Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street festival is cancelled
Written by News on 23/07/2020
Edinburgh’s traditional end of year street festival Hogmanay has been called off and tickets have been withdrawn.
A statement from organisers Underbelly said: “It is clear to all parties that the famous street party cannot take place in its current form in 2020 and tickets are today being taken off sale.
“Customers who have booked tickets will be contacted in the next 14 days to be offered a full refund.
“An announcement on the 2020-21 Edinburgh’s Hogmanay programme will take place towards the end of August.”
Tickets had been on sale for the three-day festival, running from 30 December until 1 January 2021, since January this year.
According to The Scotsman, there had been confusion over why tickets were still on sale when Underbelly and the city council were discussing a radical revamp of the Christmas and Hogmanay – the Scots word for the last day of the year – festivals due to the coronavirus pandemic.
City council leader Adam McVey told the newspaper: “The council is having positive discussions on how Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay could be celebrated this year.
“All involved recognise the uncertainty of the current situation and the significant requirements for anything Edinburgh hosts to meet public health guidance.
“It’s clear that if our 2020 winter festivals go ahead they will look very different from recent years, using different locations across the city.”
Last year’s Hogmanay attracted more than 180,000 people, many of them tourists from overseas.
It featured a torchlight procession and city centre concert with stars such as Mark Ronson, Idlewild and Marc Almond.
(c) Sky News 2020: Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street festival is cancelled
