Knife Angel Now on Display in Leith Until 27 September
Edinburgh is hosting the 27ft Knife Angel at Kirkgate in Leith throughout September, alongside a programme of school visits, workshops, community events, and violence-prevention work.
The Knife Angel is now on display at Kirkgate, at the bottom of Leith Walk, where it will remain until Sunday 27 September 2026.
The towering sculpture is made from around 100,000 surrendered knives and blades and forms part of a UK-wide campaign highlighting the impact of violence and knife crime.
Created by artist Alfie Bradley with the British Ironwork Centre, the 27ft figure has already visited more than 50 towns and cities around the UK. Its Edinburgh stay is being accompanied by almost a month of work with schools, young people, businesses, and communities rather than operating simply as a temporary public artwork.
What Is the Knife Angel?
The Knife Angel was built using weapons collected through knife amnesties and surrender schemes involving police forces around the country.
Before the sculpture was created, the blades were sterilised and blunted. Artist Alfie Bradley then welded individual knives onto a steel structure to form the body, face, hands, and wings of the Angel. The British Ironwork Centre says around a quarter of a million weapons were collected during the wider campaign, with approximately 100,000 used in the sculpture itself.
Some of its most striking details are found on the wings. They carry messages of remembrance from families affected by knife crime, alongside messages of regret from former offenders.
The Angel’s open hands form a questioning pose, while its expression was deliberately designed to convey despair. The intention is to make the consequences of violence difficult to ignore rather than present the sculpture simply as a piece of metalwork.
What Is Happening During the Edinburgh Visit?
The Edinburgh programme runs throughout September and involves the City of Edinburgh Council, Police Scotland, Places for People Scotland, schools, youth organisations, and community groups.
Police Scotland school engagement officers will work with young people across the city, while crime-prevention teams are taking part in workshops and giving local retailers guidance around the sale of knives. The work follows an Edinburgh event in June where more than 150 young people were invited to discuss violence, weapon carrying, and safety in their communities.
One of the main education projects is Balisong, a theatre production dealing with knife crime involving young people and the impact it can have on communities.
The production will tour Edinburgh secondary schools from 15 to 25 September. Funding from Forth Ports is supporting the school tour.
A closing ceremony is planned for Friday 25 September, two days before the sculpture leaves Edinburgh. The Council says the event will recognise local anti-knife initiatives and look at how work to reduce violence can continue after the Knife Angel has moved on. The exact ceremony time has not yet been confirmed.
Knife Angel Edinburgh: Key Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Kirkgate, bottom of Leith Walk, Edinburgh |
| On display until | Sunday 27 September 2026 |
| Height | 27ft |
| Made from | Around 100,000 surrendered knives and blades |
| Artist | Alfie Bradley |
| School theatre programme | Balisong, 15 to 25 September |
| Closing ceremony | 25 September, time TBC |
Edinburgh’s Bleed-Control Kit Project
The Knife Angel visit also connects with work already taking place in Edinburgh to improve the response when serious injuries occur.
Low Income Families Together (LIFT), Lisa Petrie, local organisations, businesses, and public-sector partners have been raising money for bleed-control and trauma kits. The longer-term aim is to make the equipment available in schools and community centres across Edinburgh.
LIFT and Lisa Petrie have also developed the John McNab Bleed Kit, with kits being assembled and distributed from the Muirhouse Millennium Centre.
It is a practical strand of the wider campaign. The Knife Angel is intended to start conversations about preventing violence, while the bleed kits focus on what communities can do when a serious injury has already happened.
Visiting the Knife Angel in Leith
The sculpture is at Kirkgate, beside the bottom of Leith Walk, until 27 September.
For anyone travelling by tram, Foot of the Walk is the nearest stop and Newkirkgate Shopping Centre is listed among the places nearby by Edinburgh Trams. Full tram services through the city centre and on to Newhaven are also running again following the reopening of Princes Street at the end of August, which we covered in our Princes Street reopening update.
The Council has created a dedicated page covering the sculpture, September activities, remembrance book, support services, and community projects connected with the visit. See the official Knife Angel Edinburgh information
People who want to see what else is happening around the city this month can also browse our Edinburgh events calendar.
Our Take
The location works well. At 27ft tall and made from thousands of real surrendered weapons, the Knife Angel is difficult to pass without stopping for a closer look.
More importantly, Edinburgh hasn’t treated its visit as a photo opportunity. The school programme, workshops, police engagement, remembrance project, and bleed-control work give the sculpture a purpose beyond its four weeks in Leith.