Tourists visiting Edinburgh from abroad have told of their disappointment after the main Hogmanay festivities were cancelled due to bad weather.
The street party and fireworks display over Edinburgh Castle were cancelled on Monday afternoon due to a Met Office yellow weather warning which at the time covered most of Scotland throughout Hogmanay, before the warning area was cut back to the Highlands and Moray.
A yellow weather warning for wind covers central and southern Scotland and northern England until 11pm on Hogmanay, with winds predicted to reach up to 70mph.
Organisers Unique Assembly said on Monday the weather at the time meant it was not possible to do the preparations.
They have apologised to those who have travelled to Edinburgh for the cancelled events, which also include the Concert in the Gardens headlined by Scottish band Texas.
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.”
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.
