New Year’s Eve Hogmanay Street Party Canceled in Edinburgh

January 4

The famed Hogmanay street party on New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, has been canceled because of forecasts of rain, strong winds and snow.

The cancellation of outdoor events in the city followed warnings from the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, that adverse winter weather would disrupt the festivities and travel plans.

Indoor events in Edinburgh, and celebrations in other cities in Scotland, are expected to proceed, organizers said.

Hogmanay, a traditional Scottish festival marking the end of the year that has been celebrated for centuries, includes festivities that often extend to Jan. 1 and 2. Cities including Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness host their own events, but the one in Edinburgh is the largest and best known, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. The street party in Edinburgh typically features a torchlight procession, concerts and fireworks.

Weather has disrupted the city’s Hogmanay festivities before, including in 2003, when most events were canceled, and in 2006, when celebrations were called off because of heavy rain and strong winds.

Steve Willington, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said that heavy rain was expected across Scotland on Tuesday, and that a separate band of rain would push across Northern Ireland, England and Wales by the evening.

Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northeastern England will also be battered by strong winds, “which may lead to some travel disruption on New Year’s Eve,” Mr. Willington said.

Further rainfall and possibly snow are forecast for Wednesday, with heavy rain expected to fall over parts of Wales and northwestern England into Wednesday morning, accompanied by gusty winds, the Met Office said.

By Thursday, temperatures are expected to fall across Britain, a cold snap that is forecast to persist into the weekend. The Met Office has issued warnings for parts of northern Scotland, where it said snow and ice were likely to lead to travel disruptions and difficult driving conditions on Jan. 1 and 2.

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