Vile graffiti attack in Edinburgh's newly-revamped Princes Street Gardens playground sparks outrage

Residents have expressed outrage after discovering the newly renovated playground in Princes Street Gardens was targeted by vandals.

On Saturday, Edinburgh local John Hooks took to social media to condemn vile graffiti which had been painted on some of the equipment in the play park.

Pictures posted online show how vandals had plastered the playground's colourful boards with football slogans and offensive language, as well as damaged one of the play units.

The castle-themed play area, in the western corner of the gardens near the Ross Fountain, reopened in 2024 after a major redevelopment.

It features a large turret-shaped slide, monkey bars, climbing walls and nets, a fireman's pole and swings.

Alongside the photos, Mr Hooks said: “At a kids playground in Princes Street Gardens, prime tourist location and this is what we advertise ourselves as.

“Edinburgh council should get this cleaned up and get the sticks replaced with something more secure.”

Vandals damaged one of the play units and plastered offensive graffiti on the colourful boards | Supplied

He later told the Edinburgh Evening News: “Having just come back to Scotland after living in Toronto for a few years it made me sad to see such a lovely play park for kids graffitied.

“To think this is something tourists experience of Scotland when they come to visit our country and capital city is just so disappointing.”

Edinburgh council has been informed of the incident, and confirmed on Tuesday the graffiti had been removed.

City Centre Councillor Finlay McFarlane said: “I am extremely grateful for how quick the council teams responded to my report and cleared the graffiti.

“It is beyond disappointing that this nearly brand-new play equipment which was funded by the Scottish Government for the kids was targeted in this way."

“Graffiti and tagging takes just a few seconds to do but I know from experience takes a lot longer to clean and costs the public purse, meaning we have less resource to focus elsewhere.

“Thankfully, cleansing teams will soon be boosted with funding from the Visitor Levy which will help keep Edinburgh beautiful."

Data provided by Edinburgh council shows there has been a 70 per cent increase in the number of graffiti incidents reported in Edinburgh city centre since 2021.

The figures show 672 graffiti incidents were reported in the city centre in 2025/2026 - more than double the amount recorded the previous year.

Last summer, at least 10 shops on Victoria Street in Edinburgh's Old Town had graffiti tags sprayed on their windows, stone walls and doors - while graffiti was also daubed on the side of St Giles' Cathedral.

Earlier this year, Edinburgh Council agreed spending from revenue raised by the new Edinburgh Visitor Levy, which comes into force next month, would include funding to ensure the city’s streets and open spaces are kept clean.

The spending programme included £500,000 per annum to tackle graffiti through extra support for private businesses, as well as £1.3 million in additional waste and cleansing services for the city centre.