Easter Road (Edinburgh)

Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian (Hibs). Easter Road is also known by Hibs fans as “The Holy Ground” or “The Leith San Siro”.

General information

Arena capacity: 20,421 spectators

Address: Albion Place, Edinburgh, Lothian, EH7 5QG, Scotland

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 55°57′42″N 3°9′56″W

Year of construction: 1893

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 112 x 74 yards

Seating plan of Easter Road

Famous Five Stand

The Famous Five Stand is divided into two tiers of similar size, with a row of executive boxes separating the two levels from one another.

The upper tier is further divided into two sections, with the larger seating blocks at the back and a couple of rows of seats based down at the front. You can freely get between these two sections though.

The majority of seats in this stand are coloured green, the only exception being the central block in the upper tier which instead contains black seating that is for executive use.

Because of the stand’s shape, the upper tier seating block next to the stadium’s northwest corner is triangular in shape as opposed to rectangular, and does not go back as far as the others in this tier.

Your view from anywhere inside the Famous Five Stand is perfectly clear because of the cantilever roof above, and large windshields at either end protect every single row inside.

There is a large advertising board in the northeast corner between the Famous Five Stand and the adjacent East Stand.

East Stand

The East Stand consists of a single tier of entirely green seating.

Down towards the front, at the northern end of the stand, are flat platforms for disabled supporters to use. Space, which can hold a matchday camera is up at the very back.

Your view from anywhere inside the East Stand is perfectly clear because of the cantilever roof above, and large windshields at either end protect every single row inside.

There is another large advertising board in the southeast corner between the East Stand and the adjacent South Stand.

South Stand

The South Stand is very similar in shape and design to the Famous Five Stand opposite.

It is divided into two tiers of similar size, with a few executive boxes separating the two levels from one another.

The upper tier is further divided into two sections, with the larger seating blocks at the back and a couple of rows of seats based down at the front. You can freely get between these two sections though.

Unlike the Famous Stand though, every single seat in the South Stand is coloured green.

Because of the stand’s shape, the upper tier seating block next to the stadium’s southeast corner is triangular in shape as opposed to rectangular, and does not go back as far as the others in this tier.

Your view from anywhere inside the South Stand is perfectly clear because of the cantilever roof above, and large windshields at either end protect every single row inside.

West Stand

The West Stand is divided into two tiers of similar size, with an executive lounge separating the two levels from one another.

Almost all of the seats in the lower tier are green, with the exception being seats at the very back, which are instead coloured black and for executive use.

Hibernian’s dugouts and tunnel are based right down at the front of the lower tier, with the changing rooms located inside.

The outer blocks of the upper tier are coloured green, with the inner blocks coloured black and for executive use. Small blocks of seating up at the very back of the upper tier are green in colour however, and up behind here is the area, which holds the matchday camera.

Your view from anywhere inside the West Stand is perfectly clear because of the cantilever roof above, and large windshields at either end protect every single row inside.

Away Fans

Away fans are housed behind the goal in the South Stand.

The smallest of away crowds will be based in part of the stand’s lower tier, with rows of stewards used to segregate this away section from any home supporters based nearby.

Larger away followings can be given the blocks above in these in the upper tier as well, and the very biggest away crowds can be given the whole South Stand to themselves, with home supporters housed in the other three sides of Easter Road.

Regardless of the size of the away section, supporters are given a perfectly clear view of the action from any seat, with large windshields at either end that provide protection for every row.

The away turnstiles are typically the ones on the South Stand’s exterior that are near to the stadium’s open southwest corner.

The stand’s overall shape isn’t fully rectangular, with the side next to the northwest corner partly triangular in shape before becoming fully straight at the end.

Where to buy tickets?

The ticketing information isn’t easy to find, and the club also offer bundles that make tickets cheaper across a run of 5 or 8 games, so it’s all a bit convoluted.

You can pick up tickets at Easter Road itself, or by going onto the club’s website or calling the ticket office directly. It costs £1.50 to go pick them up though.

How to get there?

Easter Road is located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, around one mile northeast of the City Centre. The Albert Dock Basin is roughly 1.3 miles away to the north of the ground and the Scottish Parliament Building is less than 0.8 miles to the southwest.

Murrayfield Stadium, one of the largest stadiums in Scotland and the home to Scottish Rugby Union, is roughly three miles away to the southwest of Easter Road.

The stadium itself is in a fairly built-up area and has a limited number of car parking spaces outside its West Stand.

Whilst it should be possible to find free street parking within Leith, there is no guarantee that it will be close to the ground and so you may find yourself having to walk a fair distance from your car to the stadium. Ensure that you are legally allowed to park at where you have found as well and do not block the drives of any residents.

Easter Road can be easier to reach by rail.

The closest station to the stadium is Edinburgh Waverley, served by ScotRail, Avanti West Coast, LNER, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper and Transpennine Express. It is the main train station within Edinburgh and all services terminate here.

Edinburgh Waverley is located around one mile southwest of Easter Road and the walk from here to the stadium takes between 25 and 30 minutes depending on how quickly you go.

You can make this journey from the station quicker by walking to Princes Street and taking the Number 22 or Number 25 bus services, which stop off on the street named Easter Road that is a short walk west of the stadium.

Plenty of the buildings directly west of Easter Road are tall and packed together, which means that you often are unable to see parts of the stadium’s exterior until you are very close to it.

Where to eat and sleep?

This is Edinburgh. It’s full of great hotels. Here are some of our suggestions.

1. Park View House Hotel. Edinburgh is a remarkably popular city, so you’re not going to be found wanting for places to stay. The Park View is a guesthouse that is less than a mile from the stadium. Handily it offers free parking as well as free Wi-Fi, breakfast on request and a garden.
2. Sandaig Guest House. Another guesthouse, Sandaig is about ten minutes from the ground on foot and has Wi-Fi available if you need it. There’s also a full breakfast included in the cost of your room. There are just nine guest rooms available here and it’s close to the beach, too.
• No questions? Place a bet now.
3. Halcyon Hotel. Half a mile from Easter Road is this guesthouse with fourteen rooms and a garden. It’s ideally located for cultural treats such as the Edinburgh Playhouse, has Wi-Fi and you get a breakfast included in your room price.

This is Edinburgh. It’s full of great pubs. You know where we are going with this:

1. Belushi’s. Belushi’s is one of Edinburgh’s most popular sports bars. There’s a cracking food menu, a decent beer garden and a sister bar called Jake’s Place that is a bit ‘cooler’, complete with whiskey menu and cask ales. They show most live sports too, obviously.
• Follow the link and get your prediction before the match starts.
2. The Cambridge Bar. This is a fairly standard gastropub, though the burgers are definitely worth trying. It’s a bit off the beaten track but there are a few large screens around and it’s a popular venue for watching sport, so get down there early.
3. Teuchters Bar. Located in Edinburgh’s West End, Teuchters is a cozy place with a great atmosphere. There are plenty of decent ales and fun beers to be had as well as interesting and quirky things on the menu. Certainly not a run of the mill sports venue!
• Go to a bookmaker and place your bets right now.

Facilities

It’s not the newest stadium in the league but it was built well and developed, so it’s comfortable enough. Views are unobstructed and you should be able to find something to eat and drink easily enough. No toilets though.

Just kidding, they even have toilets.

There are two main locations for hospitality experiences at Easter Road: The Eighteen 75 Gallery and Restaurant and The Edinburgh Suite. Whichever one you opt for you’ll get a first-class experience whatever your requirements. They are aimed at different people, so have a think about what you want to get out of your hospitality experience and work forwards from there. The Gallery includes a 3-course meal, inclusive drinks, executive seating, a host as well as player visits after the game. The Edinburgh Suite is a bit more casual with hot buffet, pay bar, betting facilities as well the post-match player appearance.

Whether you’re hoping to celebrate your wedding at Easter Road, have a party or host a meeting, there are plenty of private hire options available to you with a max capacity of 400 event depending. It is one of the leading banqueting and conference venues in the Edinburgh area, so make sure you check it out if you’re hosting an event in the city.

Accessibility

Hibernian Football Club is committed to supporters and customers who are disabled having full access to all matches, goods and services.

A number of improvements for all supporters with additional needs has been made. This includes:

• New and improved supporter and carer spaces and seats in our wheelchair platforms;
• New platform lifts in the Famous Five and West Stands;
• Audio description service for partially sighted and blind supporters;
• Created sensory packs for supporters with autism and learning disabilities.

History

During their early years at the ground Hibernian were only renting Easter Road. The Edinburgh council had plans to develop the area and so the club refused to put any money into it; at one point the club even considered moving to Aberdeen. In 1922, a 25-year lease was agreed, meaning that the club’s owners decided to invest in its development. They built a new Main Stand and also raised terraces on the other three banks.

As with many grounds, the biggest changes to the stadium came in the wake of the decision to require all top stadia to become all-seater after the Taylor Report into The Hillsborough Disaster was released. Again, the club considered re-locating but in the end chose to redevelop Easter Road instead. The work took fifteen years to complete, starting in 1995 and coming to its conclusion in 2010.