The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) has opened
its doors to the Edinburgh Festival for the 20th time, with
Pleasance at the EICC, Venue 150 of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the
Edinburgh TV Festival later in the month among highlights this August.
EICC CEO Marshall Dallas said: “It’s brilliant to welcome the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe back at the venue this month, and it’s incredible to
think we have now hosted Festival-related events for two
decades. Arts and culture are absolutely engrained in this city, and
we are really proud to be a part of that.”
Following its cancellation in 2020, with a smaller, scaled back
Fringe in 2021, the EICC is hosting a full line-up of events in 2023 for the
second straight year, with headline act Dark Noon, a drama from award-winning
Danish director Tue Biering and co-director Nhlanhla Mahlangu, TONY! [The Tony
Blair Rock Opera], Trainspotting Live, and a series of Iain Dale: All Talk
events, including with Jeremy Corbyn, Penny Mordaunt, Harriet Harman, and Alex
Salmond featuring alongside a number of other shows.
Leith’s, the EICC’s food and beverage partner, is providing a
variety of street foods and drinks again this year, with a focus on provenance
and sustainability. Internationally inspired dishes are crafted with locally
sourced ingredients served in packaging by startup company Notpla, who replace
plastics with products made from seaweed. The use of Klimato carbon labelling
on the menus means that festival goers can compare the carbon consumption of
dishes, while drinks are being served in cups from the Event Cup Solutions
reusable scheme.
Marshall Dallas added: “We are always looking at ways to bring
more sustainability into our overall offering, and we’ve been impressed with
the Notpla team, a startup who have gained global recognition for their
commitment to sustainable practices and the environment.”
The Edinburgh TV Festival runs at the EICC between 22-25 August,
with over 2,000 senior leaders and executives from the industry in attendance,
with featured talks and sessions including Louis Theroux, who will be
delivering The MacTaggart Lecture 2023, and Universal Studio Group chair
Pearlena Igbokwe.
