Spectacular lightshow run on Edinburgh’s Arthur Seat a sell-out

Historic Scotland, which is responsible for Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat, insists people will not be prevented from climbing up to watch the £1.1 million Edinburgh International Festival show unfold.

The Olympics-inspired event, which will be launched on the final weekend of the London games, is expected to be visible from viewpoints across the city as all participants will be wearing lightsuits and audience members will have their own light sticks.

However organisers say people will not be encouraged to come to Arthur’s Seat without a ticket for the performance and have said they will be warning people to keep clear of paths on a large part of the hill for four hours every night. Dozens of stewards and volunteers will be on duty to ensure the safety of runners and audience members.

Some 800 runners a night have signed up to run around a series of routes in the park, to be watched by a nightly audience of up to 300 who will make their way to and from the summit of Arthur’s Seat during a two and a half hour show.

All performances of the show have also sold out on the opening night on 9 August.

However organisers NVA, a Glasgow-based arts group, which has been planning Speed of Light for several years, is in talks to release extra slots for runners due to the level of demand.

A spokeswoman for the Edinburgh International Festival said: “Access to Holyrood Park will not be restricted during Speed of Light, but there will be stewards on all the paths to ensure they are clear for the runners, and you will definitely need a ticket to see the full show.”

A spokesman for Historic Scotland said: “The Park will be open for public access as usual while Speed of Light is running.

“During the event each evening, for health and safety reasons, Queen’s Drive will be closed between Horse Wynd and Meadowbank.”