News : Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations cancelled due to extreme weather

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations have been cancelled due to expectations of “extreme weather” in the Scottish capital.

The annual event at the Princes Street Gardens, which had been due to be headlined by Texas, has been called off, with organisers heeding the yellow warning for wind and rain from the Met Office.

Unique Assembly runs the Hogmanay Festival on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council and has said it took the decision in the interest of public safety. It confirmed that all ticketholders will be contacted with instructions on how to claim refunds.

“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,” a spokesperson for Unique Assembly has said.

“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.”

Texas shared their regrets at having to cancel their shows on Monday and Tuesday with an Instagram post. “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,” they wrote.

“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 point of purchase will be in touch with ticketholders directly with further instructions regarding refunds in due course.”

Some events on Sunday (December 29) had already been cancelled due to high wind speeds, including the Torchlight Procession, which traditionally opens the Hogmanay festivities.