Underbelly seeks consent for temporary festival venue in George Square Gardens

George Square Gardens could again be turned into a major temporary festival venue, under a planning application for four performance spaces, bars, food traders, box offices and support areas in the heart of Edinburgh’s Southside.

The proposal covers a temporary festival setup at George Square, a well-known University of Edinburgh green space that has been used for festival activity in previous years. The application is for a site comprising four performance venues, box offices, bars, food traders, ancillary offices and storage.

The application is listed as awaiting assessment by the City of Edinburgh Council.

What is proposed

The plans would allow a temporary event venue to operate at George Square Gardens, with a mix of public-facing and back-of-house uses.

The application description includes:

• four performance venues;
• box offices;
• bars;
• food traders;
• ancillary offices; and
• storage areas.

The application is associated with Underbelly Ltd, one of the best-known operators of temporary venues during Edinburgh’s festival season. The planning material identified through the council process describes the proposal as continuing the established festival use of the site, with no material change to the nature, scale or operation of the venue.

For residents, students, nearby businesses and festival audiences, the proposal is significant because it would shape how one of the Southside’s most prominent open spaces is used during the city’s busiest cultural period.

The site: George Square Gardens

George Square Gardens sits within the University of Edinburgh estate, close to key city-centre routes, student buildings, cultural venues and hospitality businesses. During festival season, the wider George Square and Bristo Square area becomes one of Edinburgh’s busiest clusters for performances, food and drink, queues, pedestrian movement and temporary structures.

The planning address is given as Proposed Temporary Festival Venue, George Square, Edinburgh. The mapped location places the site within George Square Gardens, near the centre of the university quarter.

Temporary venues in this area can have a large public presence even when they are in place for a limited period. Structures, signage, lighting, bars, catering units, service areas and queue management can all change how the gardens and surrounding streets feel and function.

Why it matters

George Square Gardens is not an anonymous event plot. It is a recognised green space in a dense part of the city, surrounded by university buildings, homes, businesses and other festival venues.

That means the application is likely to interest several groups:

• nearby residents affected by noise, servicing and crowds;
• local businesses that benefit from festival footfall;
• students and university users who know the gardens outside festival season;
• festival audiences looking for central venues;
• heritage, public realm and civic groups concerned with the use of green space; and
• other operators watching how temporary festival infrastructure is handled in the city centre.

The proposal is also notable because of its scale. Four performance venues, alongside bars and food traders, would make the site a substantial temporary destination rather than a small pop-up use.

A familiar festival location

George Square Gardens has been used for festival-related activity in previous years. A related earlier application, reference 25/01834/FUL, covered temporary installation of performance venues, an event space and supporting infrastructure on privately owned greenspace within the University of Edinburgh estate. That application described use of part of the garden space for the Edinburgh Blues and Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Food Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and stated that the site had been used for the same purpose since 2011. It was granted.

Previous festival proposals at George Square Gardens have also attracted civic interest. The Cockburn Association objected to earlier applications in 2021 and 2023, including concerns around planning consent and, in 2023, the absence of a tree protection plan. Those comments relate to earlier proposals, but they show why temporary festival use of the gardens tends to be closely watched.

The current application is therefore part of a wider, long-running local debate: how Edinburgh accommodates major festival infrastructure while managing pressure on open space, trees, neighbours and the public realm.

What the council will consider

The council’s assessment will focus on the planning merits of the temporary use and associated structures. For a site like this, the key issues commonly include the effect on the character and use of the gardens, movement around the area, servicing, amenity for neighbours, and how temporary structures are installed and removed.

Because the proposal includes food and drink, performance venues and support spaces, it is likely to be considered not only as a set of temporary structures, but as a working event venue with public access, queues, staffing and operational needs.

The application is currently recorded as awaiting assessment, so no decision has been issued.

How to find and comment on the application

The City of Edinburgh Council’s weekly planning list recorded the application as registered on 20 April 2026, with comments due by 22 May 2026.

Residents and interested parties can search the council’s planning portal using the reference number 26/01650/FUL. The application address is Proposed Temporary Festival Venue, George Square, Edinburgh.

The application can also be found through the council planning portal at: https://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=TDS7LNEWJKW00&activeTab=summary