November 18, 2023
We’re so proud to have won the Edinburgh City Award at the 2023 Creative Edinburgh Awards.
The annual awards celebrate the city’s creative community, highlighting the projects, people and places that flourish across Edinburgh, ensuring its place on the cultural map, nationally and internationally.
Announcing the award at a sold-out ceremony at The Biscuit Factory, judges praised our successful takeover of the former Scottish Widows offices on Dalkeith Road and the mixture of promenade art installations and gig spaces on offer.
The Edinburgh City Award always feels like a biggie, given to a project that really made a mark on Edinburgh and couldn’t have happened elsewhere.
The Skinny
Festival Director Hazel Johnson said: “It’s such an honour to win the Edinburgh City Award, recognising the hard work of Hidden Door’s brilliant volunteers, creatives, crew and collaborators.
“We’ve been bringing forgotten parts of this beautiful city back to life for nearly a decade now, celebrating the best of Edinburgh’s creative community. We are really proud of what we achieved in 2023 and are delighted to receive this iconic accolade.”
Over the years, Hidden Door has supported over 3000 artists and performers to develop work and reach new audiences. Our volunteer-run charity is entirely funded through ticket sales, sponsorship and fundraising. All money raised goes into running the festival and ensuring their creative contributors are fairly paid.
Next year will mark a decade since Hidden Door opened up the vaults on Market Street for our first full festival. We have found several potential new sites across Edinburgh and are now raising funds to take our plans to the next stage.
We’re also holding an Art Sale, 8-10 December at The Hub on Castlehill. All proceeds from the sale will be split between the artists and Hidden Door, so every purchase will go straight towards supporting the local creative community.
“Everyone in attendance is glad that Hidden Door is pushing at the limits of what a city festival can be – ★★★★” – Max Sefton, The Skinny
“As Hidden Door has shown so magnificently, a little creative vision can make for an artistically seismic experience – ★★★★★” – Neil Cooper, The Herald
“An extraordinary achievement – Trees sprouted from floor to ceiling. Neon sprites jabbered incomprehensibly. Weird, wonderful performances popped up unexpectedly in the half-light. It was a delightful, disorienting experience – ★★★★” – Fergus Morgan, The Stage