Plans to bring Fringe venue to Gardens

A NEW venue for the Fringe is set to be created in Princes Street Gardens this summer under plans by the art festival's biggest promoter.

A giant marquee will take centre stage in the Ross Bandstand area under the proposals to mark the 30th anniversary of the Assembly Rooms at the Fringe, it was reported today. It is hoped the new venue will become a regular fixture after the failure of previous experiments in the gardens.

It is understood that Assembly, run by the impresario William Burdett-Coutts, is in talks with a major broadcaster about sponsoring its new venue, believed to be of a similar scale to the tented venues which have attracted large crowds to the Fringe's Spiegelgarden over the years.