Terminal V to leave Edinburgh after final April festival
The move will mark the end of almost a decade in the city
Terminal V has announced that this year’s April event will be its final edition in Edinburgh, bringing to a close almost a decade at the Royal Highland Centre.
The electronic music festival will take place on 18 and 19 April 2026 before relocating to a new site from 2027.
Organisers say the move follows increasing operational challenges in delivering an event of its scale in the city. Policing and associated deployment costs now represent a significant proportion of overall delivery costs at the current site.
Since launching at the Royal Highland Centre in 2017, Terminal V has grown into one of the UK’s largest electronic music festivals. It’s ranked number one in Scotland, fifth in the UK and 34th in the world in the DJ Mag Awards, and has welcomed more than a quarter of a million fans to the capital. The event has become a major fixture in Scotland’s electronic music calendar, hosting leading names across techno and house.
“This is a significant moment for us,” said co-founder Derek Martin. “Edinburgh has been home to Terminal V since the beginning, and some of our biggest moments have happened here. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built in Edinburgh, the Festival City, over the past nine years, and grateful to the Royal Highland Centre and all of our partners who have supported the brand’s growth.”
Co-founder Simon McGrath said delivering the event at the level audiences expect is becoming increasingly difficult in the current climate.
“We’re not prepared to compromise on quality,” he said. “Making this move will allow us to take the festival further and deliver even more ambitious electronic music experiences in the years ahead. While April 2026 will be the last edition in Edinburgh, we have some exciting plans ahead for the growth of Terminal V this year and beyond.”
The final Edinburgh edition will feature six stages and more than 100 artists, including 999999999, Anetha, Ben Hemsley, Clouds x Tommy Holohan, East End Dubs, Hate Models, Klangkuenstler, Mall Grab, Patrick Topping, Robert Hood and Sara Landry.
Organisers say every stage will be completely reimagined for the send-off.
In collaboration with global audio company d&b audiotechnik, the festival will also introduce a bespoke, site-wide sound redesign, promising its most refined and powerful production to date.
Beyond Edinburgh, Terminal V now stages a Croatian festival each summer and made its London debut last year at the 15,000-capacity Drumsheds. A new festival site for 2027, alongside a global tour of international shows to mark its tenth anniversary, will be announced in due course.
Final remaining tickets for the April 2026 edition go on sale at 12 noon on Tuesday - the last opportunity to attend Terminal V at the Royal Highland Centre.