Essential Edinburgh

02/09/2026

One month until Edinburgh Cocktail Week begins! As the festival's main supporter, we're delighted to see the programme unveiled today.

A fantastic event that supports our businesses, drives footfall, and showcases the best of our hospitality sector.

👉www.edinburghcocktailweek.co.uk/

29/08/2026

Princes Street has reopened! See the map of bus and tram stops below to help plan your journey. Lothian Buses

12/08/2026

Edinburgh's summer is here! With a busy August and a diversion on Princes Street it helps to plan your journey. Walk, bus, tram, train, or VOI bike! Find out about all travel options on the Council’s website at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/planyourjourney

25/06/2026

In case you missed it, our recent FREE outdoor cinema event in St Andrew Square was a resounding success! Huge thanks to our headline sponsor London North Eastern Railway for their support and Unique Events for bringing the experience to life.

With beautiful weather and an incredible turnout, the garden was the perfect setting for three days of film.

Thank you to all our city centre businesses and sponsors who helped make 'Square Cinema with LNER' possible... and FREE for all to enjoy!

21/05/2026

To celebrate our sixteenth year of Square Cinema, we are offering an exclusive competition to win a wonderful weekend in Edinburgh for four people to attend Square Cinema with LNER from 12th to 14th June 2026.

19/05/2026

Essential Edinburgh is delighted to see the Old Town business community investigating the possibility of forming a BID - there are huge synergies with our work and it would be great to work together in supporting our city centre. We will do everything we can to support the development of the BID if it goes forward.

Speaking to The Herald, campaign co-chairs Arthur Mustard and Kat Brogan invited local businesses to share their views via an online survey.

14/05/2026

🎬✨ Get ready, Edinburgh! The beloved Square Cinema with LNER is back for the 15th time this June! 🎉 Join us for three unforgettable days of FREE outdoor movies in the stunning St Andrew Square Garden from 12th to 14th June.

🍿 Kick off with Swayze-Night, featuring classics like The Outsiders, Dirty Dancing and a 35th-anniversary screening of Point Break! 🔥

Family fun awaits too - don’t miss daytime screenings of Zootropolis 2 and more.

Huge thanks to our amazing partners: London North Eastern Railway, Heineken 0.0, Costa Coffee & Point A Hotels. Let’s make cinematic magic again!

See the full programme here: https://www.edinburghcitycentre.co.uk/square-cinema/

21/04/2026

It’s official - we’re now a Certified B Corporation™ 🎉

This means we’ve met the rigourous standards set by B Lab™ across Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers, and we’re proud to be part of a global movement driving a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.

For us, this reflects our ongoing commitment to the levy-payers and partners who make our city centre community so vibrant.

We’re calling on other Business Improvement Districts across Britain to join us on this journey. Together, we can raise the bar and create lasting impact where it matters most.

A big thank you to Edinburgh B Corp 500 for guiding us through our B Corp™ journey.