Hidden Door is back at the Paper Factory at Maybury in June and has just announced the full line-up of artists who will transform the site into an arts experience like no other.
The warehouses which were once home to Saica the cardboard manufacturer, have been empty for some time and this year is going to be The Last Shift for Hidden Door who will use the factory floors and offices for the final time.
Thereafter the plans for developing the site into a housing area are moving ahead.
The festival takes place from 3 to 7 June 2026. Tickets available here.
Music
Each night of the festival offers a diverse roster of musical acts, kicking off on Wednesday with enigmatic electro-pop sensation BIG WETT and experimental artist ICHI taking the concept of a one-man band to new limits with his quirky handmade instrument inventions.
Thursday brings punk duo Cowboy Hunters along with a mystery headliner to be revealed soon, whilst Friday presents local dream pop duo Sarah/Shaun, electronic genre hopper Makeness and Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer and novelist Jenny Hval before feminist DJ collective EPiKA get the party started in the club space.
On Saturday Skye natives Valtos present their acclaimed High Water Mark show, fusing traditional Gaelic folk with club-ready electronic music. Later that night in the club space, Fred Deakin, the legend behind Lemon Jelly, will take to the decks to play us out. Then on Sunday, the last shift welcomes the endless energy of Tinderbox Orchestra, harpist Dara Dubh and the hypnotic orchestral pop of Lauren Auder.
We’ve got more musical surprises to be revealed in the coming weeks, including the ten bands selected from over 300 applications to our open call, in partnership with Creative Edinburgh and the National Centre for Music.
Visual Art
Once again, the festival’s visual art programme will make the most of its unique setting, inviting audiences to explore and discover every corner of The Paper Factory. Discover a range of work including large sculptural installations, wall-based work, projection and textiles, all curated amongst the defunct machinery and industrial spaces.
The visual artists confirmed so far include Chema Rodriguez Alcantara, Ellie Harrison, Emma Macleod, Tiphereth, Fraser MacBeath, Iris Ollier, Jamie McNeill, Jo Fleming Smith, Lilian Ptacek, Michele Marcoux, Nathan Smith, Oana Stanciu, Pandora Vaughan, Ray Downie, Rosie Aspinall Priest, Silas Thomas Parry, Stuart Stafford, Tess Glen and Holly Booth.
Poetry and Spoken Word
Thought provoking, personal, funny and moving – this year’s programme brings the power of spoken word back into a building that has fallen silent; the factory’s atmospheric chambers echoing with the voices of raw human expression.
Over the five nights, our spoken word programme will feature Iona Lee, Josh Cake, Emily Grace Briggs, RJ Hunter and Sean Wai Keung.
Dance
Once again, the Paper Factory will play host to cutting-edge dance performances, popping up around the cavernous industrial spaces.
Look out for experimental multidisciplinary artist and choreographer Ellen Crofton seeking rhythms in chaos and repetition, plus award-winning duo PCK Dance, celebrated for pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance. Elsewhere, Lothian Youth Dance Company present Flies, reimagining the classic Lord of the Flies through a raw and physical dance language, with choreography by Tough Boys Dance Collective.
Creative Collaborations
Threading throughout the 2026 programme are four newly commissioned interdisciplinary collaborations, waiting to be encountered by visitors as they explore The Paper Factory. Visionaries from radically different disciplines – from musicians and installation artists to contemporary dancers and theatrical innovators – have been challenged to create something that could only exist in this distinct moment and place.
Appearing each night of the festival, these totally unique site specific projects are not to be missed, telling the Paper Factory’s story – both real and imagined – through its past, present and future:
Everyone Left: a unique dance piece incorporating live film, where each performance will have a live feed streamed across the site at Activation Points.
Process Line: a spoken word and theatre production that follows The Last Worker as they perform the routines of the factory with movement and sung lyrics.
Ghosts: a physical theatre and roaming performance art piece featuring animal-like ghost figures. Awoken by last year’s festival, the figures now move across the site, performing rituals and searching the factory for their missing pigeon guide.
Machine Stops: a film and sound work with live performance, drawing on archival material, site recordings and constructed imagery, as the building attempts to remember itself, after its systems have failed.
In addition to these commissioned works, this year’s festival welcomes back Tinderbox’s Room to Play bringing interactive experiences through sound, art and performance with their customary playful spirit.
Ticket prices for all
With an ongoing commitment to inclusivity, Hidden Door has expanded its concessionary ticket options, ensuring that financial barriers and accessibility won’t prevent anyone from experiencing the event:
- As always, the festival will be free to attend each day until 6pm
- D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people are entitled to 30% off the standard price ticket for each price tier
- Anyone who is currently unemployed can also benefit from the 30% discount
- Students and those under 26 are entitled to 20% off, whilst over 65s can claim 10% off the standard price ticket
- We are once again partnering with Gig Buddies, supporting audience members with learning disabilities
- And going even further to include as many people as possible, for those who need them, a limited number of “Pay What You Can” tickets are available for every evening.
Hazel Johnson, Director of Hidden Door, said:
“We are excited to invite audiences to the Paper Factory’s “Final Shift” to witness the last, most vibrant chapter of this incredible site’s history.
“By bringing together sound, movement, performance and visual art, we are transforming these now silent warehouses into a living, breathing, shifting entity.
“It is a celebration of collaboration and the incredible artistic talent we have here in Scotland; this year’s programme has created the environment for our team to explore the story of a truly unique space. The result is going to be something entirely unrepeatable and spectacular.”
Hidden Door gratefully acknowledges the support of Creative Scotland whose Multi Year Funding has made this ambitious and unique celebration of creativity possible.
Paul Burns, Director of Arts at Creative Scotland said:
“Hidden Door continues to demonstrate the power in repurposing unused urban spaces for cultural events, and art as regenerative for communities both in its buildings and people. This year’s festival features artists and organisations working across a wide range of artforms, exploring the winding paths of The Paper Factory, and the festival’s commitment to inclusivity in ticketing and experience means that the doors are open for everyone.
“Now receiving Scottish Government funding through Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Fund, Hidden Door is pushing boundaries in its creative offering and through exploring memory is making sure this year’s programme is one you won’t forget.”
Food and Drink
As always, the festival will be fuelled by a diverse and vibrant selection of local food talent, offering a global culinary journey to match the eclectic arts programme.
Attendees can enjoy award-winning authentic Japanese street food from Harajuku Kitchen, whose family recipes bring the soul of Tokyo to Edinburgh, alongside the bold Mexican flavours of El Dorado, specialising in slow-cooked meats, bold salsas and freshly made corn tortillas.
The House of Tapas will be serving up a true taste of Spain with their signature paellas, tapas and sangria, while Chicken Skoop introduces a playful twist on comfort food with their original fried chicken in freshly baked waffle cones.
Completing the line-up are Big Blu, providing expert artisan pizzas stone-baked to order from their iconic van, and a dedicated Artisan Coffee station to keep festival-goers energised.
Meanwhile over at the bars, the festival is once again partnering with Bellfield Brewery and Great Grog to offer refreshments to suit all tastes.
About The Paper Factory
The colossal 15.5-acre Paper Factory site sits in Edinburgh’s Maybury Quarter, a former paper and cardboard manufacturing facility on the western edge of the city. The site features a mix of warehouses, factory floors, offices and outhouses.
The site is well served by a variety of public transport links, with frequent bus, tram and train services all stopping nearby, making it easy to reach from anywhere in the city or beyond to the west and Glasgow.
The full address is 1 Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh EH12 8NP.
