Accessibility
Edinburgh Science Festival is an annual two-week festival that runs over the Easter holidays.
Our programme includes more than 200 events in a variety of formats: from shows and performances to talks, discussions and debates, interactive workshops, drop-in activities and exhibitions.
Searching for Events
Events for the 2020 Science Festival are available to book now online, in person and over the phone.
If you would like a copy of the brochure sent to your address, please email our marketing team on marketing@scifest.co.uk
If you would like a copy of the brochure in a different format, please also email our marketing team marketing@scifest.co.uk, and we will do our best to provide you with one in your desired format.
Online
You can search for events by date, title, age range and suitability, type of event, and venue.
Each event listing will have the time, date, price and venue included as well as information about what the event entails.
Accessible Events and Additional Resources
We have a number of accessible events as part of Edinburgh Science Festival 2020. If there is something specific you would like to request for an event or ask a question, please call our Box Office on 0131 226 0005 or email boxoffice@scifest.co.uk.
We have developed a Accessibility Guide for the 2020 Festival with accessible performance listings, venue information and other access information. This is downloadable in PDF format below and please get in contact if you would like a print version.
Download the 2020 Accessibility Guide
With the help of Scottish Autism and PAMIS, we have developed a social story for anyone attending the Science Festival. The social story is available in downloadable PDF format.
Edinburgh Science Festival's Accessibility initiatives are supported by The Boshier-Hinton Foundation.
Our events happen at venues in and around Edinburgh. We welcome all visitors to our events and make every effort to ensure that the activities in our programme are as accessible as possible.
This page contains information on searching for events, how to book tickets and planning your visit to the Science Festival. If you have a specific requirement or any questions about what we offer, please email our box office on boxoffice@scifest.co.uk or phone on 0131 553 0005.
Planning your visit
Each venue we use has its own page with a more detailed breakdown of its access. You can download the full access statements from our core venues below.
City Art Centre: See the full access statement here.
Pleasance: See the full access statement here
National Museum of Scotland: See the full access statement here
Dynamic Earth: See the full access statement here and the sensory map here
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh: Download full access statement here
Edinburgh Zoo: Download full access statement here
Summerhall: Read full access statement here
Toilets
Accessible
There are many accessible toilets around Science Festival venues. Below is a list of the venues that have accessible toilets.
- City Art Centre
- Pleasance
- National Museum of Scotland - click here for detailed dimensions of these toilets
- Dynamic Earth (2 toilets)
- Royal Botanic Gardens (6 toilets)
- Edinburgh Zoo
All our core venues have baby changing facilities too.
Changing places
There are three changing places toilets location around Edinburgh City Centre, two located in north Edinburgh and two located in Edinburgh west. A Pamiloo will also be available at Pleasance for 11, 12, 15 and 17 April.
City Centre
- National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF
- The Booking Office JD Wetherspoons 17 Waverley Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1BQ
- The Scottish Parliament, Horse Wynd, Edinburgh EH99 1SP
North Edinburgh
- Edinburgh College - Granton Campus - Catering Block, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE
- Edinburgh College - Granton Campus - Sports Block, 350 West Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QE
Edinburgh West
- Murrayfield Stadium, Roseburn Street, Edinburgh, EH12 5PZ
- Orwell Arts, 17 Orwell Place, Edinburgh, EH11 2A
Please see the Changing Places website for further information on the specifications of each of these toilets.
Transport
Our transport partner Lothian Buses provide transport around Edinburgh, with many short walking distances to and from our venues. Most buses also have wheelchair spaces.
How to book tickets
Edinburgh Science Festival is an e-ticket Festival. This means when you book tickets to an event you are emailed a ticket which you can present on your phone for scanning or showing at the door.
Box Office contact details:
Phone: 0131 226 0005
Email: boxoffice@scifest.co.uk
You can book tickets in a number of different ways:
Online:
You will need to log in or register an account in order to book tickets with us online. This means you will keep all your Science Festival transactions in one place. You can do this by clicking in the top right corner where it says ‘sign in’.
Once you have logged in and found which event you want to book tickets for, follow the prompts which will direct you to the booking page. If you have any troubles, please contact our Box Office.
If you are using a public computer and wish to sign out of your account, you can do so by scrolling to the bottom of our page and clicking ‘sign-out’ in the website footer.
Once the Festival is over, if you want to delete your account you can do so by doing contacting William Moss, Communications Officer, on william.moss@scifest.co.uk.
In person:
You can book tickets in person at four points across the city.
Before the Festival starts:
The Fringe Box Office at Old Assembly Close, High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QS
- Level access via a steep slope, a hearing loop and a dropped counter
- Sells tickets for all Edinburgh Science Festival events
And during the Festival:
Pleasance Box Office at Pleasance Courtyard, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ
- Level access with a dropped counter, Box Office is located to the left as you come in the main glass doors
- IMAGE OF BOX OFFICE
National Museum of Scotland at Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
- Level access, elevator available. Box Office is located on the first floor near the elevator
City Art Centre at 2 Market Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1DE
- Level access, Box Office is located on the ground floor in front of the café
Summerhall at 1 Summerhall Place, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL
Our partner venues Edinburgh Zoo, Royal Botanic Gardens and Dynamic Earth have their own system for booking tickets.
For events at venues around Edinburgh not listed above you will need to book tickets in advance as there is no Box Office present. Please contact our Box Office on 0131 226 0005 if you have any difficulty.
Phone
You can book tickets over the phone by calling the Science Festival Box Office on 0131 226 0005. Payment can be made over the phone and the e-ticket will still be sent to your email address.
Contact Scotland
If you are a BSL user Contact Scotland is a free interpretation service you can use for booking tickets. Log in to Contact Scotland here and you will be put through to an interpreter, who will then call our Box Office and help make the booking.
Additional support tickets
Carers and support workers are entitled to a free ticket for the event they accompany you at. Please note ID may be required.
Concession tickets
Concession tickets are available at a reduced rate for those who have a disability, are pensioners or unemployed. #SciFive tickets are available for students and teachers.
Babes in arms
Children under three years old do not require a ticket for events, except if the event is specifically for children under three years-old.
If you are having problems
If you are experiencing problems booking tickets, please contact the Box Office on 0131 226 0005 or boxoffice@scifest.co.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
