Latest news with #ThePaperFactory
Edinburgh Reporter
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Open Letter from Hidden Door Festival
Arts venues and cultural events need the support of the public now more than ever before. Hazel Johnson, Festival Director at Hidden Door, invites you to be part of something special at The Paper Factory this weekend – to join in, see the Paper Factory for the last time before it is mothballed ahead of development, and experience some innovative arts of all kinds from music to spoken word and visual art. It is free to go to the venue during the day – and there will be food and drink to enjoy while you are there. But it is crucial that the festival receives support from the public – buy a ticket – multi day passes are available now. Hazel Johnson and Jim Coltham, Directors of Hidden Door This is the letter from Hazel: Scotland's arts scene is vibrant, innovative, and utterly vital to our national identity, wellbeing and economy. Yet, like many sectors, it faces unprecedented challenges, from funding pressures to the ever-shifting landscape of audience engagement. Cities like Edinburgh are at their best when they have cultural venues that can thrive all year round, not just in festival season. This week, we launch our most ambitious venture yet. The Paper Factory is a magnificent, abandoned industrial site which we're transforming into a vibrant new arts venue hosting an amazing programme of music, visual art and performance. It's a monumental undertaking, driven by a passionate team of volunteers, and its success hinges, quite simply, on audiences coming along to experience it. Hidden Door was born from a belief that Edinburgh needs vibrant cultural venues that offer something different. By literally and figuratively opening up forgotten spaces for the arts, we create a place where creative talent can flourish. We exist to provide a vital platform for new and emerging artists in Scotland, offering them the crucial opportunity to experiment and reach new audiences. From our diverse music lineup, including promising local bands selected from hundreds of open call applications, to the captivating, site-specific art installations and immersive performances that bring The Paper Factory's history to life – every element of Hidden Door is designed to be unique and unforgettable. We were fortunate this year to benefit from the Creative Scotland Development Fund – a fiercely competitive pot of funding. We are also hugely grateful to the sponsors and partners who believe in us enough to generously give their support. This support has meant we can be as accessible and inclusive as possible. This year we have offered more concessions and free tickets than ever before, including a 'pay what you can' option to help us better serve the many different communities across the city. But the stark truth is that as a volunteer-run charity, we rely on ticket sales. The magic we create, the opportunities we provide for artists, and our ability to keep opening up new, surprising spaces for the arts across our city – all of it depends on you stepping through our 'hidden door'. Your ticket isn't just access to a great night out; it's an investment in Edinburgh's creative future, a vote of confidence in the artists who are shaping our cultural landscape, and a lifeline that allows us to continue our unique work. Without you, non-profit organisations like Hidden Door simply can't exist. We've all seen much-loved venues and arts organisations forced to close, a worrying trend accelerated by ongoing economic uncertainties. The impact from these external factors on the arts sector is all too real, with arts venues and cultural events needing your support now more than ever. So I invite you to join us at The Paper Factory this week, from Wednesday to Sunday. Come and discover the energy, witness the innovation, and be part of a truly unique cultural moment. If you want Hidden Door to keep doing what we do, transforming forgotten spaces and championing incredible local talent, then please come down and support us. We've been doing this for over a decade, and with you on board, we'll keep doing it. Hazel Johnson Festival Director, Hidden Door Find out more at Hidden Door at The Paper Factory November © 2024 Martin McAdam Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Hidden Door 2025
The multi arts festival takes place next month at the Paper Factory near Maybury roundabout. 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 or contact the EIMF team on info@ 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 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 Like this: Like Related
