Home / Moving in August, festival closures

Moving in August, when the festivals are on

Every August the Old Town fills up and parts of it close to traffic. If you are moving in or near the centre that month, the timing of the van matters more than at any other time of year. This is what the council published for 2026, and how to plan around next year's.

What closed in summer 2026

The council's Summertime Streets arrangements for 2026 ran from 10 July to 7 September. The ones that matter most for a removal were these.

• High Street, Parliament Square, Cockburn Street and St Giles' Street were closed to vehicles from 7 to 30 August, from half past ten in the morning to midnight on weekdays and to nine in the evening at weekends.
• The Lawnmarket, from Castlehill to George IV Bridge, was for people on foot and on bikes only, with servicing, loading and unloading allowed from half past six until half past ten in the morning.
• The Cowgate was closed to vehicles from three in the afternoon to five in the morning between 27 July and 2 September, with essential local access in and out by Guthrie Street.
• There were further evening closures around the Tattoo, and short closures at the top of Blair Street and at East Adam Street.

On the High Street and the streets around it, the council told drivers to follow the temporary signs for loading and unloading.

What that means for a move

If your flat is on or just off the Royal Mile, the van has a window in the early morning and very little after that. Book an early start, have everything ready the night before, and tell your driver the exact street when they get in touch. If the job will run past the end of a loading window, it may be better to split it over two mornings than to try to beat the clock.

Further out the closures do not apply, but the city is still full. Visitors' cars take bays that are usually free, and some streets get temporary restrictions for events at short notice. Look at the signs on your street a few days before, and if you need a bay kept clear, read the page on parking, permits and suspended bays and apply early.

Booking a van in August

August is also the run-up to the student year. Give it two weeks or more, and keep a second date in mind. Driving time is included in the price you see, but a van that crawls through festival traffic still uses up the loading time you booked, so allow a little more than you would in March.

Weekday mornings are quieter on the roads than weekends.

Next year

The 2027 arrangements had not been published when this page was written. The council usually puts the summer's road changes on its Summertime Streets page ahead of the season, along with information on access for residents and businesses. If you are moving next August, check that page when you book and put any loading window in the notes for your driver.

The centre is also inside the Low Emission Zone, which applies all year round, festival or not.