Summerhall
Edinburgh's most imaginative arts hub – part former vet school, part Fringe powerhouse, all creative chaos.
Photos
About
If you're walking down the edge of The Meadows in Edinburgh, you can't miss Summerhall – a magnificent Edwardian Baroque building that used to be the Royal Dick Vet School. Step inside and you'll discover a warren of rooms packed with art, theatre, and surprises around every corner. The old Anatomy Lecture Theatre with its curved wooden seating is a showstopper, and the bar The Royal Dick (once the vet's pub) is the perfect spot to grab a pint from the on-site microbrewery. During Fringe it's electric, but year-round there's always something weird and wonderful happening – from ceilidhs to video art screenings. Book ahead for the popular weekly ceilidh club, and don't miss the free artist development opportunities if you're a Scotland-based creative.
Facilities
Coworking Space
Techcube provides fully adaptable coworking and office space for start-ups and small businesses, featuring 24/7 access, bookable meeting rooms, and secure bike storage.
Creative Hub
Summerhall is a multi-arts complex and events venue in Edinburgh, Scotland, offering a range of creative spaces including exhibition rooms, performance venues, artist studios, and workshop facilities, and it fosters a vibrant, inclusive community of artists through year-round programmes, development opportunities, and support for boundary-pushing ideas.
Dining
The venue features a restaurant and bar, The Royal Dick, as well as a café, a microbrewery, and a distillery.
Work & Study Spaces
Summerhall offers coworking spaces with fibreoptic internet and 24/7 access, while its free artist spaces are DIY with no tech support or equipment provided.
Full Description
Summerhall is a multi-arts complex and events venue located at 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL, UK, in the Southside/Newington area. It is wheelchair accessible, has parking available, and offers EV charging with 7 points (Type 2, 7 kW, Level 2). The venue is operational with a rating of 4.7 from 789 reviews, and is good for children. Open hours: Mon-Thu 09:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 09:00-01:00, Sun 09:00-00:00. Payment options include credit cards, debit cards, and NFC. The nearest transport hub is Edinburgh Waverley. Formerly the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (University of Edinburgh), the building is a Category B listed Edwardian Baroque structure facing The Meadows, built from 1913 with a time capsule laid in 1914. The Anatomy Lecture Theatre features wooden curved tiered seating and a vaulted skylight – the last surviving example in UK veterinary colleges. The site also includes the Tech Cube, originally Hope Park United Presbyterian Church (1867), and the Hope Park Church Galleries (1876). After the vet school moved to Easter Bush in 2010, the McDowell family acquired the buildings in 2011 and transformed them into a private arts centre. Today Summerhall is a major Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue, hosting visual and performing arts, and also events for the Edinburgh Science Festival and Edinburgh International Magic Festival. It houses a bar and restaurant (The Royal Dick), a microbrewery (Barney's Beer), and the Summerhall distillery. Its many rooms are used for art exhibitions, drama, music, libraries, small museums, educational programmes, artist studios, arts organisation offices, and workshops. The complex has over 100 artists and small businesses on site. Spaces available for hire include: Dissection Room (16.1m x 9.99m, cap 165 seated/450 standing), Main Hall (14.99m x 8.65m, cap 150 seated/250 standing), Library Gallery (12.6m x 7.8m, cap 100 seated/200 standing), TechCube 0 (14.2m x 6.1m, cap 90 standing), Anatomy Lecture Theatre (stage thrust 4.8m x 5.02m, cap 58 seated), Red Lecture Theatre (stage 8.6m x 3.3m, cap 84 seated), and Deans Office (6.9m x 4.6m, cap 8 seated). Techcube also offers coworking spaces from 1 to 4 people at £348 per desk per month, with 24/7 access, fibreoptic internet, bike storage, shared kitchen, and meeting rooms. In May 2024 the owners put the 130,000 sq ft complex on the market. In March 2025 a charity formed by former staff and tenants signed a 10-year lease, and Summerhall Arts continues to run the venue. The programme for 2025 fringe was confirmed. Events include ceilidh clubs, portrait drawing classes, film nights, performances, and exhibitions. Free space opportunities are offered for Scotland-based artists in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre and Tech Cube 0.
1, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL, UK
Southside/Newington
EH9 1PL