ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE COMMITTEE OF THE EDINBURGH HORROR FESTIVAL
A number of people have asked us what the dates for this year’s Edinburgh Horror Festival will be. So as hard as this is, we can’t put it off any longer. We are taking a hiatus from staging the Festival in 2026. Last year we celebrated our tenth fest, and this year is our tenth birthday so this decision was not taken lightly. But after ten years, we need a break.
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WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
The festival is run entirely by a small group of volunteers and we all love what we do. But after the 2025 festival we realised just how much harder things felt, how much toll the work was taking, and we know we are not the only ones making this decision. Like so many people we are burnt out, or facing personal challenges, or health issues, and we need to take time to refocus and decide on our futures - both EHF and not. Put simply - we’re tired.
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GOING FORWARD
Our plan is to reconvene at the end of this year and decide if we’re able to stage a festival in 2027 once everyone has had a chance to focus on their wellbeing.
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SATURDAY FRIGHT LIVE AND OTHER EVENTS
We will continue to host monthly events at Banshee Labyrinth and certain other special events as these events are run by the individual acts and we provide box office support.
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THE SPOOKIES: HORROR AT THE FRINGE AWARDS
This is run by an even smaller team within the EHF Committee, largely as a labour of love by the two women behind it, and no decision either way has been made yet.
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STAY SPOOKY. STAY SAFE.
Running an event like this is hard, but we have all gotten so much from doing so. We have been able to meet so many amazing creatives, and watch so many of them grow. We will still have a presence, we are not folding, or closing down. But we need some time to take stock of our lives, the world, the state of the arts scene, and most of all heal from the things the universe throws at us.
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Whilst we do that, stay spooky, stay safe, and above all else stay kind.
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The EHF Committee, January 2026