Edinburgh's main Hogmanay events cancelled after high winds wreck plans for new year celebrations

Edinburgh has been forced to pull the plug on its main Hogmanay celebrations after forecasts of high winds wrecked preparations for the city's lucrative celebrations.

All outdoor events, including the city's famous street party, midnight fireworks display and two concerts in Princes Street Gardens, were called off on the grounds of public safety after official weather alerts were escalated.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival has been running since 1993. Picture: Chris Watt

Severe weather warnings are in place for the whole of Scotland, with an alert for heavy rain on Hogmanay upgraded to amber for an area covering Fort William to Inverness from midnight until 5pm.

Downpours are expected to burst riverbanks, and Aviemore and nearby areas in the Highlands are braced for extensive river flooding on Tuesday morning after a night of continuous rain.

Organisers in Edinburgh said they had been unable to continue with plans for the events - which were due to attract up to 55,000 revellers to the city centre on Hogmanay - due to "extreme weather and forecast conditions" in the city centre.

The move comes just two years after the city’s Hogmanay festival, which has been valued at around £50m for the city’s economy, returned after two cancellations due to Covid restrictions.

However business and tourism industry leaders said they still expected Edinburgh to benefit significantly from the influx of visitors from around the world, many of whom were already in the city.

It is understood Princes Street and surrounding thoroughfares will be open to the public for the bells, with late-night bus and tram services expected to run to ensure revellers attending indoor events can get home safely.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival has been running since 1993. Picture: Keith Valentine

It was initially hoped that conditions would ease in time for the main Hogmanay street party and Concert in the Gardens getting under way around 8pm, which were believed to be heading for sell-outs before weather warnings emerged last week.

However a much bleaker forecast and problems putting in the necessary staging and safety infrastructure in and around Princes Street led to the cancellation of the outdoor programme planned across 30 and 31 December.

The Met Office has had a yellow warning in place over the prospect gusts of up to 60 miles per hour affecting Edinburgh for several days in the run-up to the bells.

The call-off decision was announced shortly before the gates were due to open before a Night Afore Concert in Princes Street Gardens which was to be headlined by Australian DJ Hot Dub Time Machine.

The traditional torchlight procession curtain-raiser, which was due to attract up to 20,000 participants, had already been called off just two hours before it was due to get under way on Sunday night due to safety concerns.

The main events on Hogmanay have twice previously fallen victim to the weather, in 2003-4 and 2006-7, when they were called off at short notice due to the impact of strong winds.

The Hogmanay festival was called off completely in 2020 and 2021 when large-scale events were shut down across Scotland in the face of the pandemic, but returned in scaled-back form in 2022.

Last year’s event saw the return of the torchlight procession, which had been due to be staged on the same route again, from the Meadows to Castle Terrace.

Texas, Callum Beattie and Carla Easton were all due to appear at the main Concert in the Gardens on Hogmanay, while acts booked for the street party, which was due to get under way at 8pm, included Skye bands Valtos and the Peatbog Faeries.

Organisers Unique Events and Assembly, who produce the festival on behalf of the city council, said all indoor events were due to go ahead as planned, including a Swamplesque show at the Assembly Hall and a concert by Idlewild at the Assembly Rooms on Monday night, and a New Year Revels event at the Assembly Rooms and a candlelight concert at St Giles' Cathedral on Tuesday night.

The official cancellation announcement from the Hogmanay festival stated: "Due to ongoing high winds and inclement weather in Edinburgh city centre, we regret to announce that outdoor events scheduled for 30 December and 31 December are unable to go ahead on the grounds of public safety.

"We have unfortunately been unable to continue with preparations and necessary set-up for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay outdoor events due to extreme weather and forecast conditions.

"Therefore, for safety reasons we, along with our event partners, have taken the difficult decision to cancel all outdoor events.

"We know that this will be hugely disappointing to all hoping to celebrate Hogmanay in Edinburgh and that people travel from around the world to be here at the home of Hogmanay.

"Customer service from points of purchase will be in touch with ticket-holders directly with further instructions regarding refunds in due course."

Unique Events director Al Thomson told The Scotsman said: “Cancellation is never an easy decision to take.

“But the weather we have experienced in the city over the past 24 hours and the forecast for the next 24 hours meant it was just not possible to build not only the performance infrastructure but also the safety infrastructure to accommodate more than 50,000 people in the city centre.

“It was not a decision that taken lightly by any means, but it came down to our inability to actually build the event safely and safely deliver the event.

“We had not even been able to build the stages and safety infrastructure for the street party.

“Even if we had been able to get some of it built for Hogmanay, with the winds that were forecast we would have probably had to take some of it down.

“Once you start to lose things like video screens and PA towers, and people don’t have things to do, it’s not a good experience.

“These things do happen. Sometimes the weather is kind, some times it’s not. Unfortunately, the extremities of this year mean outdoor events are just not possible.

“We do still have indoor events taking place on Hogmanay. We will have free events happening in 17 venues in the city centre on New Year’s Day.

“There’s a really good buzz in the city with the visitors who are here and a lot of people to enjoy in the bars, clubs and attractions who have things happening. People will still be able to have a good time.”

Assembly festival director Dani Rae pledged that all tickets bought in the advance for cancelled events would be refunded.

She said: “Our customer service team will be in touch with all ticket buyers in due course.”

Neil Ellis, chair of the Edinburgh Hotels Association, said: “It’s obviously extremely disappointing news all round.

“It must have be a hugely difficult decision by the organisers to cancel the opportunity for tens of thousands of visitors to the city to celebrate the dawn of 2025.

“Safety must come first and we would advise all visitors planning to travel to the city to follow the advice of transport providers and heed any warnings.

“Edinburgh's hotels, bars and restaurants are all geared up ready to showcase the world-famous Scottish Hospitality, especially for those already here or still travelling.

“Despite the outdoor cancellations, its great to see all of the planned indoor events are still taking place. We hope as many people as possible still manage to have as good a time as possible wherever they choose to welcome in 2025.”

Roddy Smith, chief executive of city centre business group Essential Edinburgh, said: “Although it’s obviously very disappointing to have the outdoor Hogmanay activities cancelled, public safety is first and foremost.

“However, with many tourists and residents already planning to be in the city centre I am sure they will enjoy themselves indoors in all our fabulous bars and restaurants.

“Hogmanay and Edinburgh will always be a great attraction and is so important to the city centre businesses.

“The disappointment of no concert or street party will of course be felt, but I am sure people will adapt and still have a great night out.”

Elsewhere, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) warned communities in the north west and central Highlands to prepare for the impact of flooding.

A yellow weather warning of heavy rain and snow is currently in force across most of Scotland on Tuesday, while the amber warning for rain is in place for around Inverness on Tuesday.

On Monday evening, Sepa warned people around Aviemore should act immediately, saying: “There is a danger to life. If you are in an affected area and are in danger and need assistance, call emergency responders.

“Due to persistent and heavy rainfall, river levels on the River Spey will rise throughout Monday night and into Tuesday morning causing serious flooding.

“Extensive flooding to properties and businesses is expected in and around Aviemore.”

First Minister John Swinney posted on X, formerly, Twitter, saying it was a “very significant upgrade of the weather warning to a rare severe flood warning”.

Heavy rain has already caused travel disruption on Monday with the Highland Main Line closed due to high water levels on the Gynack Burn at Kingussie.

The yellow warning of rain and snow on Monday and Tuesday covered central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, the Highlands and Western Isles, Edinburgh, West Lothian and Strathclyde including most of Argyll and Bute.

Forecasters warned flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and travel disruption, while fast-flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.

A separate warning of “persistent snow” has been issued for Orkney and Shetland between 5am and midnight on Hogmanay.

Weather warnings also stretch into 2025 with a yellow alert of snow and ice in the north of mainland Scotland between the start of January 1 until 9am on January 2.

Edinburgh City Council leader Jane Meagher, said: "I know that, like me, many people will be very disappointed.

"This decision was not taken lightly, however with the ongoing adverse weather condition, public safety must be our number one priority.

"You’ll see from the programme that there are lots of exciting indoor events taking place. For those coming along to them – I know you’re in for a treat and will have a great time.”

Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Police Scotland's gold commander for the Hogmanay festival, said: “Cancelling such an event is a difficult decision for the organisers, but public safety takes priority, so we fully support this decision.”