White Light returns for Gilded Balloon’s 40th anniversary

White Light returns for Gilded Balloon's 40th anniversary

White Light returned this year to work with Gilded Balloon – a cornerstone of the Edinburgh Fringe – to deliver another bold and sustainable programme for the event

Photos by Tom Tomkins

At Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, White Light (WL) once again supported Gilded Balloon. In celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary, White Light delivered full lighting and rigging across 18 venues.

For this event, Gilded Balloon transformed university buildings and cultural spaces into vibrant performance venues. The 2025 programme spanned Adam House, Applegate Tower and the National Museum of Scotland. Each of these spaces presented a unique opportunity for theatre – and unique technical challenges.

A major technical milestone was the rollout of a unified lighting control system across all venues. WL engineered a cost-effective solution using ETC Nomad running Eos software paired with third-party hardware. The system has since been adopted for West End and opera productions, underscoring its impact.

“Working with Gilded Balloon is always a rewarding experience,” said Dan Last, key account manager at WL. “Their ambition and adaptability push us to innovate, and this year was no exception. From custom truss structures to advanced LED rigs, we tailored each solution to meet the demands of the space and the vision of the team.”

Highlights included the transformation of one large workshop space in Adam House into separate venues using soundproofed truss boxes and LED rigs to reduce heat output. The team also overcame rigging limitations by deploying lightweight ETC ColorSource Pars. These transformations were guided by the central theme of sustainability.

WL met each performance space with precision, creativity and collaboration

Tom Tomkins, WL’s project manager, shared his highlight collaborating with the team on-site, saying, “As a platform that opens doors into the industry, Gilded Balloon attracts a lot of new talent, and it’s incredibly rewarding to support their development.”

WL has partnered with Gilded Balloon since 2014, growing from nine venues in one building to 18 venues across three. As Gilded Balloon marks four decades at the Fringe, WL looks ahead to 2026 and the reopening of Teviot Row House.

Find out more at whitelight.ltd.uk