The Royal Highland Centre, originally the Royal Highland Showground, is an exhibition centre and showground located at

Ingliston Ingliston (; sco, Inglistoun) is an area in the west of Edinburgh, near Maybury, South Gyle and Newbridge, and is home to Edinburgh Airport and The Royal Highland Showground. History The name Ingliston either means the "settlement of the In ...

in the western outskirts of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, adjacent to

Edinburgh Airport Edinburgh Airport is an airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2019, handling over 14.7 million passengers. It was also the sixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by ...

and the A8.

History

The

Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) was founded in Edinburgh in 1784 as the Highland Society of Edinburgh. The Society had its root in 1723 when the Society of Improvers of the Knowledge of Agriculture in Scotland was ...

(RHASS) purchased the land in 1958 for £55,000, and after 2 years of infrastructure work including a new roadway and improved electrical supplies, the site was formally opened in 1960. During the 1970s and 1980s, more facilitates were built, including the Highland Hall and Countryside Area. The Royal Highland Centre has played host to live music over the years including

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, The Jacksons, Genesis,

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, Teardrop Explodes,

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

, Oasis, Big Country,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, The Jam, Rush, Electric Light Orchestra, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth,

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

, The Police, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Barry Manilow, Boyzone, Madness, and Roxette. The Ingliston showground has also played host to a number of concerts including the Edinburgh Rock festival of 1979 featuring Van Morrison, Talking Heads, The Undertones, Squeeze, Steel Pulse and The Chieftains. In the 1990s, the Royal Highland Centre became the home of rave events organised by North East-based Rezerection. There were monthly events in the Royal Highland Centre and each summer a much larger event called The Event staged at the centre, where 25,000 people danced the night away in numerous tents and arenas. DJs included Bass Generator, Scott Brown, Tom Wilson, Mikey B, Seduction, and DJ Rap. The Royal Highland Centre (RHC) now welcomes over 1 million visitors annually to a wide range of events. The largest event is the

Royal Highland Show The Royal Highland Show is Scotland's biggest annual Agricultural show. The show is organised by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Held annually in June at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, the event attracts ove ...

, which attracts over 200,000 visitors each year. In

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

it hosted the Masters darts tournament. In 2021, the venue was used as a vaccination centre during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The future of the Royal Highland Centre was threatened by the proposed expansion of Edinburgh Airport in 2006 under a

UK government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...

, which foresees the need for the Royal Highland Centre site to be used for airport use by 2013. By 2008 the plans were killed off, leaving the Royal Highland Centre where it is. This resulted in RHASS deciding to spend £75million upgrade of the site and refurbishment, with work starting just after the 2010 Royal Highland Show. In 2017, the pop girl-band Little Mix played the first concert in the newly formed outdoor South Arena on the RHC site. As of October 2019, Monopoly Events holds the popular Comic Con Scotland annual event in the Royal Highland Centre with a large audience and many high calibre celebrity guest names attending.

References

External links

* Agriculture in Scotland Buildings and structures in Edinburgh Exhibition and conference centres in Scotland Tourist attractions in Edinburgh Darts venues {{Scotland-struct-stub