Parking in Edinburgh: Fringe Festival

Each year hundreds of thousands of visitors visit Edinburgh to enjoy the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This annual event that was created in 1947 is today the world's largest arts festival.

Each year in August, the capital city of Scotland becomes a mecca for those who love the arts, comedy and theatre. 

With the huge influx in visitors and tourists to this amazing event the parking spaces in key areas of the city are in very high demand.

Parking in Edinburgh During the Fringe

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes is a city-wide event, with a plethora of venues popping up in theatres, churches, conference centres, pubs, restaurants and much more. 

If you are visiting Edinburgh and plan on driving in your car to a show, please beware that Edinburgh has limited parking and strict restrictions in place. 

Parking in Edinburgh city centre is almost exclusively pay and display. 

You will find a range of options for Edinburgh Fringe parking - from hourly parking, 24-hour parking and through 3rd party companies long-term parking. 

It is worth pointing out that on street pay and display parking is taken very quickly - and it can be hard to find a space.

Car Parks in Edinburgh

There are several private off-street car parks in and near the city of Edinburgh. 

These can offer the convenience of city centre parking. However, this convenience is not cheap.

Key car parks in Edinburgh include:

• Blackfriars Street - EH1 1TH run by Raddison Blu
• Waverley Station - EH1 1BB run by Apcoa
• St James Quarter - EH1 3AD run by St James Quarter
• Omni Centre - EH1 3AN run by Q-Park
• Castle Terrace - EH1 2EN run by NCP
• Princes Exchange - EH3 9BL
• Capital Square - EH3 8BP run by Q-Park
• Quartermile - EH3 9AU run by Q-Park
• Holyrood Road - EH8 9UL run by NCP
• Fountain Park - EH11 1AF run by Land Securities
• Edinburgh Park - EH12 9GR run by Apcoa

Please note, just like on street parking, these car parks also fill up very quickly during the summer months. It can be hard to find a space at busy times of the day.

Park And Ride: Edinburgh Festival Fringe

If driving into the city centre during one of, if not the, busiest time of year sounds off putting, then there is an alternative. Edinburgh has several park and ride centres on the outskirts of the city. 

By parking at one of these Park and Rides, and using public transport, you are helping to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce wear on your tyres, save a little money on parking fees and help to reduce the levels of congestion in Edinburgh.

What’s more, Edinburgh has a good and reliable bus service. Making it easy to get in and out of the city. 

There are seven park and rides operating in Edinburgh, covering all the main ways into the city:

• Ingliston, West Edinburgh
• Hermiston, West Edinburgh
• Newcraighall, East Edinburgh
• Ferrytoll, North Edinburgh
• Sheriffhall, South Edinburgh
• Straiton, South Edinburgh
• Wallyford, East Edinburgh.

Road Closures During Edinburgh Fringe

Due to the amount of people and events in the city, the Edinburgh City Council does close some areas of the city to traffic during the Fringe. 

As such it is always a good idea to check your route before you set off. 

Even though you may have driven it before without any issues, you could find that it is now closed to traffic in August.

Planned road closures in August 2024, relating to the Festival Fringe, include the following:

• High Street
• St Giles Street (in part)
• Parliament Square(s)
• Cockburn Street 
• South Bridge (in part)
• George Street (in part)