A family have been left ‘devastated’ after saving for five years to make the 4,000 mile-trip to celebrate Hogmanay in Edinburgh, only for it to be cancelled by forecasts of torrential rain and high winds.
American Richard Newton travelled from Atlanta in the US with his wife and children to celebrate.
He told BBC Radio Scotland: ‘We travelled over 4,000 miles to be here for this.
Mr Newton said his family had been planning the trip for five years and they had spent savings and taken on extra jobs to pay for the huge journey.
On Monday afternoon, organisers announced outdoor events at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations on Monday and Tuesday would be cancelled, including the street party and concert in Princes Street Gardens – due to be headlined by Scottish band Texas- and the midnight fireworks.
Met Office chiefs have said more than five inches of rain could fall by the end of the day and heavy snow could hit the north of the country, where a ‘risk to life’ amber weather warning was issued.
Last night the Scottish Government held an emergency meeting amid a raft of weather alerts, with Home Affairs Secretary Angela Constance warning of challenging conditions.
Large parts of the country were told to brace for flooding as rising water levels are poised to threaten lives and property.
Fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle and the Balmoral Clock during the street party for Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh on January 1, 2024
Tourists told GMB that they were ‘devastated’ by the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations
One man told GMB he travelled from India with his family to Edinburgh for the celebrations
Yesterday the Met Office moved to issue yellow and amber warnings for rain, snow and wind for today.
Before the worst of the conditions even arrived, organisers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay shindig cancelled the event over fears for the safety of revellers.
Jane Meagher, leader of City of Edinburgh Council, said: ‘This decision was not taken lightly, however, with the ongoing adverse weather conditions, public safety must be our number one priority.’
Thousands of people who were planning to celebrate the New Year at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party were left scrambling to find alternative plans.
Strong winds had already led to the last-minute cancellation of the city’s Torchlight Procession on Sunday, but yesterday organisers cancelled all outdoor events.
A spokesman for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: ‘We have been unable to continue with preparations for outdoor events due to extreme weather and forecast conditions.
‘For safety reasons we, along with our event partners, have taken the difficult decision to cancel all outdoor events.’
The spokesman said indoor events are continuing as planned.
The cancellation includes tonight’s Night Afore Disco Party in West Princes Street Gardens and, on December 31, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party, Concert in the Gardens and the midnight fireworks from Edinburgh Castle
Revellers who had made the journey to Edinburgh spoke to GMB this morning about their disappointment at the cancellation of the celebrations.
One said: ‘It is very heartbreaking, I don’t know how to explain it.’
Another man, who travelled from India to Edinburgh, said: ‘Unfortunately it was cancelled. I have travelled from India such a long distance from India with my family, four of my kids and my wife and we came here all the way for Hogmanay.’
A woman holds onto her umbrella in Edinburgh as the city faces wet and windy weather
International student Darren Travasso, 21, from Mumbai, India, travelled to Edinburgh from Leicester to celebrate with friends.
He said: “I’m here for three days, we are all on vacation. It is a bit sad but there’s still time to come up with other ideas.
“We were assuming the weather would be normal or snowing.
“We were planning to go to the fireworks but will visit the museums first.
“It cost around £200 to £300 to come up for the trip.”
Katharina Ende, 19, and Sophie Bolohlavek, 19, both from Lower Saxony, Germany, travelled from York to see the fireworks.
Ms Ende, who is an international student, said they are planning to spend three days in the Scottish capital and had spent around £200.
She said: “We think it is really sad, we just found out 10 minutes ago.
“We planned to go and watch the fireworks.
“We are going to make the best of it but it is sad.
“I think for safety reasons it was the right decision.
“I think there is still going to be a party. The city is beautiful and we have things to see too.”
Weather warnings for rain and snow are in place for Scotland as well as in Wales and northern England
A woman’s hair is blown across her face as people walk in strong winds in Edinburgh yesterday
Workers try to repair a fence damaged by high winds at Edinburgh Christmas Market
Ms Bolohlavek said: “We will have to improvise. In Germany events like this are cancelled very easily so we are kind of used to it.”
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.”
Ms Sahu added: “They should have had a plan B in place.
“At the last minute, you are not going to find anything good.
“Edinburgh is expensive.
“London is also windy. The weather doesn’t seem terrible but maybe it is the calm before the storm.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “Due to ongoing high winds and inclement weather in Edinburgh city centre, we regret to announce that outdoor events scheduled for December 31 are unable to go ahead on the grounds of public safety.
“The cancellation includes the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party, Concert in the Gardens and the midnight fireworks from Edinburgh Castle.
“We have been unable to continue with preparations and necessary set-up for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay outdoor events due to extreme weather and forecast conditions. Therefore, for safety reasons we, along with our event partners, have taken the difficult decision to cancel all outdoor events.
“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 ticketholders directly with further instructions regarding refunds in due course.
“All indoor events are taking place as planned.”
Poor weather saw the main Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh previously cancelled in 2003, and just an hour before the street party was due to begin in 2006.
Waves crashing into the shore in high winds on Cleveleys Beach near Blackpool
A dog walker covers their face as sand is whipped up by the wind on the beach today
London’s City Hall has said it is ‘monitoring the weather’ ahead of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations after some of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festivities were cancelled due to bad weather.
Separately, Blackpool Council confirmed it had taken the ‘tough decision’ to cancel its fireworks due to the winds, but a projection show set to music will still take place.
Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of the multiple Met Office weather warnings between Monday and Wednesday.
A yellow weather warning of heavy rain and snow has been in force across most of Scotland for Monday and Tuesday, while an amber warning for rain is in place for an area around Inverness on Tuesday.
Stormy conditions are expected to spread to the rest of the UK on New Year’s Eve, with yellow warnings for wind and rain in place for parts of England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
A yellow warning for snow will be in place from 5am until midnight in Orkney and Shetland.
A 24-hour yellow warning for rain will also come into force across much of Wales and north-west England from 6pm on Tuesday.
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: ‘It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.
‘We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.’
The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for wind and rain on January 1.
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.
