Edinburgh International Festival goes phone-free under Benedetti

The Edinburgh International Festival is banning mobile phones from its performances, festival director Nicola Benedetti has confirmed, making it one of the most significant classical music events in the world to adopt such a policy.

Artists and audiences asked for it

Benedetti, who took the helm of the prestigious festival in 2023, said the decision wasn’t handed down from above. It came from the people in the room — both sides of the stage. Artists had grown frustrated with the glow of screens and the soft click of camera shutters punctuating performances. Audiences, meanwhile, had been asking for protection from the same distractions they were guilty of themselves.

“This is something that both artists and audiences have been requesting,” Benedetti said, framing the move not as a restriction but as a restoration — a return to the kind of focused, communal attention that live performance demands.

What the policy actually means

Attendees will be required to store their phones in sealed pouches before entering venues. The approach mirrors a model already used by some touring artists, including comedian Dave Chappelle and pop star Alicia Keys, who’ve used similar systems at their own shows. The pouches are locked and can only be opened at designated areas outside the performance space.

It’s a firm line. Not a polite request printed in a programme. Not an announcement before the curtain rises that everyone ignores. A physical intervention.

The festival, which runs each August in Edinburgh and draws audiences of around 150,000 across its three-week run, has long prided itself on presenting world-class orchestral, opera, and dance programming. This year’s edition runs from 8 to 31 August 2025.

A growing conversation in the arts world

The move puts the Edinburgh International Festival at the centre of a debate that’s been simmering in theatres and concert halls for years. Some venues have experimented with phone-free nights. Others have gone further, installing signal blockers — though that raises its own legal and safety concerns. Most have done little more than ask nicely.

But Benedetti’s festival is now making a structural commitment. And given her standing — she’s a Grammy-winning violinist and one of the most recognisable figures in classical music — the decision carries weight beyond Edinburgh’s city limits.

A spokesperson for the festival said the policy reflects a broader belief that “the live experience is irreplaceable and deserves to be protected.”

What comes next

Whether other major festivals follow suit remains to be seen. The Proms, Glyndebourne, and Aldeburgh have not announced similar measures. Still, pressure from artists is building across the industry, and Benedetti’s decision may give others the cover they’ve been waiting for.

For now, audiences heading to Edinburgh this August should plan accordingly. The phone stays in the pouch. The music gets to breathe.