Councillors have confirmed UniqueAssembly will deliver both Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay festivals for 2023.
Following an update on performance of the 2022/23 editions of the festivals on Tuesday (7 March), the Culture and Communities Committee recommended the one-year extension for Edinburgh’s Christmas which was considered and ratified by Finance and Resources Committee on Friday.
UniqueAssembly already has a contract to produce Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2023/24 and Councillors today approved the continuation of this contract.
Councillors discussed the levels of success for both festivals including lessons learned, noting the short turnaround time UniqueAssembly had to produce Edinburgh’s Christmas.
The decision for UniqueAssembly to produce Edinburgh’s Christmas 2022/23 was taken at a special meeting of the Council’s Finance and Resources committee in October, convened following the request to withdraw from the contract by original producers Angels Event Experience (AEE).
Over the 39 days of Edinburgh’s Christmas, the market stalls and funfair rides in East Princes Street Gardens and Mound Precinct, Santa Land in West Princes Street Gardens, and Lidl on Ice (ice rink) on George Street saw an overall footfall of 2.4 million.
Edinburgh’s Christmas provided a number of community benefits to citizens. Over 6,000 tickets were given to 30 local charities and community groups and 82,200 20% discounted rides and attractions across all the sites for residents.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay welcomed over 65,000 people to events across the three days of the festival which included a Night Afore Concert at the Ross Bandstand, headlined by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Street Party and Concert in the Gardens headlined by Pet Shop Boys and large programme of free live events and family entertainment on 1 January 2023.
City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker said: “Edinburgh’s Christmas 2022/23 proved to be more challenging than usual to deliver, and my thanks to UniqueAssembly for taking over the contract last year with just seven weeks to deliver such a successful event in addition to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.
“Today’s decision not only confirms our satisfaction with the 2022/23 Winter Festivals, it gives our support to UniqueAssembly to realise more of our shared ambitions for even better events this year, including a greater spread across the city and ensuring that our greenspaces are used sensitively.
“There’s no questioning the popularity of our Winter Festivals or the benefits they bring to the Capital – the enjoyment and wellbeing of our residents, but also the economic impact for our businesses and the city as a whole.
“Following the termination of our contract with the original Christmas provider it was our absolute priority to ensure that we provided high-quality festive celebrations for the city – and that these were delivered in the spirit of the feedback received in our consultation with residents, businesses and stakeholders. The update report shows this was achieved and I’m looking forward to this year’s offering.”
Directors of UniqueAssembly said: “The Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations are so important not only for visitors to the city, but also for our fellow residents, local businesses and city economy.
“The confirmation of the contract for this year means we can build on the success of 2022, and with longer lead-time realise our ambitions for Edinburgh’s festive celebrations.”
KER-CHING!