High hopes for hogmanay

THE organiser of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations has insisted the celebrations are unlikely to be scaled back despite moves by the city council to ease the burden on the taxpayer.

Peter Irvine, managing director of Unique Events, insists major changes in the capital's street party are "highly unlikely" due to the economic benefits they bring and publicity they generate for the city.

Mr Irvine, who will be producing the event for another two years, said he was not aware of any plans to completely "privatise" the festivities, but added that the council had handed his firm more responsibility for marketing, sponsorship, advertising and ticketing in recent years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The council is expected to reveal plans early next year to scale back its direct involvement after the most recent event made a loss of 240,000.

Mr Irvine told The Scotsman: "Edinburgh benefits from 24 hours of news coverage thanks to the fireworks and the street party, which needs a certain amount of infrastructure to accommodate the crowds."

Related topics: