Edinburgh's visitors drown sorrows after main Hogmanay events fall victim to bad weather for a third time

The sorry scene in Edinburgh's windswept West Princes Street Gardens said it all - a huge stage set for a party that was blown away by the wind which has been buffeting Scotland's capital city for days.

A couple of minutes walk away in the Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens, small groups of visitors are nursing cups of mulled wine, as they seek recommendations for where to celebrate the arrival of 2025.

They were among the 45,000-strong crowd which had been expected to throng Princes Street at one of the world's best-known New Year celebrations.

Instead they were having to hatch alternative plans after the centrepiece of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations was called for for the third time in the 31-year history of the New Year festival.

Indoor events, including afternoon and evening ceilidh dances in the Assembly Rooms, and a hastily arranged event at the Assembly Hall with Australian DJ Hot Dub Time Machine, who had been due to appear at the street party, drew capacity crowds.

Outdoor events planned for the first three days of the Hogmanay festival were cancelled in the face of high winds and a yellow weather warning from forecasters.

Edinburgh’s famous midnight fireworks display, a 45,000-capacity street party and the 10,000-capacity Concert in the Gardens, which Texas were due to headline, were all called off on the grounds of public safety at 3.30pm on Monday, due to the impact of “extreme weather” and ominous forecasts on preparations for the outdoor events.

Brazilian newlyweds Alessandra Torquetti and Ana Couri had booked a trip to Edinburgh to bring in the New Year as part of a honeymoon trip to Europe, and were planning to visit the Silent Disco at the street party.

Ms Couri said: "We really wanted to come to Edinburgh as we had heard it was the best place in Europe to celebrate the New Year.

"I think we'll now just have to go to a pub and drink mulled wine or whisky to warm up."

Ms Torquetti said: "We had only just arrived in Edinburgh when we heard about the cancellation. We just thought 'no way - we've only just got here'.

"We were still able to go to Edinburgh Castle for their light show, which was amazing and we're still having a pretty good time.

"We are loving everything about the city. I've not seen anything like the castle or the gothic architecture in Edinburgh."

Brothers-in-law Harrison Leggate and Brian Donovan, from Houston, in Texas, are part of a seven-strong group visiting relatives over the festive season.

Mr Donovan said: "We actually come here every year for the New Year to visit family and have been to the street party before.

"It's not as cold as it has been when we've been here before, but it is definitely a lot windier. The weather has been pretty nasty. I can understand why things have been cancelled.

"We were actually shocked at how sparse the crowds were at the Christmas market when we arrived. I think the weather has scared people away."

Mr Leggate said: "We haven't come to Edinburgh specifically for the street party this year, but we have seen a few people who look as if they did. It's got to be a real bummer for them.

"Edinburgh is a real New Year destination. People go out of their way to come here. For people who had never been to Edinburgh before and had saved up to buy flights it must be devastating.

"I think we're just going to be back to where we are staying tonight, watch some TV and drink some champagne."

Joe Mayo and Niamh Dooley, from New York, headed for Edinburgh to bring in the New Year after spending Christmas in Dublin.

Ms Dooley said: "I had seen on a weather map that it was going to be windy in Edinburgh, but we didn't think it would be that extreme. We just thought that would be normal weather in Scotland.

"It doesn't seem that windy here, but I understand that the cancellation was probably more to do with the impact on preparations."

Mr Mayo said: "We had heard all about the big new year celebrations in Edinburgh and were really excited about coming here.

"We didn't think the weather was going to be that bad. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is. If you're going to an event outside you never know what the weather is going to be like.

"From a safety point of view, I get it, if you're going to set off fireworks and they blow across the city.

"We're going for a walk around the Old Town, we're going on a whisky tasting experience and then find a pub somewhere. We'll still have a good time."

Spanish visitors Miguel Lara and Laura Traistaru, who flew into Edinburgh from Malaga on Hogmany, were unaware that the main outdoor events had been called off.

Mr Lara said: "It's very warm and sunny at home at the moment. But we wanted to come to Edinburgh for New Year, as we had heard so much about it being a really beautiful city. We want to celebrate the New Year outside somewhere."

Aditi Sahu, 35, and Neeraj Krishnan, 35, travelled from London and had planned their trip around the fireworks.

Mr Krishnan said: “We feel like we are stranded. We don’t really know what to do for New Year. The weather is not as bad as we expected.”