Brian Ferguson

Scottish arts and culture journalist.
Arts and Entertainment Journalist of the Year - 2026 Scottish Press Awards.
Any views expressed are mine alone.

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

🚨 Exclusive: City council chiefs have urged people to plan ahead for “walking or cycling wherever possible” when the city’s festivals are up and running as they insisted they are still unable to set a date for the reopening of Princes Street. 🚨

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

What a compelling hour this was at the Fringe. I’m not sure I had even heard of John Davidson this time last year.
https://t.co/xoJir8PAh8

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Cars are still king almost everywhere in Edinburgh city centre, despite endless designs, visions and consultations.
Traffic free boulevards are commonplace all over Europe.
You can drive up and down most streets in Edinburgh, even during Scotland’s equivalent of the Olympics.

[Laura Pollock @laura_pollock_]

Felt slightly dangerous walking around Edinburgh today, with pedestrians walking on roads and, up ahead of this picture, members of the public helping manage traffic jams amid the crowds

The Fringe once again pushing the city to breaking point with a record number of shows 🙃

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Lots of interest in this so far today - one of the most read pieces on any subject on our site. #edfests #edinburghfestivals

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

The Herald turns the spotlight on who puts the festivals together, knows them inside out and makes sure they go ahead 👇

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

@conor_matchett I almost sprinted to catch a No 16 bus - on Princes St! - last night…madness.

[Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco @joshpizpom]

NEW: Amanda Knox says her stand-up comedy show at the Fringe 'honours Meredith Kercher's memory'

She has hit back at a petition urging festival organisers to cancel the sold-out run of performances.

@heraldscotland

https://t.co/CHRHqIAeao

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Meet The Herald’s 2026 Edinburgh festivalisers!

[Herald Mag & Arts @heraldmagazine]

Meet The Herald's arts writers for this year's Edinburgh festivals - I can't decide if they should be dubbed the Wild Bunch or the Crazy Gang https://t.co/TEEnXbLEDI @brianjaffa @Nicola_Meighan @marissaamayy1 @keithjbruce @NeilCooper1 @heraldscotland @J_BraunRaven @evie_glen

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

@oculusaye @thecockburn @EdinburghWH Great to artists and performers returning to a privately-owned garden in Edinburgh city centre. Charlotte Square next, hopefully!

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Better late than never, but it has taken far too long to get this commitment out of the Scottish Government, after excruciating criticism from businesses, Edinburgh Festival bosses & politicians.
Ministers need to do everything possible to help the city & its events this month.

[Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco @joshpizpom]

BREAKING: £5 million for Edinburgh to support fire recovery, @scotgov confirms.

Details to be confirmed at crunch talks with @Edinburgh_CC this morning.

@heraldscotland

https://t.co/COuQJqiWhU

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

I finally made it to North Berwick for a proper visit to Fringe by the Sea for the first time. Here’s what I made of the “festival experience” at the increasingly popular event. https://t.co/m3cu3DyJxV

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

What is really going on with the former CCA building in Glasgow and its 50-year?
My latest long read for The Herald: https://t.co/t7KgyFMsMS

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

@_ScottBlair_ @ross_maclean No way! Watch out for me!

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

@GavinKBarrie Jeez, I never thought of that! The council website is woefully inadequate, particularly for anyone who will be visiting the city for the festivals.

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Really hope I'm wrong, but I cannot see the city council getting public transport back onto Princes Street until after the Edinburgh Festival.

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

EXCLUSIVE

Public transport disruption in the aftermath of the Princes Street fire is set to continue until the last few days of Edinburgh’s summer festivals season, the city council has admitted 👇

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

@_ScottBlair_ @ross_maclean

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Poor show from the PM, who should have taken the opportunity to meet all of the main festival organisers in the city and discuss how to meaningfully support the UK's biggest cultural gathering.

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

Andy Burnham cancels his Edinburgh Fringe appearance 👇

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Now here’s a big Edinburgh Festival story!

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

One of the biggest and brightest voices in Scottish arts journalism is joining The Herald to report from the Edinburgh Festivals.

We are delighted to welcome @Nicola_Meighan, formerly of Radio Scotland, who will be writing a festival diary 👇

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Edinburgh City Council: “There’s plenty capacity on the buses.”
Time to dust off the bike? 🚲

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

“We are very grateful to our cast, crew and creative team for their dedication to the production, but the current economic climate has resulted in lower than expected ticket sales.”

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

EXCLUSIVE

'If Edinburgh of all places is stuck on 19 per cent sales - you know you’re f***ed!' 👇

𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘎𝘌: 𝘐𝘢𝘯 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵/𝘗𝘈 𝘞𝘪𝘳𝘦/𝘗𝘈 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

Here’s the letter Ben Macpherson sent to the First Minister on July 16, a week after the Princes Street fire. The Edinburgh Festival - the biggest cultural event in the world - starts on Friday & the government still hasn’t met the council.

[Scottish Government @scotgov]

Deputy First Minister @JennyGilruthMSP welcomes quick action in response to the aftermath of the fire on Princes Street on July 9th.

This is to support City of Edinburgh Council and other partners as Edinburgh prepares for August festivals.

Read more: https://t.co/AqMg6DUdWm

[Brian Ferguson @brianjaffa]

📰

[The Herald @heraldscotland]

We're at Holyrood every sitting day, speaking to MSPs and ministers and officials. That's the reason you'll often read things here first.

The Herald has a hard-won reputation for trusted journalism. Please help us keep fighting to protect it.

https://t.co/UCh7SYG6D2

@andrewlearmonth @_RebeccaMcCurdy @kacnutt @HannahMargBrown