All the planned road closures and bus diversions for the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2025
Thousands of runners will take part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival next weekend - the second largest marathon in the UK outside of London.
First held in 1982, the annual event has sold out every year for the last 17 years, with participants supporting a number of charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Alzheimer Scotland, the British Heart Foundation and the MS Society.
There are a number of races taking place over the weekend of May 24 and 25, with the full Edinburgh Marathon and half marathon getting underway on Sunday at Potterrow. The 10K and 5K races will take place on Saturday starting at Holyrood Park.
There will be a series of road closures over the festival weekend and Lothian Buses has now announced a full list of bus services affected during the Edinburgh Marathon Festival.
More than 20 Lothian Bus services will be affected during the Edinburgh Marathon between Friday, May 23, and Sunday, May 25.
Friday, May 23
The City Sightseeing bus will operate directly from Canongate to Abbeyhill (not serving Dynamic Earth) between 5pm on Friday until the end of service on Saturday, May 24.
Saturday, May 24
Between 6am and 11am
Services 2, 14 and 30 (Citybound) will be diverted via Peffermill Road, Cameron Toll Roundabout and Dalkeith Road.
Services 2, 14, 30 and 33 (Southbound)
Services 2 and 30 will be diverted via Newington Road, Minto Street, Mayfield Gardens, Craigmillar Park, Lady Road and Peffermill Road.
Service 14 will be diverted via East Preston Street, Newington Road, Minto Street, Mayfield Gardens, Craigmillar Park and Lady Road.
Service 33 will be diverted via Newington Road, Minto Street, Mayfield Gardens, Craigmillar Park, Lady Road and Old Dalkeith Road.
Between 5pm and the end of service
City Sightseeing buses between Lothian Road and Nicolson Street, will operate via Lothian Road, Earl Grey Street, Brougham Street, Melville Drive, hope Park Crescent and South Clerk Street.
Edinburgh Tour buses running between Chambers Street and Charlotte Square will operate via George IV Bridge, The Mound, Hanover Street and George Street.
Lothian Bus service 9 between George IV Bridge and Melville Drive will be diverted via Chambers Street, Surgeons’ Hall, Nicolson Street, South Clerk Street and Hope Park Terrace in both directions.
Between 5pm on Saturday, May 24 and 1pm on Sunday, May 25
Service 2 (heading towards The Jewel) will be diverted via Brougham Street, Melville Drive and Hope Park Terrace between East Fountainbridge and South Clerk Street.
Service 2 (to Hermiston Gait) will be diverted via Hope Park Terrace, Melville Drive, Brougham Street, West Tollcross and Ponton Street between South Clerk Street and Semple Street,
Service 47 will be diverted via Brougham Street, Melville Drive and Hope Park Terrace between East Fountainbridge and South Clerk Street in both directions.
Service 23 will be diverted via George Street, Frederick Street, Princes Street, Lothian Road and Earl Grey Street between North Hanover Street and Home Street in both directions.
Service 27 will be diverted via George Street, Frederick Street, Princes Street, Lothian Road and Earl Grey Street between North Hanover Street and Home Street in both directions.
Service 12 will be diverted via Earl Grey Street, Brougham Street and Melville Drive between Usher Hall and Causewayside in both directions.
Service 35 will be diverted via Regent Road, Waterloo Place, Princes Street and Lothian Road between Easter Road and Fountainbridge in both directions.
Service 45 will be diverted via Princes Street, Lothian Road and Earl Grey Street between Leith Street and Home Street in both directions.
Sunday 25th May
Between 5am and 6.30pm
Service 26 (in both directions) will not serve areas between Levenhall Roundabout and Seton Sands and be unable to stop on Pinkie Road during these hours. Customers can change to free Service 226 to Seton Sands at the top pans.
Services 113 and 124 will be unable to serve Linkfield Road in both directions. Buses will also be unable to stop on Pinkie Road.
Service 44 will be unable to stop on Pinkie Road in both directions.
Between start of service and 1pm
City Sightseeing buses between the Grassmarket and Regent Road, will operate via Cowgate, Holyrood Road, Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road, Pleasance, West Richmond Street, Nicolson Street, South Bridge, North Bridge, Princes Street, St. Andrew Square, York Place, Antigua Street, London Road and Easter Road.
Edinburgh Tour buses between South St. David Street and Grassmarket, will operate via Princes Street, North Bridge, South Bridge, Nicolson Street, West Richmond Street, Pleasance, Holyrood Road, Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road and Cowgate.
Regal Tour buses will operate directly between Easter Road and Regent Road and will not serve Holyrood Palace.
Service 9, between Hanover Street and Melville Drive, will be diverted via George Street, South St. David Street, Waverley, North Bridge, South Bridge, Nicolson Street, South Clerk Street and Hope Park Terrace in both directions.
Between start of service and 6pm
Service 124 (travelling in both directions) between Longniddry Station and Dirleton, will operate via Ballencrief and Drem. Customers can connect to the free service C124 at Dirleton for Gullane and Aberlady.
Between start of service and 6.30pm
Service 106 will be diverted via Salters Road, Wallyford (A6094) and the A1 in both directions between Queen Margaret University and Strawberry Corner.
Between 6am and 11am
The AIRLINK 100 service to the airport will depart from George Street - The Dome (Stop GM) and operate via George Street and Frederick Street. Waverley Bridge will be closed.
Between 6am and 12.30pm
Service 19 will operate between Granton Square and Lochend Roundabout only.
Service 25 will operate between Heriot-Watt University and Lochend Roundabout only.
Service 21 will be diverted via Portobello Road, London Road, Marionville Road and Lochend Drive between Portobello Road and Restalrig Road in both directions.
Service 49 will be diverted via Portobello Road, London Road, Marionville Road and Lochend Drive between Portobello Road and Restalrig Road in both directions.
Between 9am and 6.45pm
Service 140 will be unable to serve Newbigging, Musselburgh High Street and Musselburgh Tesco. Buses will terminate at Musselburgh Grammar.
Between 10.30am and 5.45pm
Service 48 will be unable to serve Musselburgh High Street, Newbigging and Musselburgh Grammar. Buses will operate one-way loop in Musselburgh from Eskview Terrace via Mall Avenue, Bridge Street (Terminus), North High Street, Newhailes Road and Olive Bank Road.
Edinburgh Marathon Festival 2025 road closures
Between 5pm on Friday, May 23 to 6pm on Saturday, May 24 and between 6am and 12.30pm on Sunday, May 25
Holyrood Gait, Queen’s Drive, Duke’s Walk and Horse Wynd will be closed in their entirety.
Between 6am and 11am on Saturday, May 24
Holyrood Park Road (from East Parkside to Duddingston Low Road), Duddingston Low Road (Both sides in its entirety), King’s Haugh (in its entirety), King’s Meadow (at its junction with Prestonfield Avenue), Prestonfield Avenue (from Peffermill Road to Clearburn Road), Priestfield Road (at its junction with Prestonfield Avenue), Prestonfield Terrace (at its junction with Prestonfield Avenue), Prestonfield Bank (at its junction with Prestonfield Avenue), Kilmaurs Terrace (at its junction with Dalkeith Road), Priestfield Road (at its junction with Dalkeith Road).
Between 5pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday
Potterrow, Lothian Street, Teviot Place, Charles Street, George Square Lane, Crichton Street and Marshall Street will be closed in their entirety.
Between 5am and 11am on Sunday
Chapel Street, Buccleuch Street, Bristo Place, Forrest Road and West Nicolson Street will be closed in their entirety. There will still be access to the north side of Nicolson Square and to the nearby carpark.
Between 6am and 11am on Sunday
Lauriston Place (between George Heriot’s school and its junction with Forrest Road). George IV Bridge, Lawnmarket, Bank Street, North Bank Street, The Mound, Cockburn Street, Waverley Bridge, Market Street, Jeffrey Street will all be closed in their entirety. The Canongate and Abbey Strand will remain closed until 12pm on Sunday.
Between 6am and 12.30pm on Sunday
Meadowbank Terrace (in its entirety), Parsons Green Terrace and Wolseley Crescent (at London Road), Restalrig Road South, Restalrig Avenue, Craigentinny Avenue, Fillyside Road, King’s Place.
Between 8.10am and 9.35am and again between 10.10am and 11.30am on Sunday
Craigentinny Road (between Britwell Crescent and Christiemiller Avenue), Seafield Road (from Seafield Retail Park to Seafield Way).
Between 5am and 1.30pm on Sunday
A199 Edinburgh Road (between City of Edinburgh Council boundary to its junction with New Street), New Street, Promenade, Links View, Eskside West, Shorthope Street, Eskside East, James Street, Goosegreen Crescent, Balcarres Road.
Millhill Car Park will be closed between 10pm on Saturday to 1.30pm on Sunday.
Between 5am and 6.30pm on Sunday
Millhill, Linkfield Road, Ravensheugh Road, Prestonpans High Street, Beulah, Linkfield Court, Windsor Gardens, Ashgrove, Pinkie Terrace, Edenhall Road, Park Lane, Rothesay Place, Grove Street, Macbeth Moir Road, Windsor Park Drive, Craighall Terrace, Hope Place, Hope Place, Mayville Bank, Ravensheugh Crescent, Managers Brae, King Street, Wanless Court, Ravensheugh Brae, Chuckers Row,
Between 5am and 6pm on Sunday
Edinburgh Road (Cockenzie B1348), Gosford Road, Cockenzie High Street, Elcho Place, Wemyss Place, Viewforth, Seton Place, Links Road (B1348), B1348 (Coast Road), Prestongrange Road, Inchview North, The Pottery, Redburn Road North, Cookies Wynd, Ormiston Place, West Seaside, East Seaside, Ayres Wynd, Harlaw Hill, Pypers Wynd, Robertson Avenue, Fowlers Court, Salt Preston Place, Sir Walter Scott Pend, Nethershot Road, Whin Park Industrial Estate, West Lorimer Place, West Harbour Road, East Lorimer Place Lane.
The A198 (from the junction with B1348 to the access with Greencraig) will be closed between 5am and 3.30pm on Sunday.
Between 5am and 2pm on Sunday
Harbour Road, Bush Street, Caird's Row, Beach Lane, Links Avenue, Links Street, Gracefield Carpark, Downie Place, Ladywell, Eskdale Mews, Mountjoy Terrace/Court, Goose Green Road, Old Course Gate, Goose Green Court, Goose Green Avenue, Goose Green Place.
Between 5am and 5pm on Sunday
Park Road (at its junction with Gosford Road), Fishers Road (at its junction with Links Road), Barga Court, Marshall Street, South Doors, School Lane, New Street, Hares Close, Gardiner's Close, Kay Gardens, Manse Lane, Cope Lane, The Promenade (at its junction with Links Road), Barracks Street, Links Court, Castle Terrace, School Lane, Dean Road, Long Craigs, Dean Road, Lyars Road.