Tourists told GMB that they were ‘devastated’ by the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations
Ms Ende, who is an international student, said they are planning to spend three days in the Scottish capital and had spent around £200.
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.
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.
A woman’s hair is blown across her face as people walk in strong winds in Edinburgh yesterday
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.
Read More Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations are cancelled due to New Year’s Eve storm
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.
One man told GMB he travelled from India with his family to Edinburgh for the celebrations
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.
“We are going to make the best of it but it is sad.
‘It’s just very heartbreaking, I don’t know how else to explain it.’ People from all over the world who travelled to Edinburgh especially for #Hogmanay tell GMB of their disappointment as outdoor events are cancelled due to weather #NewYearsEve #NewYear2025. pic.twitter.com/W7CxV9SnF3
“It cost around £200 to £300 to come up for the trip.”
Aditi Sahu, 35, and Neeraj Krishnan, 35, travelled from London and had planned their trip around the fireworks.
— Nitya Rajan (@NityaGRajan) December 31, 2024
A woman holds onto her umbrella in Edinburgh as the city faces wet and windy weather
“The cancellation includes the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party, Concert in the Gardens and the midnight fireworks from Edinburgh Castle.
“We planned to go and watch the fireworks.
Thousands of people who were planning to celebrate the New Year at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party were left scrambling to find alternative plans.
Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of the multiple Met Office weather warnings between Monday and Wednesday.
International student Darren Travasso, 21, from Mumbai, India, travelled to Edinburgh from Leicester to celebrate with friends.
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.’
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.
“London is also windy. The weather doesn’t seem terrible but maybe it is the calm before the storm.”
Large parts of the country were told to brace for flooding as rising water levels are poised to threaten lives and property.
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.
“Edinburgh is expensive.
A 24-hour yellow warning for rain will also come into force across much of Wales and north-west England from 6pm on Tuesday.
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.
Yesterday the Met Office moved to issue yellow and amber warnings for rain, snow and wind for today.
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.
One said: ‘It is very heartbreaking, I don’t know how to explain it.’
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.
“We were planning to go to the fireworks but will visit the museums first.
Before the worst of the conditions even arrived, organisers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay shindig cancelled the event over fears for the safety of revellers.
Katharina Ende, 19, and Sophie Bolohlavek, 19, both from Lower Saxony, Germany, travelled from York to see the fireworks.
