It’s been confirmed that Edinburgh’s Summerhall complex will operate as a venue at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe once again, after a financial crisis that hit one of the Summerhall companies, and those who performed at the venue last Fringe, was averted.

There has been a period of considerable uncertainty at Summerhall, the year round Edinburgh arts space that usually presents a wide-ranging Fringe programme each August. First it was announced that the Summerhall site was up for sale, and then tax authority HMRC issued a petition to wind up Summerhall Management Ltd over allegedly unpaid corporation tax.

That led to the company’s bank accounts being frozen, which meant box office money due to performers and producers who had presented shows at Summerhall, including during Edinburgh Festival 2024, couldn’t be paid through.

However, the HMRC petition was withdrawn shortly before Christmas, unfreezing the bank accounts and allowing Summerhall Management Ltd to pay everyone what they were due.

Moving forward, Summerhall Arts – a charity formed in 2023 – will run the complex for the foreseeable future under a lease agreement with a property developer that ultimately plans to redevelop the site.

It is Summerhall Arts that will oversee the venue’s Fringe programme this August. Sam Gough, previously CEO of Summerhall Management Ltd and now leading Summerhall Arts, says the 2025 Fringe programme “is a thrilling opportunity to push boundaries and provide a platform for both emerging and established artists”.

However, what that programme won’t include is the pop-up venue operated by theatre company Paines Plough, called Roundabout, which has popped up at Summerhall during the Edinburgh Festival since 2014.

The theatre company said last week, “Summerhall is an incredible home for Roundabout, however due to a combination of factors including Summerhall’s circumstances over the past few months, we are pausing on returning to the festival with Roundabout for this year”.