The Cape Controversy

A secret society. A hidden feast. A decision that follows you home.

Beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, a door opens that is not marked on any map.

For two nights only, The Real Mary King’s Close invites you to step inside The Cape Controversy, a premium, immersive dining experience inspired by the real Cape Club, an exclusive Enlightenment-era society that once gathered in the taverns and closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Poets, painters, actors and thinkers met here under pseudonyms. They performed rituals, debated ideas, drank deeply and guarded their secrets fiercely. Some would go on to shape Scotland’s cultural legacy. Others would leave behind rumours, scandals and unanswered questions.

Now, you are invited to join them.

Your evening begins with a letter. Signed simply NM.
It asks you to pay close attention.
Because all is not quite as it seems.

Over four carefully choreographed hours, you will move through hidden underground spaces, candlelit rooms and long-buried streets. You will be sworn in, cloaked, divided into factions and drawn into a world of whispered alliances and uneasy truths.

You will hear fragments of stories connected to real figures from Enlightenment Edinburgh, including Robert Fergusson, Alison Cockburn, Alexander Runciman, Tom Lancashire and the notorious William Brodie.

Some truths will be offered freely.
Others will cost you.

Between scenes, a lavish feast unfolds. Food is not served alongside the story, it is the story. Each course arrives with intention, symbolism and ceremony, created by Culinarians exclusively for this experience.

As the evening draws to a close, the masks slip. Secrets surface. Reputations tremble.

And then, you are asked to decide.

Will you swear allegiance and keep what you have learned within the fold?
Or will you refuse, and promise never to speak of this night again?

What happens beneath the Royal Mile does not stay buried forever.

A real society. A real place.

The Cape Club’s link to The Real Mary King’s Close is rooted in place, not imagination.

Craig’s Close, one of the historic closes within the site, was once home to the Isle of Man Arms, the tavern where members of the real Cape Club are known to have met during the Scottish Enlightenment. Today, discreet plaques on the Royal Mile and Cockburn Street mark this history.

The Cape Controversy unfolds on the very ground where these gatherings once took place.

Your Experience Includes

• A four-hour immersive dining experience beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile
• Live performance by a full cast of characters inspired by real historical figures
• A bespoke multi-course menu created by Culinarians, woven into the narrative
• A welcome canapé and drinks on arrival
• Movement through multiple underground spaces at The Real Mary King’s Close
• A ceremonial finale where each guest must make a personal choice

Need to Know

• This experience is conducted in English
• Suitable for adults only
• Involves stairs, uneven surfaces and movement through historic underground spaces
• Phones will be covered for the duration of the experience
• Dietary requirements must be advised at time of booking
• Extra drinks packages can be purchased at check out