Capital's Hogmanay to be scaled back with stages cut to save cash

Published on Wednesday 16 September 2009 22:02

BUDGET cuts are set to slash the number of stages at Edinburgh's Hogmanay party.

City council insiders say a reduced capacity for the event, which normally attracts 100,000 revellers to Princes Street, is "almost certain" to be enforced.

Poor ticket sales in the two previous years, problems balancing the budget, and the likelihood of some parts of the arena being unavailable because of roadworks have given organisers a major headache this year.

Council officials were yesterday unable to confirm the capacity of the event or when tickets will go on sale. Full announcements have been made by mid-September in previous years.

The city council, which runs the show with Unique Events, was left with about 10,000 unsold tickets last year, when entertainment was spread across seven stages, including three in Princes Street Gardens, one on Waverley Bridge and one at the top of the Mound.

However, the festival went more than 500,000 over budget, triggering a major review of festivities. The council's winter festivals team has already been scrapped to save cash.

Unique, which has a contract to produce the four-day Hogmanay festival, is understood to have been handed more responsibility, on condition it sticks to a reduced budget.

A cut in the street party's capacity of up to 20,000 is thought to be under consideration, with Waverley Bridge and the top of The Mound set to go.

As few as three stages, including the main Concert in the Gardens, may be part of this year's party, which is unlikely to include the "Boogie Wonderland" disco staged on the Mound for the first time last year.

High-profile events on December 30 and January 1 – which were backed by the Scottish Government's festivals Expo and Homecoming funds last year – could also be scaled back.

One source at the council said: "At the moment, it is almost certain the street party will be scaled back on previous years. The money is just not available, and the council can't afford the budget to overrun as much as it did last year. Demand for street party tickets isn't what it used to be, and it makes sense to cut our cloth this year. The budget has to be spent much more wisely."

The council's festivals champion, Steve Cardownie, declined to comment, other than to say he was awaiting a full briefing from officials.

A spokesman for the council said: "Plans for Hogmanay are currently being developed and details of the events to take place will be released in due course."

Unique director Pete Irvine, mastermind of the event since its launch, was unavailable for comment yesterday.