Hidden Door festival is known for opening-up urban spaces as a platform for new and emerging artists, musicians, theatre-makers, performers, film-makers and poets, showcasing new work and creating engaging environments for the public to experience, explore and discover. 2025’s Hidden Door will as usual comprise music, art, dance, theatre and spoken word by emerging talent, and will be taking-over a massive former paper-making site near Edinburgh Airport – the festival’s biggest site yet.
As always, the festival promises a highly-varied programme of vigorous and fresh talent in almost every area of the arts: with more than 100 creatives offering live music, immersive art installations, dance performances, poetry, spoken word, unique collaborations and more, the full programme is available on Hidden Door Arts’ website. Highlights are at the bottom of this page.
The Paper Factory is a 15.5-acre site occupied by the former Saica paper and cardboard manufacturing facility on the western edge of Edinburgh, featuring a mix of warehouses, factory floors, offices and outhouses, adjacent to the Edinburgh Gateway tram and rail station, affording excellent transport links to the city centre as well as to Glasgow and the west. Extra late-night transport will be laid on while the festival is running.
Hidden Door is a registered charity and all ticket sales go straight into its events and ensuring all its creative contributors are fairly paid.
Highlights:
Wednesday 11th June – Opening Party: music from Snapped Ankles, Bikini Body, Mermaid Chunky, Pearling, Smag På Dig Selv, Eloi and Roller Disco Death Party. Dance from Mark Bleakley and Cosmic Dance. Spoken Word from Aileen Lees and Imogen Stirling.
Thursday 12th June: music from Sprints, Tina Sandwich, Witch Fever, Isabella Strange, racecar, Accident Machine and SISTER MADDS. Dance from Yuxi Jiang. Spoken Word from Charles Lang and Hugh Mcmillan.
Friday 13th June: music from Erland Cooper, Tinderbox Orchestra, Alice Faye, Voka Gentle, HENS BENS, Mike McKenzie and PVC. Late night DJs in the club space. Dance from Dorine Mugisha. Spoken Word from JD Henshaw and Julia Sorensen.
Saturday 14th June: music from Katy J Pearson, The Orielles, No Windows, Theo Bleak, Night Caller, The Era, Puppy Teeth, samwooddoowmas, Day Sleeper and Brenda. Late night Samedia DJs in the club space. Dance from Jessie Roberts-Smith, Cosmic Dance, Katie Armstrong and Aurora Engine. Spoken Word from Theresa Muñoz.
Sunday 15th June – Closing Party: music from Ishmael Ensemble, MC Yallah & Debmaster, Bee Asha, Slow Karma, Humour, San Jose, Nick Dow and Y. Dance from ELELEI and Cosmic Dance. Spoken Word from Josh Cake.
Unique collaborations: every night will feature a series of specially-commissioned collaborations, blending music, spoken word, performance, visuals and more, offering stunning immersive experiences.
