ranging from wakeboarding, FoxFall ropes course to Segway taster sessions. The atmosphere on site last year was tremendous and we will be doing our very best to replicate that success this year”.
We look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful surroundings of Foxlake Adventures on the 20 and 21 May 2017 for an exhilarating weekend offering a world of adventures for all the family.
Foxlake Outdoor Festival 2017
20 – 21 May 2017
Location – Foxlake Adventures, Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland
Times – 10.00 – 18.00
Further details and a list of all the events, ticket prices and booking details are available at www.foxlakefestival.co.uk and on the Winton Castle website.
NB. TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED PRIOR TO THE EVENT AND WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON THE GATE
Pictured above; Jacob Walker, who works for Winton Castle and Foxlake, wake boarding in a kilt at Foxlake Adventures.
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is delighted to announce that Francis Lee’s debut feature GOD’S OWN COUNTRY will open the 71st edition of the Festival on 21 June, 2017.
Shot entirely on location in West Yorkshire, GOD’S OWN COUNTRY is a contemporary tale of self-discovery and emotional-awakening set on the sheep farming hills of rural Northern England. Rising star Josh O’Connor (The Riot Club, The Durrells) takes on the central role of Johnny, a young man carrying the weight of his family’s sheep farm alone until the arrival of Romanian worker Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu). Supporting the central pair are acting stalwarts Ian Hart (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Last Kingdom) and Gemma Jones (Spooks, Bridget Jones’s Diary), who respectively play Jack’s stroke-afflicted father Martin and formidable grandmother Deidre. Key cast will be in attendance on Opening night.
Mark Adams, EIFF Artistic Director commented: “We are thrilled to be staging the UK premiere of Francis Lee’s accomplished debut, GOD’S OWN COUNTRY. This hotly-tipped feature debut is one to watch in this incredible year for independent film and perfectly reflects the Festival’s ongoing dedication to delivering audiences the most original and artistically accomplished work in international cinema.”
Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor) works long hours on his family’s remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge-drinking at the local pub and casual sex. But when a handsome Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself having to deal with emotions he has never felt before. As they begin working closely together during lambing season, an intense relationship starts to form which could change Johnny’s life forever.
Captivating and broodingly beautiful, GOD’S OWN COUNTRY is the award-winning debut feature from writer/director Francis Lee. Bracingly open hearted, this is a thrillingly romantic story set in the heart of rural Yorkshire. Both poignant and moving, this finely crafted British film features a host of standout performances, marking it out as an absolute must see.
Yorkshire-born director Francis Lee commented: “It’s a great privilege that GOD’S OWN COUNTRY has been selected as the Opening Night film of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. After the incredible critical and audience responses to the film in both Sundance and Berlin earlier in the year, I’m thrilled to bring GOD’S OWN COUNTRY to the UK for the first time.”
Following its UK premiere at the Festival, distributor Picturehouse Entertainment will be releasing GOD’S OWN COUNTRY on Friday 1 September, 2017.
Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 10 May through the EIFF website. For more information visit www.edfilmfest.org.uk.
The 71st edition of EIFF runs from 21 June – 2 July, 2017.
For further information, please contact: carly.cadogan@ddapr.com or 0207 932 9800
Impact Arts is delighted to present our first feature length play at Edinburgh’s world famous Fringe Festival! Our home in Leith, The Printworks, is an official Fringe venue (no. 404!) and for three days will play host to a sparkling commedia dell’arte called ‘After Aria’. The play has been devised by young people on Impact Arts’ Creative Pathways Programme.
The 18 week theatre arts workshops for 16-19 year olds who are not in employment, education or training, are split into three groups: Costume Design, Set Design and Performance. The young people in the performance group came together to write a play based around the idea that a young woman named Aria, the only daughter of Lord Pantalone and Lady Signora, is getting married. The audience are cordially invited to her engagement party…
Taking place in the garden of a wealthy merchant in Venice, the set of the site-specific play has been designed by the Set Design group. The players in this Renaissance street theatre will be clothed in Mediterranean garb with elaborate masks created by the Costume Design team.
The young theatre aficionados are excitedly anticipating the opening show:
“I have made a mask and kimono and I’m currently making a skirt which will all be used in the Fringe performance. I feel proud for being part of something and for making costumes which will be used in the After Aria show for everyone to see.”
Emma, Costume Design Group (Creative Pathways)
Tickets are only £8 or £7 concession and are available here. Please see the flyer above for the showtimes and location!
