Hidden Door specialises in finding forgotten spaces for our arts festival, which can mean they’re not always immediately on your radar. If you’ve found this page, you’re a step closer to finding us…
Hidden Door 2025 will take place from Wednesday 11 – Sunday 15 June 2025 at The Paper Factory.
The Paper Factory is located at 1 Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh EH12 8NP.
It’s a 15.5-acre site occupied by the former Saica paper and cardboard manufacturing facility on the western edge of Edinburgh. The site features a mix of warehouses, factory floors, offices and outhouses.
The Paper Factory is well served by a variety of public transport links, with frequent bus, tram and train services all stopping nearby, making it easy to reach us from anywhere in the city. See below for more details.
We have been given access to The Paper Factory until the end of 2025, with ambitious plans to transform the space.
In November 2024 we also held a special two-night launch party to give audiences a preview of some of the extraordinary spaces within. The event showcased a fraction of the site, featuring live music, visual art installations and pop-up performances.
Our 2025 festival will open up yet more of this huge site making use of the various warehouses, factory floors, offices and outhouses.
Throughout the year, the site will also be transformed into a creative hub featuring studio, workshop and community spaces.
Our Festival Director Hazel Johnson said:
“We were delighted to open up a small section of The Paper Factory for our venue launch event, giving audiences a first glimpse of our new home.
“We’re now looking ahead to 2025, and over the coming months the transformation will continue, opening up more of the vast industrial site and filling every corner with our most ambitious programme yet.
“In the lead up to the festival we’ll also be creating workshop, studio, rehearsal and community spaces to make the most of this amazing space.
“We exist to support the creative community and to connect audiences with emerging artists, and this latest venue will be at the heart of delivering that in 2025. We look forward to welcoming you to The Paper Factory.”
The full address is: The Paper Factory, 1 Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh EH12 8NP
The Paper Factory is well served by a variety of public transport links, with frequent bus, tram and train services all stopping nearby, making it easy to reach us from anywhere in the city.
Edinburgh’s network of cycle paths makes it a simple and eco-friendly way to reach The Paper Factory.
From Edinburgh City Centre: Cycle west along the A8 (Corstorphine Road) or use the quieter cycle routes parallel to the main road. Continue towards the Maybury Junction. The Paper Factory is located just off the junction, on Turnhouse Road.
There is space available at the site to lock up bicycles. Storage is uncovered and at your own risk. There is also covered storage space for 100 cycles nearby at Edinburgh Gateway station.
Numerous Lothian Buses serve the area, making it easy to reach us from various parts of the city.
From Edinburgh City Centre, hop on services 31, X18, N18 or the Airlink 100 which all stop at Maybury Road (5 minutes walk). The journey takes approx 20-30 minutes from Princes St, depending on traffic.
From the north and west of the city, you can reach us on the 32 or Skyline 200.
Alternatively, Lothian Buses 12, 21, 22, 36, 70/71 and Skyline 400 stop at the Gyle Centre which is 10-15 minutes walk from the site.
The Airlink 100 runs up to every 20 minutes throughout the night. Visit the Lothian Buses website for further information or get directions from Google Maps.
Tickets cost £2.00 for Lothian buses or £3.00 for an Airlink single and £4.80 for a day ticket.
Trams run frequently from the city centre and other key locations. The nearest tram stop is Edinburgh Gateway, which is located 5-10 minutes walk from the site.
Trams run until 22:56 and take approx 25 minutes from Princes St.
Tickets cost £2 single and £3.80 for a day ticket.
If you’re coming from outside Edinburgh or looking for a speedy route from the centre, Edinburgh Gateway is the nearest train station, which is located 5-10 minutes walk from the site.
Trains run frequently until 23:30 and take approx 12 minutes from Waverley. Plan your journey with the Traveline website.
Tickets start from £4.20 for a single or £4.60 day return from Waverley.
A taxi ride from the city centre typically takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on traffic. Taxi drivers are unlikely to be familiar with the site, so you may wish to direct them to Maybury Casino.
City – 0131 228 1211
Edinburgh – 0131 623 1624
Central – 0131 229 2468
If you need to drive, the site is easily accessible from major routes, including the A8 and A902. We plan to have a limited number of on-site parking spaces for Blue Badge holders.
We’ll have the usual offering of delicious hot street food and drinks – stayed tuned for more details nearer the time.
We use derelict, undiscovered and temporary sites for our events, which means some areas may not be fully accessible. But by working with accessibility advisors, with every venue we transform, we do all we can to ensure safe access to as much of the festival as possible for anyone with disabilities.
Please do contact us at hello@hiddendoorarts.org if you have any questions or would like to discuss access with a member of the team before your visit.
Well-behaved dogs are very welcome to visit our events during the daytime, we just ask that they are kept on a lead.
Support/guide dogs are of course welcome at all times and in all areas.
We are working with the local council and the community near our venue to make sure our event is a positive experience for everyone. We have designed the festival layout to ensure that noise and disruption is limited. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch you can email us at Neighbours@hiddendoorarts.org.
We know the pandemic had a massive impact on events and gatherings, and we want everyone to feel comfortable and safe when they visit our festival.
If you have any anxiety about attending our event, we would be happy to tell you more about the format of the event and how you can ensure your own comfort and safety. Please do get in touch for a chat.
Find out more about Hidden Door in our FAQs