The supplier appointed by The City of Edinburgh Council has withdrawn from the contract to deliver Edinburgh’s Christmas this year.
The Surrey based company, involved in the delivery of the markets for several years, and the same business which will continue to deliver Christmas in Hyde Park in London was due to pay more than £5 million to the council to run the festivities in Edinburgh for three years.
Now the council has turned to the company in charge of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Unique Events and also Assembly Festival to fulfil the contract in the capital. Light Night usually kicks off the Christmas festivities on 19 November and the markets and rides run until 3 January, so there is little time for delay.
Plans had already been confirmed to expand to three sites in Princes Street Gardens, The Mound, Parliament Square and Castle Street. But all is now in doubt as the contractor says they cannot continue.
A spokesperson for Angels Event Experience said: “With more than 25 years of experience in running Christmas events across Europe, and almost a decade here in Edinburgh, we felt we were well qualified to take on Edinburgh’s Christmas and were delighted to be awarded the contract.
“Unfortunately, having teamed up with a local partner, our preparations were not going according to plan and it became increasingly apparent to us that we were not going to be able to implement our events as originally proposed. As a result, we took the difficult decision to pull out of the contract with the Council.
“We took this decision to protect Edinburgh’s Christmas and to allow a new supplier to come on board in enough time to deliver the celebrations for the city.
“By remaining involved in a smaller capacity, it will allow the much-loved Christmas markets to go ahead and for over 70 local businesses to trade over their most important time of year.
“We’re truly sorry for the disruption this has caused and will do everything in our power to make sure this year’s events are a success for the people and businesses of Edinburgh.”
Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: “Positive discussions are ongoing around delivering Edinburgh’s Christmas for the city this year and I’m confident we’ll be able to offer a great programme, including the ever-popular Christmas markets, funfair and some exciting new attractions. We’ll make a further announcement early next week once councillors from all parties have had the chance to view the plans.”
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