Spiegeltent takes a year off from Fringe Festival

Edinburgh’s George Square is famous during the Festival Fringe for its lively atmosphere; its copious venues, abundant street performers, and plentiful beer outlets. Sitting proudly amongst this hubbub, regular festival goers expect the safety of the Spiegeltent for respite. This year, expectations are set to be dashed. The famous tent is to be replaced by a new venue, Hullabaloo, which will be run by promoters at Underbelly. Hullabaloo will instead feature the Bosco tent, a 1908 German theatre venue, with music, comedy, and theatre shows. George Square will be transformed into an Indian-style garden, with pagoda tents, Indian furniture and oriental lanterns hanging from the trees.

The bar and performance areas in the square will be on a much smaller scale than the Spiegel Garden. Ed Bartlam, co-director of Underbelly, said: "Perhaps in the last couple of years, the bar has become rather full-on. We want to get away from that and make it a relaxed environment to have a drink or food." Meanwhile, it is rumoured that the Spiegeltent will be off the road for up to six months, as essential maintenance is carried out. Organisers have assured us that we will see it again soon.