Pleasance Courtyard: A quiet study nook transformed into a bustling arts hub

The Pleasance Courtyard, located at the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, has served the city and its visitors for over 40 years. During the Fringe Festival in August it transforms into one of the busiest venues for the world's largest performing arts festival, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors every day, but for the rest of the year it quietly continues to serve coffees, pints and small bites to in-the-know students and locals. This double-life sums up Edinburgh’s year, best known for its exciting summer festival season and its cosy winter markets, the Pleasance Courtyard offers a third space for people seeking the thrills and the comforts the city has to offer. Pleasance during the Fringe The courtyard transforms into a bustling hub for socialising [Image supplied to My Third Place by EUSA] With 18 performance spaces, six bars, five food pop-ups and a coffee stand and space for thousands of people to sit and stand soaking in the atmosphere, the Pleasance Courtyard comes alive in the summer. Commonly referred to as The Pleasance, or simply The Courtyard, the venue is actually made up of three conjoining courtyards and a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, taking over some of the neighbouring Pleasance Gym to open up theatre spaces for the festival. While the shows are certainly the main attraction, the cost of tickets can quickly build up, so actually it's best to get together a group of friends, find a bench in the courtyard (preferably one in the main bar area as they all have overhead heaters and umbrellas), grab a drink of choice and enjoy the long summer nights, the buzz of the crowd and watch the natural flow of the queues, flyerers and visitors. Tucked in the rear corner of the second, slightly smaller courtyard lies the Stewarts Bar (previously Innis & Gunn), a personal recommendation for anyone visiting Edinburgh. It offers up locally brewed beers from the Stewart’s Brewery, located just outside of Edinburgh, and lets you sip on some of Scotland’s ...