Underbelly run Edinburgh’s Christmas for The City of Edinburgh Council, bringing an economic benefit of £113 million, or the equivalent of 2,260 full time jobs to the capital. This is a big event here in the capital with shows and rides for people of all ages.
This year there are many familiar attractions and some new ones too.
We have already tried the Silent Disco which is new for this year. It is amazing how when you walk past it looks a bit silly, but when you are taking part it is the best and funniest thing in the world! Go buy a ticket for the best experience that does not involve being thrown around tens of feet above the ground. Everyone smiles, laughs and sings. It embodies Christmas and the holiday time.
George Street and surrounds
- Silent Light Underbelly has invited the team behind the Fringe 2018 hit, Silent Adventures, to collaborate with Edinburgh’s Christmas on a unique outdoor event for people of all ages to enjoy. Combining the 2016 Street of Light with a silent street party, Silent Light you dance under three archways with headphones playing the music for you. Choose from (Santa’s Sparkles for families, Christmas Crackers – favourite festive tunes and Disco Delights for the party crowd), Book a time between 4.45pm and 10pm, (20 mins) 50p from every ticket for One City Trust 26,000 free tickets given to over 50 Edinburgh charities for local people.
- St Andrew’s Fair Saturday mass celebration of arts and culture while supporting social causes. Scotland will be the first country to celebrate it as a nationwide festival. St Andrew’s Fair Saturday on 1 Dec.
- Ice Rink, the frozen heart of Edinburgh’s Christmas is back this year to wrap around the Rekorderlig Cider Lodge in St Andrew Square, offering hot chocolate or hot cider!
- Castle Street becomes the new home to Santa’s Grotto during his winter residence here. Traditional children’s rides as well as food and drinks stalls offering tasty treats.
- The annual outdoor Nativity Carol Concert takes place on 2 December in St Andrew Square.
East Princes Street Gardens
Princes Street Gardens’ Christmas Market – voted best Christmas market in the UK last year in a McCarthy & Stone survey – offers a wide range of local and homemade gifts as well as mouth-watering delicacies.
The Christmas Market also features a variety of rides and attractions for all the family including the Forth 1 Big Wheel and the almost 60m high Star Flyer, both offering a different view on the city. Santa Land is back, transforming Lower East Princes Street Gardens into a magical place for families or get lost in the enchanted Christmas Tree Maze
Johnnie Walker continue their support of Edinburgh’s winter festivals with the Johnnie Walker Bothy Bar on the Mound.
Around the city
- Winter Windows will be displayed in West Parliament Square outside St Giles and in four other locations around Edinburgh: Great Michael Rise in Newhaven, Ratho’s North Street, Royston Wardieburn Community Centre in Pilton and St Patrick Square just off Clerk Street. Each stained-glass window is designed around the theme of kindness.
- An opportunity to discover an exciting new place each day, 24 Doors of Advent is a real-life advent calendar taking audiences through a different door every day throughout December as Edinburgh offers access to the unique buildings in the city.
Festival Square Spiegeltent
- La Clique Noël returns home for Christmas with a new seasonal spectacular, La Clique Noël – Part Deux with a reimagined line up including the astounding fire-eater and sword-swallower Heather Holliday, aerialist Stephen Williams with his famous bath act, hair-dangling Fancy Chance, magic and comedy master Albert Cadabra and mistress of mayhem, host Bernie Dieter who took Edinburgh Fringe 2018 by storm as Little Death Club’s MC.
- You Choose, a brand new interactive musical show for people of all ages to enjoy. Based on the brilliant book by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, the show comes from Nonsense Room Productions whose Shark in the Park wowed Edinburgh-based and visiting families in 2017. But in this show – you choose what happens…
- Baby Loves Disco returns to Edinburgh’s Christmas with only 3 dates with Christmas Cheer (9, 22 and 23 December). With its unique day-clubbing experience for parents with babies, toddlers and young children Baby Loves Disco is a perfect Christmas treat!
- Christmas on Stage, brings together the ultimate guide to festive on-stage entertainment in Edinburgh. It is back with a dazzling new line-up of shows including the abovementioned La Clique Noël – Part Deux and You Choose, and also Mouthpiece, McGonagall’s Chronicles and The Gospel at the Traverse Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre’s Peter Pan, Doris Day Show at the Gilded Balloon, The Mother at the Pleasance and Kinky Boots at the Playhouse.
All Edinburgh’s Christmas tickets are on sale now on www.edinburghschristmas.com and 0844 545 8252.
If you have an EH postcode you will get 20% discount on selected rides.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
