Plans for Edinburgh’s Christmas festival have been disrupted after the company awarded the contract to deliver it pulled out.
Angels Event Experience was awarded the contract in June to deliver the event, due to run from 18 November until 3 January.
However, the City of Edinburgh Council said it has been informed the company is not able to fulfil the contract.
The council said the event has not been cancelled and discussions are under way about how it can be delivered.
It is understood that Unique Events and Assembly, which are delivering Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival, have been approached by the council.
Council leader Cammy Day said: “We’re hugely disappointed that Angels Event Experience have been unable to deliver on their contract to produce Edinburgh’s Christmas.
“We’re in positive ongoing discussions around ensuring that Christmas events can be successfully delivered for the city this year.”
Plans for this year’s Christmas festival had not yet been revealed.
Historically, the event has taken place over a six-week period from around the third weekend in November to around 6 January and has featured activities including a market, fairground, family attractions and an ice rink.
Angels Event Experience was in June awarded the contract to deliver Edinburgh’s Christmas festival for a period of three years with two optional 12-month extensions, at a total estimated rental income value to the council of £5,473.
Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine said: “This is absolutely horrendous - the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and the City Chambers are a deeply important part of the city and to sell them off would be devastating.
“Due to years of an SNP government slashing local authority budgets, this is now a possibility.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats would give councils the funding they have been starved of for years and prevent the SNP from doing damage to Scotland’s cultural heritage.”
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