Several major New Year’s Eve events have been cancelled because of severe warnings that the UK will be battered by high winds and heavy rain at the start of 2025. London’s City Hall has said it is “monitoring the weather” ahead of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations after some of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festivities were cancelled.
A seaside New Year’s Eve fireworks display has also been cancelled due to a forecast of high winds. Blackpool Council said it had taken the “tough decision” to cancel the spectacle, but confirmed a projection show set to music would still take place. The family party by the sea village on the Tower Festival Headland will still go ahead between 3pm and 6pm.
Almost every part of the country is covered by at least one of the multiple Met Office weather warnings between Monday and Wednesday. Stormy conditions are expected to spread to the rest of the UK on New Year’s Eve, with yellow warnings for wind and rain in place for parts of England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
There is a 24-hour warning for rain in place for parts of Wales between 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 6pm on New Year’s Day. Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news. You will receive updates from us daily.
The rain warning says: “Beginning on Tuesday (New Year’s Eve), persistent and at times heavy rainfall is expected as a band of rain becomes slow-moving across the region, accompanied by strong winds. There remains a bit of uncertainty around how this evolves on Wednesday morning, which will impact final rainfall totals, but rain is expected to clear to the southeast through Wednesday afternoon. 30-50 mm is expected fairly widely, with 60-80 mm across west-facing hills.
“There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100 mm during the event, with north Wales the most likely region to see these larger totals.”
On Monday afternoon, organisers announced outdoor events at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations on Monday and Tuesday would be cancelled for the first time since 2006, including the street party and concert in Princes Street Gardens – due to be headlined by Scottish band Texas – and the midnight fireworks. Get the latest Welsh headlines delivered free to your email inbox
A spokesperson for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “Due to ongoing high winds and inclement weather in Edinburgh city centre, we regret to announce that outdoor events scheduled for Monday and December 31 are unable to go ahead on the grounds of public safety.
“The cancellation includes tonight’s Night Afore Disco Party in West Princes Street Gardens and, on December 31, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party, Concert in the Gardens and the midnight fireworks from Edinburgh Castle.
“We have been unable to continue with preparations and necessary set-up for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay outdoor events due to extreme weather and forecast conditions. Therefore, for safety reasons, we, along with our event partners, have taken the difficult decision to cancel all outdoor events.” The spokesperson said indoor events are continuing as planned.
It is understood there are currently no plans to cancel any New Year’s Eve events in London, but a spokesperson for the mayor confirmed local authorities were continuing “to monitor the weather forecast closely”.
On New Year’s Eve, delays to all types of transport are “likely” as strong winds persist and may reach speeds of up to 70mph in England and Northern Ireland, the Met Office has warned.
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.
“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”
The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for wind and rain on January 1. Winds of up to 60mph are forecast across much of England and Wales all day on Wednesday, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.