Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party and fireworks display have been cancelled due to bad weather.
The events were cancelled by organisers UniqueAssembly after Met Office yellow weather warnings for most of Scotland on Monday and Tuesday, and an amber warning for northern Scotland.
Organisers apologised to tourists who had travelled internationally for the events, including the outdoor concert headlined by Scottish band Texas, and said it was not safe to carry out preparations in such bad weather.
Police Scotland commended the decision which it said was motivated by “public safety” and follows the city’s torchlit procession being cancelled due to high winds and safety concerns on Sunday.
An Edinburgh’s Hogmanay spokesperson said: “Due to ongoing high winds and inclement weather in Edinburgh city centre, we regret to announce that outdoor events scheduled for Monday and December 31 are unable to go ahead on the grounds of public safety.
“The cancellation includes tonight’s Night Afore Disco Party in West Princes Street Gardens and, on December 31, the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party, Concert in the Gardens, and the midnight fireworks from Edinburgh Castle.
“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. Customer service from point of purchase will be in touch with ticket-holders directly with further instructions regarding refunds in due course.”
The spokesperson said all indoor events, including an Idlewild concert and a service at St Giles Cathedral on New Year’s Eve, are taking place as planned.
“We hope everyone stays safe and has a great New Year when it comes.”
City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher said: “I know that, like me, many people will be very disappointed. This decision was not taken lightly, however, with the ongoing adverse weather condition, public safety must be our number one priority.
“There are lots of exciting indoor events taking place. For those coming along to them – I know you’re in for a treat and will have a great time. Please make sure you stay up-to-date with the weather and transport on social media.”
Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Police Scotland Gold Commander for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, said: “Cancelling such an event is a difficult decision for the organisers, but public safety takes priority, so we fully support this decision.”
First Minister John Swinney will attend a meeting of SGORR on Monday evening, chaired by Justice Secretary Angela Constance.
Ms Constance said: “There is expected to be a significant amount of rainfall in the next 24 hours after a period of wet weather, raising the risks of travel disruption and flooding.
“New year travellers are advised to plan ahead during this normally busy period and follow Police Scotland and Traffic Scotland advice on the roads.”
The cancellation follows disruption to ferries and trains as snow, rain and wind warnings are in force and are expected to cause further travel issues on New Year’s Eve.
Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of the multiple Met Office weather warnings between Monday and Wednesday.
Ferry routes were disrupted in Scotland on Monday, while rail lines have been affected including the Highland Main Line at Kingussie.
An amber warning has been issued for parts of Scotland between midnight and 5pm on New Year’s Eve, indicating heavy rain is likely to cause flooding and travel disruption.
A yellow warning for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland is in place from 5am until midnight on Tuesday.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: “There will be pretty severe weather from that rain over the next 48 hours.”
Cordelia Menmuir, Scottish Environment Protection Agency duty flood manager, said: “Extremely high water levels are expected in Speyside, the Great Glen and Tayside, resulting in disruptions to transport and to communities.
“It is possible we could see similar levels to those experienced in early October 2023, when places like Aviemore and Perth were severely affected.”
On New Year’s Eve, delays to all types of transport are “likely” as strong winds persist and may reach speeds of up to 70mph in England and Northern Ireland, the forecaster warned.
An alert for wind is in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday and covers just north of York in England up to Glasgow and Edinburgh, while an alert covering much of Northern Ireland runs from 6am until 2pm.
Mr Claydon said the weather impacts will be varied across the UK, with “a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year”.
He added: “There’s already some travel disruption in Scotland because of the high totals they’re seeing, more broadly there could be disruption from strong wind and, in particular, where the wind and rain overlap.”
Winds of up to 60mph are forecast across much of England and Wales all day on Wednesday, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
The warning for wind is in place from 7am until midnight on Wednesday and the rain warning covers Wales and north-west England between 6pm on New Year’s Eve and 6pm on Wednesday, with 30-50mm of rain expected widely, while a few locations could see more than 100mm.
