Paper Factory re-opens its doors
Hidden Door announces venue and dates for 2026 event
Edinburgh’s pop-up arts festival Hidden Door has announced that it will return to The Paper Factory, a massive industrial site in west Edinburgh, for the 2026 edition of the multi arts festival.
The 2026 festival will run from Wednesday 3 to Sunday 7 June, when the site will be reimagined as a living, evolving space, giving audiences one last chance to rediscover this iconic location before the festival moves on.
The Paper Factory uplit. Pic: Hidden Door.
“Returning to The Paper Factory for a final year allows us to go deeper into the history and texture of the site,” said Hazel Johnson, Hidden Door’s Director. “We aren’t just putting on a show; we’re building a myth.”
The Hidden Door myth started in 2014, when the volunteer-run organisation took over the vaults in Market Street, in following years it dropped into to the old street lighting depot on King’s Stables road, Leith Theatre, the Old Royal High and the Scottish Widows building on Dalkeith Road.
semi-derelict urban spaces
All were semi-derelict urban spaces on their way to being something else.
The Paper Factory is a huge former Saica paper and cardboard box manufacturing facility, with a mix of warehouses, factory floors, offices and outhouses spread across a 15 acre site. Bounded by the Edinburgh Gateway tram and rail station, it has excellent transport links to the city centre as well as to Glasgow and the west.
Having struggled in its early years to get acceptance, Hidden Door was one of the new organisations to receive multi-year funding from Creative Scotland, receiving £363,126 over the three years 2025-28.
The Paper Factory from the air – Google Maps
Johnson says: “The support from Creative Scotland allows us to develop an ambitious programme that will treat the space as a living, breathing canvas, where the work of our artists and performers becomes the architecture that shapes the festival.”
Currently the organisers have only released details of the main music acts which will play the festival.
On Friday 5th June, Norwegian singer-songwriter, record producer, and novelist Jenny Hval pushes boundaries with a live performance that demands to be witnessed firsthand, with her experimental, feminist and avant-garde work scooping several notable awards.
The night will climax with a special late night club presented by EPiKA, Edinburgh’s own femme techno collective.
On Saturday 6 June, Skye natives Valtos bring a dancefloor-ready take on their already unique sound with their acclaimed DJ/Live hybrid project High Water Mark, fusing folk and electronic beats for an energetic and dynamic experience.
The action will then move to the club space with Fred Deakin (Lemon Jelly/Club Life) taking audiences through the decades of his legendary Scottish club nights.
Creative collaborations
Once again, Hidden Door is working with a wide range of creative partners to build an eclectic programme offering something for everyone, including:
- Five nights of music programmed in collaboration with the likes of Paradise Palms Records, Hobbes Music, 432 Presents and independent programmers Jacob Brailsford and Arusa Qureshi.
- Ten emerging music acts selected from an open call co-curated with the National Centre For Music and Creative Edinburgh.
- Specially curated theatre, dance and spoken word performances scattered throughout the venue.
- A brand new collaborative installation from Tinderbox Collective, experimenting with electronics and sensors, microcontrollers, code and responsive visuals.
- An evolution of Edinburgh International Mural Festival’s 2025 residency at The Paper Factory, which brought together mural artists from around the world to produce iconic large scale works
The festival’s full programme of music, art, performances and special events will be revealed in April.
Open Call and Tickets on sale now
As always, the festival will be FREE to explore during the day, with tickets required for those staying for the evening programme after 6pm. Tickets for each evening of the festival are now available online.
Hidden Door is currently inviting submissions for dance, spoken word and music acts to be part of the 2026 programme. Full details are here.
Hidden Door is committed to ensuring fair pay for all artists. However, it is still is a volunteer-led organisation. If you want to find out more about getting involved and future volunteering opportunities, see further details here.
ENDS
