Major £200m event in Edinburgh to return after it was dramatically axed last year
NEW CHEER Major £200m event in Edinburgh to return after it was dramatically axed last year
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A MAJOR Edinburgh event is set to return to the capital after it was dramatically axed last year.
Plans to revive the famous New Year's Eve street party have been revealed after it was cancelled amid storm chaos in December.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Organisers have been given the green light for Edinburgh's Hogmanay event return this year
Credit: Getty
4
The popular New Year's Eve street party was cancelled last year due to the weather
Credit: PA
4
The Royal Mile was left deserted last year following the cancellations
Credit: PA
Organisers have been given the green light for its return this year, after it was revealed the winter festivals are worth £200million to the local economy, The Herald reports.
And tickets for the Hogmanay Party on Princes Street and the torchlight procession will go on sale on Friday.
Last year, the annual festivities to bring in the new year were called off over bad weather.
Bosses announced they were cancelling all events over public safety fears - including a headline show under the castle by Texas.
The cancellation also included the Night Afore Disco Party in West Princes Street Gardens, the Hogmanay Street Party, Concert in the Gardens, and the Midnight Fireworks from Edinburgh Castle.
Despite this, a number of indoor events went ahead at the Assembly Rooms, the Assembly Hall, St Giles' Cathedral and the National Museum of Scotland.
A new report from Unique Events and Assembly, the two companies who have organised the winter festivals since 2022, revealed a key factor for cancellations were safety concerns.
There were concerns over staff building infrastructure, as well as risk of infrastructure already built being damaged by strong winds.
And it revealed although the forecast did not pose a threat to the Hogmanay fireworks, organisers pulled the plug due to concerns over huge crowds gathering to watch the display without any public safety measures in place.
Festival bosses are now exploring ways to "weather proof" this year's Hogmanay events.
Edinburgh Hogmanay events including famous street party CANCELLED as storm chaos brings New Year misery
A spokeswoman for the festivals said: "In light of last year's extreme weather conditions, we will continue to adapt and evolve the four-day events programme to maintain the city's reputation for having a premier new year celebration."
The new report also found that a total audience of 2.8 million was recorded across a seven-week season of official Christmas and new year events last winter.
Almost a third of Hogmanay tickets were sold internationally, with a third of tickets sold in Scotland and 36 per cent sold elsewhere in the UK.
Visitors to the city over Hogmanay were said to have stayed for an average of two and a half days.
And spent an average of £958 each in the city.
Unique Events director Alan Thomson said: "We take a lot of heart from this report that even having lost our outdoor Hogmanay events to weather, the winter festivals have still delivered not just wonderful and joyful opportunities for people to come together, but also huge benefits for the people of Edinburgh and for Scotland across traders, local families, communities and charities and our tourism businesses.
"We are working on our plans for this coming winter's celebrations and look forward to sharing those very soon."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
15 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
90s sitcom star unrecognizable ahead of reunion with castmates from hit show – can you guess who?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SITCOM legend is set to reunite with one of her most famous co-stars – though you may not recognise her. The actress shot to fame in Home Improvement back in the 90s, but over 30 years later she's ditched her brunette locks to embrace a stunning silver. 5 This actress looks completely different to her time on the classic sitcom Credit: Getty 5 Patricia played Taylor matriarch Jill in Home Improvement Credit: Getty 5 Jill is now set to reunite with her on-screen husband, Tim Allen, for his new series Credit: Getty Patricia Richardson, now 74, found fame on the beloved ABC show as Jill Taylor, the wife of central character Tim 'The Tool Man' Taylor, played by Tim Allen. The show followed the Detroit husband-and-wife duo with their three sons – Brad, Randy and Mark – as Tim hosted his own DIY show, Tool Time. Her role earned her four Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for best actress in a comedy series. Since the series ended in 1999, Patricia took on a leading role in medical drama Strong Medicine, where she played Dr Andy Campbell for four years. Following that, she had a recurring role in the iconic political series, The West Wing. From there, she's appeared in arcs in Grey's Anatomy, NCIS and The Blacklist. But now she's coming full circle with a confirmed appearance in Tim Allen's latest sitcom, Shifting Gears, which tracks the life of a widowed car restorer. Patricia will be reuniting with her on-screen husband Tim in the season premiere on October 1st, 26 years since their time together on Home Improvement – but she won't be the only Home Improvement star dropping by. They will be joined by fellow co-stars Richard Karn, who played Al Borland and 'Tool Time Girl' Heidi Keppert star Debbe Dunning in the same episode. Running from 1991 to 1999, Patricia appeared in all 208 episodes of Home Improvement – with an average 34million American homes tuning in, making it the number one sitcom in the country. Tim Allen and Home Improvement co-stars Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning reunite 25 years after popular sitcom ended At the time, she sported a signature brown bob and bangs, and was seen trying to keep the men in her life in line – especially Tim, who she challenged about familial roles in the home. Throughout the course of the show, character Jill went from a stay-at-home mom to a career-focused psychologist, enlisting in school after losing her job as a researcher for a magazine. But she originally was hesitant to take on the most defining role of her career, having given birth to twins shortly before filming for season one began. The team were so desperate to have her on board, they made concessions for her, including a second dressing room for the babies to rest in. It was ultimately her decision, alongside Allen's, to end the show, telling LA Times in 2024: 'I told everybody, there's not enough money in the world to get me to do a ninth year. This show is over. It needs to end.' In the season finale, the family were seen moving to Indiana for the sake of Jill's career. Reflecting on the show's history, she said: 'I'm really proud of what it meant to our audience. 'I don't care what anybody says, I'm proud of the legacy.' 5 Patricia said she is 'proud of the legacy' of the series Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
15 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Unholy row at King Charles' church deepens after choir blasted for ‘having no knowledge of singing'
The 16-page report, seen by The Sun, was commissioned by the King's chaplain A RIGHT ROYAL RACKET Unholy row at King Charles' church deepens after choir blasted for 'having no knowledge of singing' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE King's church choir makes an unholy din, a damning report claims. There was 'no knowledge of music or singing technique' at practice sessions and it needed to 'aspire to higher standards' to sing for royalty, an 18-month investigation concluded. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The choir at Sandringham's 500-year-old St Mary Magdalene Church makes an unholy din, a damning report has claimed Credit: Alan Keith Beastall 4 Rev Canon Paul Williams, the Domestic Chaplain to King Charles, is said to want to modernise the church's choir Credit: Times Media Ltd 4 People have rallied around Claire Stewart, director of music at the church Credit: The claims have added to turmoil at Sandringham's 500-year-old St Mary Magdalene Church, where the Royal Family gather for a Christmas Day service. The 16-page report, seen by The Sun, was commissioned by the King's chaplain, the Rev Paul Williams, amid a dispute with the choir's director of music, Dr Claire Stewart. It highlights a 'limited repertoire' and suggests setting out a 'musical vision' for the volunteer choir with leadership based on 'outstanding skill set, dynamic risk-taking, motivation and aspiration'. The inquiry was carried out by Tansy Castledine, director of music at Peterborough Cathedral Despite the criticisms, she said the choir was enthusiastic and 'extremely dedicated'. But one parishioner said: 'The report is a hatchet job filled with corporate jargon. 'This is a Norfolk village church — not Westminster Abbey.' Others have rallied around Dr Stewart, currently on sick leave. The Sun previously revealed King Charles was made aware of the church row and had been asked to intervene. The Diocese of Norwich has been approached for comment. End of an era as King Charles AXES royal train after 150 years as cost of keeping iconic vehicle going hits £1.2m a year
South Wales Guardian
44 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
‘They are turning him into a hero': Kneecap solidarity gig held in Dublin
Kneecap flags and logos hung from the windows in Connolly Books, which dubs itself Ireland's oldest radical bookshop, in solidarity with O hAnnaidh, Kneecap, and the people of Palestine. Pro-Palestine supporters criticised the decision by British authorities to bring a charge against the performer instead of focusing on the Israeli government's actions against the Palestinian people. O hAnnaidh, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year. Hundreds of Kneecap supporters greeted O hAnnaidh as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Wednesday morning, alongside fellow Kneecap rappers Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh. During the hearing, his defence team argued the case should be thrown out, citing a technical error in the way the charge against him was brought. The case has been adjourned until September 26, when the judge will rule on whether he has the jurisdiction to try the case. At the protest session at Connolly Books on Wednesday afternoon, several artists played Irish traditional music in solidarity with the rappers and Palestine. Musician Ru O'Shea, who performed at the demonstration, said charging O hAnnaidh had turned him into 'a hero'. 'I think it's been a huge misstep by the powers that be to go after him in the first place,' he told the PA news agency. 'I reckon that they don't have a thing on him, and I think they are turning him into a hero, and I think we need a hero. 'What's happening in Palestine right now, it's gotten to such an extreme that it's waking a lot of people up, including the British who might not have ever seen it otherwise and stayed in that bubble forever.' O'Shea's friend John Feehan said: 'I think people are maybe starting to look up a little bit in Britain, and I think things like what's happening with Kneecap is a catalyst for people to be like 'Oh, wait a minute, what's actually happening here?'. So I hope there's momentum, but I really don't know.' Dubliner Aoife Powell, 19, said she came out to protest because she is 'angry' at the decision to charge an artist rather than focus on what is happening to the people of Gaza. 'I'm here because it just worries me that the fact that governments are focused on artists expressing themselves rather than the actual problem, which is obviously the genocide in Gaza,' she told PA. 'It's a little bit disheartening to see there's so much pressure being put on these artists to stop saying what they truly think and to stop standing on the right side of history. 'I feel like it's a distraction from what's actually happening. 'When a government tries to silence people, they should learn that they can never silence people. I feel like the public would get more angry at that.' Sean O'Grady is from Coleraine in Northern Ireland but has lived in Dublin for almost 70 years. 'I'm delighted with them (Kneecap), that they've done what they're doing, and they're getting plenty of publicity. 'The British government are crazy, I mean, what are they at? 'They're supplying a lot of the bombs, and a lot of the arms and ammunition to Israel to do what they're doing. So they should be ashamed of themselves instead of bringing in these people (to court) for stupid reasons. 'It's getting good publicity over there for the cause of the Palestinians.' Dubliner Dermot Nolan said he attended his first Palestine protest in 1967, and while he remembers horrific events such as the Vietnam War, the scale of death and injuries in Gaza is the worst he has ever lived through. 'I'm here because it's important to for two reasons – first of all, to show our intolerance of the genocide and slaughter that's being carried out by the US, Nato and Israel. 'The second reason is the question of civil rights. We're protesting about the indictment of a member of the Irish group Kneecap. 'It is a sign of creeping authoritarianism which is happening in all the western countries and most clearly in Britain.'
