Edinburgh Science Festival Cancelled
Posted: 17 March 2020
Following close monitoring of the ever-changing situation regarding the global spread of COVID-19 and having held discussions with key partners, we have taken the sad but necessary decision to cancel this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival, scheduled for 4–19 April.
With the Science Festival less than three weeks away and a programme of over 270 events, this has been a complex process for the organisation to manage, but the health and wellbeing of our visitors, participants and staff remains our number one priority. The latest official guidance makes clear it is no longer possible or advisable to try to deliver the exceptional experience we have worked so hard towards.
The good news is that our open-air exhibition Into the Blue will open as planned on Portobello Promenade on 18 March. We hope audiences will enjoy this free, outdoor activity over the coming weeks.
The Board and Directors of Edinburgh Science would like to pay tribute to the hard work of our core team in developing this programme and to the much wider network of dedicated and creative people we rely on for the successful delivery of all our projects.
All ticket holders will automatically receive a refund, and you will not need to contact us to receive this refund. Our box office staff will be in touch with customers directly if there are any issues in this process. Once the refund is processed, it will reach your account in 3-5 working days, depending on who you bank with. Please be patient with us whilst we work through this process.
‘’Now more than ever it is imperative that the public have access to robust, evidence-based science, delivered in a manner that is accessible to them. The Science Festival remains committed to that goal and to working with our wonderful partners across the sector to help connect people with the latest science in these unsettling times.
We are exploring how we might do more online and whether any elements of the Festival might potentially be run later in the year and will keep you informed as plans develop. For now, we would like to thank our funders, sponsors, partners, participants and audiences for their loyalty, support and understanding.”
Festival and Creative Director, Amanda Tyndall
As mentioned, with the Festival less than three weeks away from opening the majority of our programme has been produced and paid for. As a charitable organisation this puts us in a difficult situation. If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating the price of your ticket to support our work using the link below.
