Built 1892 by Frank Matcham. Opened 7 Nov 1892 as "Empire Palace Theatre". Severely damaged by a fire on 9 May 1911. Subsequently rebuilt. 1928 major rebuilding by W. & T. R. Milburn. 1970 renamed "Empire Theatre". 1994 major renovation, re-opened as "Festival Theatre". From 1947 until 1963 and again since 1994 one of the main venues of the Edinburgh International Festival. Originally 3000 seats, now 1915 seats.

Links: www.capitaltheatres.com, Theatres Trust, EUTA, CinemaTreasures, Wikipedia