Outdoor cafes and reindeer to pull in the Princes Street festive crowd

Special events are expected to be laid on as late as 9pm at the weekends to encourage visitors to stay in the heart of the capital, despite buses and cars being diverted away from Princes Street.

Continental markets, like the ones which already draw crowds to The Mound and Princes Street Gardens, will also be brought in while it is free of traffic.

Although the tramworks will be brought to a halt at the end of November, the city council is to carry out a month-long experiment by pedestrianising all but one lane of Princes Street in the run-up to Hogmanay.

The extra events are being paid for from the £445,000 fund set aside by the local authority to offset the impact of tramworks, which have seen buses banished from Princes Street from early October to July of next year.

Businesses along Princes Street and George Street have already agreed to open as late as 9pm in the run-up to Christmas to try to persuade shoppers to shun out-of-town centres like the Gyle and Fort Kinnaird.

Some £200,000 is being ploughed into Edinburgh’s biggest ever festive marketing campaign, which will include TV advertising for the first time, as well as billboard advertising in Glasgow, Stirling, Perth, Dundee, Falkirk and Dunfermline.

The capital’s popular festive ice rink, which draws tens of thousands of visitors to Princes Street Gardens, is expected to go ahead as normal despite the council having problems making the venture financially viable in recent years.

The council wants the attractions on Princes Street to spread the “feel-good effect” which has been created over the past 12 years since the ice rink and giant Ferris wheel were introduced to the city centre.

It is hoped the Princes Street experiment will lead to similar ventures in the city centre during the summer festivals, as happened with the Royal Mile before part of it was permanently pedestrianised.

Council leader Jenny Dawe, said: “Edinburgh is always a great place to be over the festive season. However, we acknowledge the difficulties and challenges the tram works have created for the city centre, especially for the business community.

“As part of our wider business support package, worth £445,000, the council and partners are organising various activities and initiatives which will draw people into the city centre and will, I am sure, entertain and captivate visitors of all ages.”

Andy Neal, chief executive of business group Essential Edinburgh, said: “The businesses are very keen to see an awful lot of activity on Princes Street over the festive season, and not just during the day, as they are making an extra effort to stay open late.

“They have all been hit badly by the closure of Princes Street and this is a real opportunity to help them catch up a bit of that lost trade. It will a real difference to have people walking along Princes Street and enjoying something to eat and drink while they take in all the Christmas lights.”

Lucy Bird, chief executive of Marketing Edinburgh, which is masterminding the advertising campaign, said: “Edinburgh is always a magical place, and we want even more people to experience all it has to offer at this time of year.

“Our mix of high street brands and independent retailers, special events, attractions and festive fun gives the city an extra-special sparkle in the run up to and throughout Christmas and Hogmanay.”