A MAJOR Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue is set to be reopened after it cancelled all 72 shows and closed its main hub amid Storm Floris.
The Pleasance has announced it will reopen its outdoor venue, The Green in the Pleasance Courtyard, at 7pm on Monday.
The decision came after the Met Office said much of Scotland will be battered by heavy rain and winds of up to 85mph throughout Monday.
A yellow warning for wind for the whole of Scotland became active at 6am on Monday and will last until 6am on Tuesday, and warnings have been upgraded to amber from 10am to 10pm in northern and central areas.
Some trains and ferry services have already been cancelled, with more likely to be affected.
We are delighted to announce that the Pleasance Courtyard will reopen from 7pm this evening with shows resuming from 7.30pm.
Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, Anthony Alderson, said: "Earlier today, we made the difficult decision to temporarily close the site as a precautionary measure, prioritising the safety of our audiences, artists, and staff.
"The Pleasance Courtyard is a uniquely complex site – while most of our theatres are located within permanent buildings and remained unaffected, access to them is through enclosed courtyards surrounded by temporary structures.
"The closure was implemented in line with our established safety protocols and wind management plan.
"It’s never easy to close, especially during such a busy time in the festival. We’re incredibly grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding and we encourage audiences to return to the Courtyard this evening and continue showing their support.
"We can’t wait to welcome you back to experience the incredible shows and electric atmosphere that define the Pleasance."
Seven shows had been cancelled at the venue, with a later statement announcing all shows were cancelled.
"Due to the adverse weather conditions, in line with our wind management plans, we have now closed the Pleasance Courtyard and the Pleasance Plaza, for the safety of our audiences, companies, volunteers and staff," a spokesperson said.
"The courtyard site is closed until 6pm today. We are dynamically assessing the situation and will make our next assessment at 4pm. The Dome and EICC will run as usual."
The Fringe by the Sea also cancelled all shows for Monday, and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo cancelled its 9.30pm performance on Monday.
The venue said it was “investigating exchanges” for any audience members who had shows booked at any Pleasance venues.
The Edinburgh International Festival’s Ceilidh Sessions event on Monday night is also cancelled as Princes Street Gardens is closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the storm.
A spokesperson for The Pleasance said earlier on Monday: “With Scotland on amber warning, the Pleasance Theatre Trust has cancelled shows in The Green in order to ensure the safety of our staff and audiences. The Pleasance has a robust wind management plan, and if the wind reaches dangerous levels, we will close our sites or change how we manage our venues.
“We are pro-actively monitoring the situation and have several plans that can be deployed dynamically. If you have tickets booked for a show at Pleasance and can’t get to us or we have to close, we still want to make sure you can enjoy our shows on other days and are investigating exchanges and other 2-4-1 moments.”
A Fringe by the Sea spokesperson said on Sunday night: “With Storm Floris incoming, we have taken the decision to close Fringe By The Sea tomorrow. We will reopen on Tuesday 10am.
“Ticket holders for events on Monday 4th August will be notified by email of cancellations or rescheduled events [where possible]. Cancelled events will be refunded automatically – please bear with us while we work with our ticketing agent to process these transactions.”
