BBC at George Heriot's School

smithling

14 Aug 2017

Calm, spacious and colourful

4

4

Date of visit: August 2017

Overall Rating

Good

I visited the BBC area of the Edinburgh Fringe and loved how calm it was! Was refreshing to escape the big crowds of the other venues for a bit. The nicest part was the meandering walk, with BBC radio speakers dotted along the way, into the pop-up, and there was lots going on when we got there.

Disabled Access In and Around

Good

What really aided access here was the spaciousness, lack of big crowds and the gently sloping astro-turfed ramps. It is a very relaxed environment, with headphones given to audience members who wish to watch the big screen comedy. This keeps it quieter, and there are less clashing noises all happening at once. At most you will have the chatter from people enjoying drinks or music from a band should there be one. The open space is great! And the transparent roof shelter really helps to keep it bright and roomy. I think a greater choice of seating could improve this space, as it was mainly bean bags for kids, picnic tables or very low to the ground deck chairs. A few more separate tables and chairs would be helpful.

Parking & Transport

Good

Not entirely sure about parking, but there are great bus links just outside the entrance to the venue, and a pedestrian crossing straight to the pop-up.

Accessible Toilets

Good

The toilets were very clearly identifiable, clean and more equipped than other portable cabin toilets at the festival. There again was a huge amount of space in front of the accessible toilet, but this was counteracted sadly by a poorly placed fence at the bottom of the ramp! The presence of a security guard at the toilet door gave me mixed feelings - on the one hand he could move the fence (which ideally shouldn't have been there at all), but on the other hand it would be a bit of a nuisance to have someone lingering right outside the door of the accessible loo. I noticed another reviewer picked up on this too, so it can't have been a one-off and security must always be positioned here. Bit of a shame really.

Staff

Average

Spoke to a few members of staff (at the bar and in the virtual reality tent). The bar staff were friendly if very inexperienced, and the people in the VR tent were packing up but apologetic. Staff maintaining the pop-up by collecting cups and litter were very friendly.

Additional Information

This pop-up is a great place to come if you're looking for the festival buzz but in a slightly more relaxed environment.