Summerhall

Stumbled in for a bit of theater during Fringe Fest. After hanging out in the courtyard and café, we decided to spend the rest of our festival hanging around. We saw great, experimental theater and loved the building and its culture.

Not a bad place to see a band (& they’re making the effort to bring in a good many of those) although the signage could be clearer so you’re not wandering in to other events whilst trying to find the hall being used for the show.
We saw Eagulls play a week or so ago and the sound was pretty decent + there are a few sofas through by the toilets so you can lie around rather more comfortably than in most other venues in the city.

Summerhall is a great place to hold events. Being an old vetinary school, I’ve been to interactive plays (Zombies!) and talks here. Every Tuesday night, the Ceilidh club setup shop here. Outside of that, there are plays, other talks, events and yoga that run here. It’s a great facility and highly worth a visit to check out what is on if you are in the area.

What a great venue! We wandered over from the Meadows park, which is pretty close if you’re walking. The building itself is very grand, quite beautiful. I can see how it can be quite easy to get lost inside. It’s huge! We went for a fringe art exhibit which had been going on for almost 2 months.
The exhibit itself was very interesting and some of the pieces of art were absolutely amazing! We found it quite fun to explore the different levels of the grand building. It almost seemed like we were on a treasure hunt, never knowing what we might stumble upon! The rooms are huge and the main hall is really large and fabulous. The back garden is a very nice place to hang out on a nice day. There is plenty of seating and a table football available to play with!
There is a wee café inside which was bustling with people and the smell of fresh backed cakes & coffee. Very inviting and warm. Excellent place for wee ones!

Being the old veterinary school, it reaps of history but some may be screamish to what hapened here.
Now it houses small firms, exhibitions, events and Barney’s Beer with it’s new lease of life.
I like the original part of the building, I’m not too sure by the added parts that were built in the sixties are the look ugly.
A good place to catch a beer is just at the old schools pub which is located at the back of the main foyer.

This is one of those places where events happen all the time but not very many people know about it. It’s a well kept secret.
I’ve been to gigs, comedy, charity do’s and quirky secret society events here and I’ve never been disappointed with the place.
There’s a bar called the Royal Dick to satisfy even the thirstiest camel and a café serving coffee and the usual snackage if you’re not in the mood for the hard stuff.
My advice — drop by and pick up a programme and keep an eye out for Fringe events that aren’t in the main programme. You may very well be pleasantly surprised!

I’ve only been to Summerhall for swing dancing events, held in the main hall upstairs, but it seems perfectly okay. It’s an attractive venue, and being the old Dick Vet school there’s a microscope in the bar and a room called the Dissection Room. The downside would be the toilets, which seem few and far between (and unisex). The two upstairs were clean, but there’s only two which can result in a queue. Plus the hot taps didn’t work. I don’t even mean it wasn’t hot water, they just didn’t work. But apart from the loos it’s really okay, and I imagine I’ll be back for non-​swinging events come August.

Gorgeous. Lovely. Potentially creepy and kind of brilliant.
The Summerhall was once a veterinary school, then it sat, empty and unloved, until a madman with more money than sense bought it and gave it over to artists.
Artists who might, for instance, install a beam in a room covered in petroleum jelly.
This sort of thing happened in the late 50s, 60s, and 70s. Possibly even inthe 80s, but by then things were privatised and all sold off.
Events happen here. And there’s a café with odd and cheap food and drink.
It’s a Good Thing for Edinburgh. And it appears to be getting better. Pop in and wander through.

I should be giving Summerhall five stars but there’s so much of the place that I haven’t seen, so I’ve opted to leave myself some room to grow when I come back to update this review in the future. A warren of gallery spaces, workshops, dissection rooms, events spaces and corridors make for a unique venue. Edinburgh is hopefully a city able to take advantage of the possibilities that this opens up: a space for every event, and in time I’m sure every event will find its way through these spaces.
There’s also a very smart bar right at the heart of the venue, with an eclectic array of wall decorations — much of it veterinary, some of it anthropological in origin. During the summer months, and presumably also at times of inclement weather, there are performances and drinks to be had in the central courtyard, some of it from the on-​site brewery. Is there anything this place lacks? Well, I shall go looking on repeat visits and report back.

A little difficult to find but worth it.
We wandered in here recently and were glad we did! The bar is well stocked and decorated with various artworks that are part of the ongoing exhibitions. Other decorations are ‘veterinary school’ themed, with chemical containers, weighing scales, pictures of dog fetuses and we were pretty certain the table we were sitting at was a dissection table! As a group of scientists none of us mind, but I’m not sure it would be everyone’s cup of tea!
The toilets were in a big cold room which I didn’t like. It reminded me of being in the old science buildings in my old college late at night. A bit creepy!
The bar staff were nice and answered all our questions, gave recommendations on drinks and were courteous when closing time came around.
I’ll definitely be back, apparently they do food too and the menu looked delicious.
PS apparently it’s open all year round!

Over the summer, Summerhall was re-​opened as a venue. It was quiet quiet about it, I didn’t even realise just how much is going on at Summerhall. Gigs, fashion shows, there’s a kitchen, I think they even have their own beer? I’ve not explored it fully yet, have actually only been to one show here, but I think I need to go — and soon — to see more of it and update my review.
I was here for the Mediterraneo show on a Saturday night. It was in a large hall up the stairs. It’s a gorgeous building, huge stair case, really tall ceilings. I believe it was previously used for University lectures?
The show itself perhaps didn’t suit the venue very well. Or perhaps the venue itself needs a particular type of event. It felt a bit like a school disco — the very tall ceilings and one large open room with make-​shift stage made it feel very airy and spacey. It got quite full by midnight but still not packed. I know we often complain clubs are too packed, but this just felt a bit stilted. The bar was also in another room and they ran out of water. Hmmm. There was also only one toilet for everyone to use. Long queue, not happy punters.
I’ve heard the dissection room is amazing, on different levels, an interesting shape and makes an interesting venue. I do want to go back and see it again in different forms. Perhaps as the club night was new and it wasn’t really full made it feel a bit emptier. It is a stunning venue, just an odd choice for ‘club’ or gig nights.