The Biscuit Factory

The Biscuit Factory is a trendy multi-purpose arts, studio and venue space in the heart of Leith that produces some of the most unique events in the city in an industrial backdrop rare to Edinburgh. The actual premises of the Biscuit Factory was once one of the two main Crawford's biscuit factories in Leith, built in 1947 close to the sugar bonds to ease the transportation of raw goods and materials to the site. Having lain empty for more than a decade, the site has been revived by creative agency Youth Juice Creative to house over 15 different creative studios, a gin distillery and events and exhibition spaces which open to the public on an event-by-event basis. The mid- to long-term objective of The Biscuit Factory is to raise funds to enable the arts industry in Edinburgh to reach out specifically to the surrounding local community through arts education and participatory projects; and more generally to the international arts sector to bring nationally and internationally-renowned artists, programming and events to Edinburgh to enrich the cultural diversity of the city. In the two years since its opening, the site has accomplished much of the initial goals it set out to do, providing unique programming to the area, devoting over 40% of its annual programming for free or at subsidised rates to non-profits and local community organisations. The Biscuit Factory has, in fact, featured a number of world-class acts, including The Street's Mike Skinner, Mixmag's world's number one DJ The Black Madonna, Edinburgh outfit Young Fathers and Scotland's favourite Gerry Cinnamon.