Winter Festivals 2022 Onwards

Overview

This is a consultation on the future of the winter festivals - Edinburgh's Christmas and Edinburgh's Hogmanay.

Edinburgh's Christmas
The Edinburgh’s Christmas event currently takes place over a six-week period from around the third weekend in November to around the 6th of January, at locations in and around the city centre of Edinburgh. The activities that form Edinburgh’s Christmas include a market offer, fairground, family attractions and, until 2018, an ice rink.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is an internationally renowned New Year festival in its 28th year. Currently, it is a 3-day festival centred around celebrations on the 31st December. Activities include a street party, concerts in Princes Street Gardens, a torchlight procession and an open-air ceilidh. Images of the midnight fireworks display are broadcast around the world, attracting significant international audiences as well as providing managed city centre celebrations.

Audiences
In 2019, over 2.6m visitors attended the Christmas festivities in Princes Street Gardens, an increase of nearly 5% on the previous year. Hogmanay continues to attract an annual audience of 75,000 for the evening of 31 December, with the Torchlight Procession on 30 December and Loony Dook on 1 January both selling out.

However, large audiences in key city centre sites have a significant impact on greenspaces and transport, as well as residents and other users of the city centre.

Economy
The most recent economic data for Edinburgh’s Christmas shows an impact of £113.2m for the city; Edinburgh’s Hogmanay generates £39.2m for Edinburgh. Both events also employ large numbers of Edinburgh residents.

Why your views matter

The current contract for delivering both events expires in 2022. It is an appropriate opportunity to review both events and to ask businesses, community groups and residents - those who have attended the festivals and those who haven’t - how they wish to celebrate Christmas and Hogmanay from 2022 onwards. 

The Council wishes to engage in an open public conversation about the future of these events, to listen to feedback from residents and to ensure that the future of the winter festivals achieves the right balance for those living and working in Edinburgh.

The responses to this consultation will shape the future direction of these celebrations and how they are delivered from 2022 onwards.

Progressive, an independent market research company, is carrying out the survey at the link below on behalf of the Council. It will take about 10 minutes to complete.