Bongo Lives! x Hidden Door

27 February 2015 -

The Bongo Club is proud to announce a new collaboration with the Hidden Door festival for this year’s Bongo Lives! event, taking place at both the Bongo and Hidden Door’s new venue for 2015 (TBC*), Friday 22nd – Saturday 30th May.

Bongo Lives! was established in May 2013, soon after The Bongo Club had moved to its latest premises underneath Central Library/George IV Bridge, on the Cowgate. Its third location since the venue first opened in New Street in 1996, this latest site was found after the public led a massive outcry against previous landlords Edinburgh University and associated campaign for the venue to be kept in business (read the abridged history of The Bongo Club here). Conceived as a mini-Fringe-style festival, espousing all the creative elements The Bongo Club holds dear, from fine art to theatre and spoken word, live music to clubbing, Bongo Lives! is a week-long rush of activity from both local and international creatives for the local community.

Hidden Door was set up in 2010 by Edinburgh-based artists to be a dynamic platform to showcase breakthrough talent and reach new audiences across Edinburgh. However, it took a giant step in 2014 when the volunteer-run organization took over the derelict Market Street vaults behind Waverley station and turned them into a thriving 9-day hub of ambitious art installations, live music, theatre, film and spoken word. Hidden Door’s vision is now built around the idea of opening up new territory for the arts, both in terms of disused areas and forgotten realms of the city, and also in terms of creating unique opportunities for creative producers to innovate and collaborate. Ultimately, with each annual event in a different site, the festival is a unique opportunity for audiences to explore a forgotten, mysterious space, and discover and get to know the inspirational creativity that is normally hidden away in the city.

It made a huge amount of sense for The Bongo Club to join forces with Hidden Door in this way and we’re very much looking forward to seeing how this latest collaboration bears fruit for all concerned, with events running concurrently at both venues.

*With Hidden Door’s licence still to be granted, its venue will be announced, as will be more info about this brand new collaboration, asap…

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