Hidden Door 2025
The vast 15.5 acre site will be transformed in to an ambitious experience featuring many art forms.
The full lineup is now online and it will include seven hours of non-stop entertainment every night with performances in different areas of the former cardboard manufacturing factory.
The Emerging Bands Showcase will include some of the most exciting new acts which came out of the festival's open call which resulted in 200 acts applying to be a part of Hidden Door. This has been whittled down, but there is still a big emphasis on new acts in the programme.
Edinburgh International Mural Festival (EIMF) will also make its debut this June.
EIMF is set to revolutionise the city's public spaces, harnessing the power of street art to inspire, connect, and transform communities. The organisations bold mission is to turn Edinburgh into a global hub for street art, driving urban renewal, sparking vital conversations, and boosting the city's international reputation.
This festival brings together local and international artists to create vibrant, community-driven murals that reflect the unique identity of each neighbourhood. These large-scale artworks don't just beautify the city—they foster pride, stimulate economic growth, and revitalise local businesses.
Committed to inclusivity, the initiative ensures all projects are accessible to people of all abilities, backgrounds, and experiences. By breaking down barriers and challenging preconceptions, the festival empowers everyone to be an artist and a storyteller.
EIMF is more than art on walls – it's a platform for social commentary, environmental responsibility, and sustainable urban development.
IMF founder and director Ross Blair tells us: 'We are super excited to be able to launch EIMF alongside our friends at Hidden Door.
'Hidden Door have been at the grass roots of the arts in Edinburgh for over a decade, establishingmeaningful creative networks across the sector. We Hope EIMF can establish itself with the Edinburgh festival landscape over coming years.
'Edinburgh International Mural Festival is not just a festival, it's a year-round programme on a mission to elevate muralism and street art culture. Offering a platform for artists to showcase their talents and inspire the next generation of muralists.
'Join us in celebrating a bold new chapter for mural art in Scotland.'
For more information, partnership opportunities, or to get involved, visit the website at www.eimf.co.uk or contact the EIMF team on info@eimf.co.uk.
Hazel Johnson, Festival Director of Hidden Door, said:'Since November's venue launch party, we've been busy clearing more of the vast industrial site and getting ready to fill every corner with our most ambitious programme yet.
'We exist to support the creative community and to connect audiences with emerging artists, and The Paper Factory will be at the heart of that ambition in 2025.'
Jill Martin Boualaxai, Creative Lead, said: 'Our 2025 festival program, titled 'The Building as a Myth,' invites artists to collaboratively develop ambitious multidisciplinary projects.
'Guided by the overarching concepts of Transformation and Reclamation, Time and Memory, Rituals and New Narratives, and Feminisation and Reimagining the Space, the programme encourages exploration of how industrial spaces can be reclaimed by nature, layered with temporal narratives, and reimagined as inclusive, symbolic environments.'
Tickets
Tickets include a concessionary price option to ensure that financial barriers will not prevent anyone who wishes to attend.
The festival is free all day every day until 6pm. D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people are entitled to 30% off the standard price ticket for each price tier. Anyone who is currently unemployed can also benefit from the 30% discount. Students and those under 26 are entitled to 20% off, whilst over 65s can claim 10% off the standard price ticket.
And there are a limited number of 'Pay What You Can' tickets available for every evening.
The site has a mix of warehouses, factory floors, offices and outhouses. The property has been empty since Saica's relocation to a purpose-built facility in Livingston. Regeneration specialists Summix Capital are now developing proposals for the future of the site, and have offered Hidden Door access until the end of 2025.
The Paper Factory is well served by public transport – Hidden Door Festival 11 to 15 June – 1 Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh EH12 8NP.
Tickets are now available at hiddendoorarts.org/tickets
Hidden Door is supported through Development Funding from Creative Scotland.
Hidden Door is an arts organisation which opens up urban spaces as a platform for new and emerging artists, musicians, theatre makers, performers, film makers and poets based in Scotland. Through organising temporary events Hidden Door works to showcase new work and create engaging environments for the public to experience, explore and discover.
Previous Hidden Door venues include the basement car park at St James Quarter, the former Scottish Widows office on Dalkeith Road, the vaults on Market Street, and Granton Gasworks.
Hidden Door at the Paper Factory in November 2024 © 2024 Martin McAdam
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