Capital Christmas contracts
NEW FESTIVE AGREMENTS SPARK HOPES THAT A FRESH APPROACH WILL BE TAKEN THIS YEAR
EDINBURGH’S CHRISTMAS and Hogmanay events should be made more accessible to those on lower incomes, councillors said as they approved the contracts which begin to run from July.
The contracts have now changed hands, sparking hopes that a new approach will be taken this year.
Unique Events, the original organisers of the Hogmanay festival when it launched in 1993, will take back the contract worth just over £4 million, whilst Angels Event Experience, organisers of London’s Hyde Park Christmas market, will bring in an estimated £5,473,500 in rental income from stalls and amusements in Princes Street Gardens over the next five years.
Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Ross voiced concern about the lack of information provided on how Angels Events will restructure the way the market is run “and what they might charge for them”.
Vicky Nicolson, SNP, added that as a single parent she has “avoided the city centre for a month out of every year around the Christmas period because it was unaffordable to people on a lower income” and asked for further details on how attractions would be priced.
He added: “The events need to be accessible both to families who are on lower incomes and to traders and stallholders in the city.”
After organising the controversial market in Princes Street Gardens since 2013 and new year celebrations since 2017, Underbelly will no longer play a part in the city’s festivities as it did not put in a fresh bid to run Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, but it had hoped to continue producing the Christmas market.
There has been an amount of negative comment over the use of Princes Street Gardens for the winter events, and a change of direction will be welcome news to Underbelly’s critics.
This year the council judged bids on the number of local businesses trading at events, number of local artists/creatives employed, number of free/low priced attractions and provision of alcohol-free areas, as well as the number of event sites outwith the ‘immediate city centre’, amongst other factors.
It follows public consultation on Edinburgh’s winter festivals carried out by the council last year which showed the vast majority of the city’s residents supported Christmas celebrations but wanted to see things run differently in the future. It found that many felt Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay events were overcrowded, expensive and ‘only suited for tourists’.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “We’re looking forward to delivering great Winter Festivals for the people of Edinburgh and our visitors – very much in the spirit of feedback received in our recent citywide conversation with residents, businesses and stakeholders.
“We want to continue to provide inclusive high-quality festive celebrations, further enhance the city’s reputation and allow the benefits to be shared across our town centres and communities.
“I am sure Angels Event’s activities will build on the huge success of Edinburgh’s Christmas to date and will offer a rich and varied programme of festive activities, events and experiences that will be enjoyed by residents and visitors of all ages.
“Unique Events will once more be the producers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay having been involved when it began in 1992/93 and as we mark its 30th year I’m excited to work with them on a programme of events fit for the home of Hogmanay.”
Alan Thomson and Penny Dougherty of Unique Events said: “We are really pleased to be named, along with our partners Assembly Festival, as the successful producer to deliver Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and take the festival forward for future years.
“As originators of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, and the local event producers that positioned Edinburgh amongst the world’s best New Year celebrations for 24 years, we are thrilled to return, and relish the opportunity to once again work with Scotland’s incredible creative organisations and talents, re-invigorate the events programme and deliver Hogmanay celebrations that the city can be proud of.’’