Edinburgh Festival Venues

Where to work — with live programme data and recruitment links.

Fringe Venues

The big Fringe venues that hire hundreds of seasonal staff every summer.

Assembly Festival

One of the largest and most established Fringe venue operators, running over 200 shows across multiple spaces every August. Assembly's venues include Assembly Hall on the Mound (a 750-seat converted church and one of the Fringe's most prestigious stages), Assembly George Square (studios and gardens in the university quarter), Assembly Checkpoint (a converted warehouse on Bristo Place), and Assembly Rooms on George Street. Assembly hires a large seasonal team each year covering bar, front of house, box office, technical, and venue management roles. They pay at least the real Living Wage, with rates typically ranging from £13.45 to £15.25/hour. Recruitment usually opens in March/April via their teamdetails page, with a second wave of hiring in June/July. It's one of the most popular Fringe employers — apply early.

Programme details updating soon

Bar Staff Front of House Technical Box Office

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Underbelly

One of the Fringe's biggest venue operators, running multiple sites across the city. Underbelly's Edinburgh venues include the Cowgate (the original underground space), Bristo Square (the open-air hub with the famous upside-down purple cow), George Square, and Iron Belly in the Old Town. They hire one of the largest seasonal teams of any Fringe employer, covering bar, front of house, technical, events, and site crew roles.

Programme details updating soon

Bar Staff Front of House Technical Events

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Pleasance

Pleasance Courtyard and Pleasance Dome together form one of the Fringe's most loved venue complexes. The Courtyard has a lively outdoor bar and food area surrounded by performance spaces, while the Dome houses larger shows. Pleasance runs one of the biggest and most established volunteer programmes — offering free accommodation, show access, and structured training in exchange for your time. They also hire paid seasonal staff for bar, front of house, technical, and box office roles.

Programme details updating soon

Front of House Bar Staff Technical Volunteers

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Gilded Balloon

One of the original Fringe comedy venues, known for the Late 'n' Live show and a strong comedy-focused programme. Gilded Balloon operates from Teviot Row House (Edinburgh University Students' Union), Patter House on Potterrow, and the Basement. Their bar operation is one of the busiest on the Fringe, with a late-night programme that regularly runs past midnight.

Programme details updating soon

Bar Staff Front of House Technical

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Summerhall

A former Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Summerhall is now one of Edinburgh's most distinctive arts venues. The building hosts theatre, visual arts, music, and cinema across multiple unusual spaces including the Dissection Room and the Old Lab. Summerhall has a strong year-round programme as well as Fringe, and tends to attract more experimental and boundary-pushing work.

Programme details updating soon

Front of House Bar Staff Gallery Technical

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ZOO Venues

Intimate performance spaces in the heart of Edinburgh's Fringe district, known for physical theatre, new writing, and emerging companies. ZOO Venues operates from spaces near Pleasance during August — not to be confused with Edinburgh Zoo the wildlife park. They run a volunteer-based model with structured training.

Programme details updating soon

Front of House Technical Volunteers

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C Venues

Network of performance spaces across central Edinburgh. Volunteer-heavy model with structured training.

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Volunteers Front of House Technical

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Festival Organisations

The organisations behind Edinburgh's major festivals.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society

The organisation behind the world's largest arts festival. All staff paid at least the real Living Wage.

Programme details updating soon

Administration Box Office Marketing Participant Services

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Edinburgh International Festival

The original Edinburgh festival, founded in 1947. Curated programme of world-class theatre, opera, music, and dance.

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Events Administration Technical Marketing

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Edinburgh International Book Festival

The world's largest public celebration of books and ideas.

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Events Front of House Administration

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Edinburgh Art Festival

Visual arts festival across galleries and public spaces.

Programme details updating soon

Gallery Administration Marketing

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Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

The iconic Castle Esplanade spectacle. Event crew, hospitality, and operations.

1 show across 1 space

Events Hospitality Operations Retail

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Theatres & Venues

Year-round venues that ramp up hiring during festival season.

Traverse Theatre

Edinburgh's dedicated new writing theatre. Year-round and festival season roles.

Programme details updating soon

Front of House Technical Administration

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Edinburgh Playhouse (ATG)

One of the UK's largest theatres. Part of the ATG Entertainment group.

1 show across 1 space

Front of House Bar Staff Technical Administration

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Central Resources

Aggregator sites that list opportunities across multiple festivals.

Edinburgh Festival City

Umbrella body for Edinburgh's major festivals. Aggregates opportunities across multiple organisations.

Programme details updating soon

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Programme data provided courtesy of the Edinburgh Festivals Listings API.

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