Edinburgh International Festival announce new partnership with Edinburgh Gin

Edinburgh International Festival is delighted to announce that Edinburgh Gin will be the festival’s first Official Gin, in a partnership that welcomes the distillers as Festival sponsors of The Hub - home of the International Festival and of Light on the Shore - a programme of popular Scottish music at Leith Theatre.

Edinburgh Gin, one of the UK’s leading gins is renowned for producing a much loved and dynamic range of gins for every occasion. It produces every bottle of their world-class gin at distilleries in Edinburgh’s West End and Leith.

This summer the International Festival returns to Leith Theatre for the first time in thirty years, with a special season of Scottish popular music which is supported by the distillers Edinburgh Gin Seaside brand. Light on the Shore with Edinburgh Gin Seasidecelebrates the remarkable variety and collaborative nature of Scottish music. Artists including Mogwai, Django Django and Karine Polwartwill appear in concert, Anna Meredith will revisit her widely acclaimed albumVarmintswith Southbank Sinfonia, and Berlin-based Stargaze Ensemble will rework Boards of Canada’s High Scores. Additionally, some of the country's most collaborative innovators including Neu! Reekie!,Hidden Door,Celtic ConnectionsandLau, will curate bespoke events as part of the series. The full programme of events is revealed tomorrow, Wednesday 2 May, with tickets available to buy from Friday 4 May at 10am from eif.co.uk.

Leith Theatre was home to International Festival events through the 1960s until 1988, when the venue closed its doors to the public. Thanks to the perseverance of local organisations such as the Leith Theatre Trust and Hidden Door festival, it is re-emerging as a vital contemporary venue for Edinburgh and forms a natural home for Light on the Shore with Edinburgh Gin Seaside.