Doubts over Edinburgh’s winter festivals
Edinburgh’s lucrative Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations face being dramatically scaled back or even cancelled completely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Council leaders and organisers of the city’s winter festivals, which have been staged for nearly 30 years, have suggested they are unlikely to go ahead in their normal format due to public health concerns.
Although both events are still being promoted on their official websites, there are huge doubts behind the scenes about whether social distancing restrictions will have been eased in time to allow them to go ahead safely.
The loss of the two events would be another huge blow to Edinburgh’s economy following the official cancellation of all of the city’s main summer festivals. The six weeks of winter events have brought nearly three million visitors into the city centre in recent years, generating more than £150 million for local businesses.
The three-day Hogmanay event normally attracts around 180,000 people, including visitors from more than 80 countries. Around 2.6 million people visited the Christmas attractions in Princes Street Gardens last year.
Serious doubts over the staging of this year’s events have emerged ahead of the city council launching a “root and branch review” of the Christmas and Hogmanay festivals.
Councillors are expected to back a move to bring an independent company to carry out the first major consultation over what shape they should take in future.
“However people will not be asked whether this year’s events should go ahead, as the 12-week review will affect events after the 2021-22 season. Both of this year’s winter festivals are being promoted on the official websites.
However, in an exclusive interview, council leader Adam Mcvey pledged that the city would not go ahead with staging events that would put the people of Edinburgh at “additional risk.”
He said: “We don’t know what the situation is going to be later in the year. That’s why we’ve not taken a fixed position yet. But when we do take a fixed position the absolute first and last decision will be public health.
“We are still focused on public health concerns right now and I think we will still be focused on public health concerns later in the year.
“It’s absolutely not about finding a balance between public health concerns and the economy. The over-riding fact is the public health of the city and its people.
“I don’t think anybody would expect to see events on the same scale in Edinburgh.
“I don’t think the world will be ready for events on that scale by then. We’re not going to move ahead with anything that puts people in this city at additional risk.”
A spokeswoman for festival producers Underbelly said: “The most important consideration about future events in Edinburgh must be safety and the continuing effort to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“Our Christmas and Hogmanay events will only take place if the relevant authorities deem it safe to do so.
“The point at which a final decision has to be made on the winter festivals is still some months away.”