Win a night at The Real Mary Kings Close
- 12th - 30th Mar 2026
- 12:00am - 9:00pm
We want to offer an experience no one else can: A night inside The Real Mary King’s Close, 400 years after it was last lived in.
One lucky person will win the keys to Real Mary Kings Close for 1 night.
- The first person to stay overnight in 400 years
- Special after-hours dinner
- Exclusive full character interactions
- Full behind‑the‑scenes access when everyone else has gone home
- Honoured guest access to all special tours for two throughout 2026
Plus 10x runners up win:
- 2 x Free entry tickets to Real Mary King's Close
Our Prize Draw
Beneath the streets of Edinburgh lies Mary King’s Close, a place sealed in time and shaped by the lives of the people who once lived there. For over 400 years, its doors have closed each night. No one has stayed within the Close after dark.
Now, for the first time in centuries, that will change.
We are offering one extraordinary prize: an overnight stay inside The Real Mary King’s Close.
A rare, private experience in a place normally seen only by day, after the public have gone and the city above has fallen quiet.
Every entry to this prize draw goes directly towards preserving the Close and all its spaces. Not replicated. Not rebuilt. Preserved, exactly as it has stood for centuries. By entering, you are playing a direct part in keeping this piece of Edinburgh's history intact for future generations.
This prize draw is how we will make that possible.
The Prize
One winner will experience something that has not happened on Mary King’s Close for more than 400 years.
When the final tour has ended and the doors are closed to the public, you and a guest will remain behind.
This prize is a private overnight stay for two inside the Close itself, a rare and intimate encounter with one of Edinburgh’s most extraordinary historic spaces, experienced after hours and away from the crowds.
The experience includes:
- An overnight stay for two on Mary King’s Close, with exclusive after-hours access to the site
- A private, after-dark tour led by an experienced costumed character, revealing stories and details rarely shared during public visits,
- An immersive experience with the Plague Doctor or Dr Arnott, exploring the realities of illness, belief and survival in 17th-century Edinburgh
- Dinner and breakfast.
+ Honoured guest access for two to all of The Real Mary King's Close special tours running throughout 2026, including Contagion & Carnage: The Plague Tour, A Dram of History, Pride History Tour, Dr Arnott's Sampling Sensation, Myths and Legends Tour, Lantern Led Tour, and Victorian Christmas Experience
This is not a recreation or a themed set. It is the original Close, preserved in place beneath the Royal Mile, unchanged in its setting and atmosphere for centuries. And this is an offer never before seen.
How to enter
1) Enter the draw by buying your tickets. There are a number of entry options to choose, starting from £5.
2) Support the cause. Every entry helps fund the ongoing preservation of The Real Mary King's Close and all its spaces.
3) Win an unforgettable prize. One lucky winner will win the keys to the Close for one night, plus honoured guest access to all special tours for two throughout 2026. Ten runners up will each win two free entry tickets.
Entry Details
We are raising money through this Prize Draw on Crowdfunder. You can enter to win the prize and know that your entry is going towards the ongoing preservation of The Real Mary King's Close and all its spaces.
- Entries to the prize draw cost £5 per entry.
- You can buy as many entries as you want.
- The prize draw will be live for 19 days only, and closes at 9pm on Monday 30th March.
- Winners will be announced on The Real Mary King's Close social media channels within 14 days of the draw.
- The overnight stay will be arranged directly with the winner at a mutually agreed date, subject to availability and site constraints.
- A free entry route is available, in line with UK prize draw regulations.
- Full Terms and Conditions can be found on this page, under the Terms link near the top of the page.
Why This Matters
The Real Mary King’s Close is not a reconstruction or a themed attraction. It is a surviving piece of 17th-century Edinburgh, preserved where it stands beneath the city’s streets.
Spaces like this are rare, fragile, and finite. Once lost, they cannot be recreated.
Your support will help fund the ongoing preservation of the Close and all its spaces. This work allows historians, conservators and visitors to better understand how people once lived, worked and survived in the heart of the old city. It is about safeguarding original architecture, protecting surviving materials, and uncovering stories that would otherwise remain hidden.
This work is careful, specialised and costly. It requires conservation, research and skilled craftsmanship rather than modern replacement.
By taking part in this prize draw, you are not only entering for an extraordinary experience. You are directly supporting the preservation of a genuine historic space, ensuring that an authentic part of Edinburgh’s past remains intact and accessible long into the future.
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