Spiegeltent green light

THE Fringe is set to take over George Street this year after plans for a Spiegeltent outside the Assembly Rooms were approved by the council.

Australian impresario David Bates, the founder of the original Spiegeltent venue in George Square, has struck a deal with Tommy Sheppard, who is running the Assembly Rooms programme this year, to jointly promote the “al fresco” area in the middle of George Street.

The street will be closed off to traffic for a month from the end of July to make way for performers and visitors.

And the promoters have set ambitious targets, with Mr Sheppard saying he and Mr Bates would sell more than 300,000 tickets between them.