Wintry Weather Delays Opening of Christmas Attractions

Submitted by edg on Thu, 21 Nov '24 8.12am
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Edinburgh's Christmas Market at the galleries

The opening of two new pop-up venues on George Street at this year's Edinburgh's Christmas has been delayed due to wintry weather.

The Polar Ice Bar, dubbed by organisers "the coolest bar in the city", where everything including furniture and bar are made of ice, was due to open on Monday. 

At -8°C, patrons will be offered  jackets and gloves when arriving at their designated, pre-paid time slot. 

The other venue impacted is the Coorie Inn.

Organisers Unique Assembly, said yesterday: "Due to weather warnings in place for adverse conditions forecast in Edinburgh this weekend, as a precaution against any delays due to potential issues caused by weather, we have made the decision to delay the opening of our new Polar Ice Bar and Coorie Inn attractions on George Street until the afternoon of Tuesday 26 November."

The Met Office Yellow weather warning is for rain and snow, starting at 4am on Saturday 23 November and ending at 9am on Sunday 24 November.

"Heavy snow on Saturday, followed by a rapid thaw and subsequent rain on Saturday night, may cause some disruption," says the Met Office.

Many other Christmas attractions are opening over the coming week, including the illuminated trails of Christmas at the Botanics and Castle of Light, the George Street Ice Rink, and at St Andrew Square, Santa's Stories and a  Christmas Tree Maze.

Further Christmas Attraction Closures

Castle of Light and Christmas at the Botanics were also impacted by the bad weather. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh announced its closure on Saturday 23rd for the day and again on the Sunday. 

Castle of Light organisers posted on its website: "Castle of Light is unable to go ahead tonight (Saturday 23 November) due to #StormBert. Ticket holders will be contacted automatically to rearrange or receive a refund." The next date for the attraction is 29th November.

Update: 24 Nov 2024: Due to high winds and bad weather, Edinburgh's Christmas announced that it was temporarily closing the attractions at St Andrew Square and East Princes Street Garden including the market.

"Due to the strong winds forecast for tomorrow, we are making the precautionary decision to close the sites tomorrow during the day. Both St Andrew Square and West Princes Street Gardens will be closed all day. We hope to re-open East Princes Street Gardens and the Ice Rink in the evening, weather permitting. Please keep an eye across our socials for any opening updates."

Update Monday 25 Nov, 2024: Edinburgh's Christmas announced that St Andrew Square and East Princes Street Garden was re-opening at 5pm, along with the George Street Ice Rink

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh announced, "Due to high winds the Garden will not open at 10am today, and is closed until further notice. However, our shop and Gateway café will be open as usual."