PARTS of the Pleasance Courtyard, one of Edinburgh's largest Fringe venues, had to be evacuated on Wednesday afternoon.
The evacuation came after a fire alarm was triggered.
Crowds were seen leaving the venue's main courtyard at around 3.40pm.
The venue is known as one of the "big four" Fringe venues, with several performance spaces ranging from the 46-seater Cellar to the 75-seat Pleasance Grand.
It is one of the most historic venues, having hosted two of the eight productions that made up the inaugural Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1947.
It saw multiple fire-alarm driven evacuations last year and it has seen shows disrupted for the same reason several other times in recent years.
One eyewitness told the Edinburgh Evening News that the incident had caused “complete chaos” in the area.
He said: “There are people on both sides of the road and it’s quite hard to walk past.
“Walking down I saw people walking along the streets with their pints, obviously wanting to make it to the next show and not have to wait to be let back into the venue. It looks like complete chaos.”
Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, Anthony Alderson said: "The Pleasance Courtyard was evacuated this afternoon following standard protocol when an alarm goes off on site.
"This did mean a number of shows were cancelled but as many as possible were restarted. Audiences directly affected by cancelled shows will have their tickets refunded. The site was closed for approximately 40 minutes and then audiences happily re entered."
The Edinburgh University Students' Association, which manages the hospitality areas of the venue, including the main courtyard seating and bar area, has been approached for comment.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been approached for comment.
