Hidden Door confirms 2018 fest

Sep 25 2017 | By Thom Dibdin More

Multi-arts fest Hidden Door to return in 2018

Hidden Door, the multi-arts festival which takes over unused or vacant venues, is to return for a ten day festival at an as-yet unconfirmed venue in 2018, its organisers have announced.

2018 will be the festival’s fifth incarnation, after this year’s hugely successful event which helped transform Leith Theatre. Having started in the Market Street Vaults in 2014, it moved to the old street lighting depot on King’s Stables Road for two years, attracting 12,000 visitors in 2016.

A performance at Hidden Door 2017. Pic: Chris Scott, Literary Paparazzo

Hidden Door will return to Edinburgh for a ten day stint from Friday May 25 to Sunday June 3 2018. The event organisers have put out an early call for visual artists to come forward with proposals and announced that the 2018 version will also include an extended events programme of school tours, artists’ talks, debates and workshops.

For the first time, Scotland-based dancers and filmmakers are being invited to join the country’s emerging and most innovative visual artists, theatre and spoken word performers in submitting proposals for the festival.

The call for proposals from visual artists is open from now until 23 October. Further call-outs for spoken word, film, theatre, dance and music will be announced over the next two weeks.

David Martin, Creative Director of Hidden Door, said: “This open call for proposals allows for some of the best new and emerging talent to get involved and develop their practice, providing a platform for new projects and ideas.

diverse and high quality

“In addition to this, our invited programme will continue to support more established artistic producers. Between these two, we can be sure of attracting a diverse and high quality programme of work.”

Hidden Door is an arts organisation which aims to open up urban spaces as a platform for new and emerging artists, musicians, theatre makers, filmmakers and poets. Through organising temporary events, Hidden Door showcases new work and creates engaging environments for the public to experience, explore and discover.

Martin added: “Edinburgh is a city busy with festivals but Hidden Door offers something different, opening up new spaces for new artists and creative talent to bring something fresh to the mix, celebrating innovation and experimentation in the arts. 2018 will continue this ambition and we look forward to presenting the best Hidden Door yet next May.”

The venue for 2018 is yet to be confirmed. The organisers say that they are considering “several exciting options” for Hidden Door 2018. They add that anyone thinking off applying to take part in 2018 is encouraged to submit proposals that are flexible enough to potentially work in a variety of spaces.