St James Quarter Sessions is back and bigger for 2024

St James Quarter Sessions, Edinburgh city centre’s much talked about free music festival, will be back for a second year and promises to be bigger with the addition of new venues and stages.

Article Source: St James Quarter
Last Updated: 2 July 2024 13:36

Edinburgh’s free music festival will offer a diverse range of musical performances from over 80 incredible emerging artists.

From Friday 16th August to Sunday 25th August, guests can get that festival feeling in the heart of the Capital, with not an inch of mud in sight.

This year’s St James Quarter Sessions will launch on August 2nd with a series of pop-up busking performances in partnership with SNACK Magazine. Running throughout August, musicians can apply for a paid performance slot with applications set to open on Friday 5th July.

After launching in 2023, St James Quarter Sessions will again take place during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, supporting some of Scotland’s unique up-and-coming musicians as well as bringing in more established performers from across the UK. 2024 also sees the addition of a rooftop stage with jaw-dropping views across Edinburgh to the castle, Arthur’s Seat and Calton Hill. The free music festival will fill all floors with more than 80 acts performing across the Galleria and 5 venues within the Quarter from pop-up live acoustic sets and DJs to full band performances with a diverse mix of artists from indie rock and alt-pop to jazz fusion and hip hop.

St James Quarter has also teamed up with Forth 1’s Boogie in the Morning to find the best of local talent who will win the chance to perform on one of the stages during the festival AND a day in the W Edinburgh recording studio.

With this unique addition to the Fringe Festival offerings, guests should expect the unexpected throughout the 10 days of Sessions, with a whole host of performances from impressive music talent. Fans can anticipate the line-up to be filled with their favourite DJs, musicians, and rising artists. The Quarter's stores, dining, and entertainment venues will also be joining in with the festival spirit including performances in Bonnie & Wild, Gordon Ramsay Street Burger, The Botanist, The Alchemist and Duck & Waffle.

Free tickets will be available on the St James Quarter app later this month, along with the full line-up announcement for St James Quarter Sessions 2024.

Susan Hewlett, Brand and Marketing Director, said: “2024 has been a tumultuous year for the music industry, specifically festivals, many of which have sadly been cancelled due to rising costs and consumers being more cash conscious. The success of the first St James Quarter Sessions allowed guests to experience emerging live music talent in the city centre for free, whilst also being able to take advantage of an exciting array of food and drink offerings and amenities. The month-long festival all under our glass canopy in the comfort of the Galleria allowed visitors to experience memorable, intimate performances with incredible talent with our retail and leisure partners commercially benefitting from the rise in footfall too. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a calendar highlight for many of our guests, and we cannot wait to be at the heart of the buzz, welcoming our guests to the second edition of St James Quarter Sessions.”

Guests can sign up for free tickets by downloading the St James Quarter App HERE which allows them to stay updated with events happening throughout the Quarter for Sessions and beyond.

For more information, please email: stjamesquarter@johndoehub.com

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