McEwan Hall to return to Edinburgh Fringe

ONE of the biggest venues on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is set to make a comeback - after a two-year absence.

Promoters Underbelly have revealed they will be deploying Edinburgh University’s historic McEwan Hall again.

The 1020-seater venue was last used in 2010 and was see as playing a key role in a dramatic hike in ticket sales that year, with comics John Bishop and Jim Jefferies among the big draws.

The venue, which dates back to the 1890s, will be playing host to the circus show Wunderkammer, which the Australian company Circa will be staging, while Irish comedian Jason Byrne will also be appearing there.

They are two of the first major shows to go on sale for this year’s Fringe, months ahead of the official programme launch in May.

The McEwan Hall has been closed for a major refurbishment, ruling it out of action for the last two Fringe festivals. It is close to a clutch of other venues run by Underbelly.

The only other major Fringe venues bigger than the McEwan Hall are the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and the Festival Theatre, the latter of which is also used for the Edinburgh International Festival. They hold 1200 and 1915 respectively.

Underbelly co-director Ed Bartlam said: “We’re hugely excited to bring Circa back to Edinburgh, doubly so with a show like Wunderkammer. It’s an extrodinary piece that we think will thrill festival audiences.”

Tickets for both shows are on sale now.