Christmastime in the City of Edinburgh

It’s that time of year again where Edinburgh City Centre becomes a bustling hive of activity as well as a glorious winter wonderland. With it’s yearly Christmas markets, festive food and drink stalls, live outdoor events and the dazzling light trails being showcased within the Castle of Light and Botanic Gardens, the City of Edinburgh an ideal place to spend to get into the festive spirits and make wonderful Christmas memories with family, friends and partners. Read on if we have sparked your curiosity regarding what EdWinterFest has to offer this year!

Edinburgh’s Famous Christmas Markets…

Edinburgh’s world-renowned Christmas Markets are back this year! Stalls ran by various independent retailers and artists will have now filled the east side of Princes Street Gardens, as well as many festive food and drink stalls, fairground rides and of course, the iconic big wheel will be lit up and running for the occasion! A wide range of items and gifts are sold yearly at Edinburgh’s Christmas Markets including woolly scarves, hats, gloves, bags as well as hand-crafted jewellery, ornaments, toys and various other miscellany. Hungry, or have a thirst that needs quenched? The food and drink stalls also serve a variety of hearty options including mac and cheese, haggis, Yorkshire pudding wraps, and loaded fries, as well as mulled wines and ciders, hot drinks including hot chocolates, and soft drinks. Room for dessert? Some of the stalls also giant stuffed cookies, waffles, pancakes and warm churros as well.

The west side of Princes Street Gardens also hosts the yearly Santas Stories event – a magical experience for both children and their parents to meet Santa and have the magic of Christmas brought to life with stories of the North Pole as well as other festive tales. This event takes place inside a small cabin, with warm blankets and hot chocolates also provided! All sessions last for up to 20 minutes in total. The Starflyer ride is also close by and located in the west side of Princes Street Gardens, making this end of the Christmas markets very family-focused and orientated.

Christmas Lights and Light Trails…

One of the most magical parts of Christmas is indeed when the Christmas lights come on all throughout different cities and local towns – including the City of Edinburgh! Victoria Street in particular is famous for it’s dazzling Christmas lights and the picturesque way they look against the charming, architecturally unique cobblestone buildings. It provides the perfect scenic background for festive photos and strolling through shops whilst doing your Christmas shopping. Edinburgh also hosts dazzling light trails in both the Royal Botanical Gardens and Edinburgh Castle with illuminated and colourful walkways which also provide scenic backgrounds for photos or simply walking through to take in the festive magic. Festive music is played and food is also provided at the Royal Botanical Gardens Christmas lights trail.

The Torchlight Procession…

The festivities do not end after Christmas Day! Hogmanay approaches not long after and as part of this, the City of Edinburgh hosts both a Torchlight Procession on the 29^th of December and Street Party on the 31^st just before the New Year kicks in! The Torchlight Procession is a family-friendly event which takes place annually on the 29^th of December where at least 15,000 torches are lit and carried through the streets of Edinburgh. It is also a charitable event as the torches are carried in aid of national and local charities such as Social Bite and One City Trust. Street theatre and fire performers also fill the streets of Edinburgh as well, ultimately establishing a carnival-like atmosphere.

The City of Edinburgh certainly knows how to celebrate Christmas and get everyone in the festive spirit!

By Rachel Downie

It’s festive time at the library blog