Christmas in Edinburgh 2009

Xmas Event Details and Ticket Prices

Updated January 2010

Christmas calendar of events

Christmas celebrations in Edinburgh last for nearly a month. Below is a calendar of the most important events:

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Thursday 26th November 2009

Sunday 29th November 2009

Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th December 2009 (Santa Weekend)

Christmas events and attractions tickets

Most festivities taking place at Christmas in Edinburgh are free with only a handful of attractions and events requiring a ticket.

Below is a list of events taking place in Edinburgh as part of the 2009 Christmas celebrations:

Light Night Switch On
Free event, no ticket required. All of Edinburgh's Christmas decorations get switched on during this ceremony of music and light. Other switch on events in St Andrews Square, George Street and Leith also do not require tickets.

Traditional German Christmas Market
Free attraction, no ticket required but make sure you have enough cash with you to indulge in the fabulous food and drink.

Winter Wonderland
Tickets required for renting skates:
Adults: £8
Children: £7
Family ticket: £28

Admission to the Winter Wonderland ice rink with own skates is:
Adults: £7
Children: £6

Tickets can be purchased on site from the Ice Rink Box Office in East Princes Street Gardens.

Christmas Carousels and Rides
Tickets required for riding on the Winter Wonderland carousels. Prices vary.

The Edinburgh Wheel
Tickets required for riding on the wheel. One ride on the Christmas Wheel costs £3.50 (£5 on 31st December - 2nd January). Tickets can be purchased on site from the ticket booth in East Princes Street Gardens.

Santa Weekend and West Princes Street Gardens opening
Free event, no ticket required.

The Santa Express
Tickets required. One train ride costs £2 adults/£1.5 children.

The Great Scottish Santa Run
Tickets required. Admission prices to the Gardens for the Run:
Adults: £10
Children: £5

Santa's Reindeer Garden
Free attraction, no ticket required.

Norwegian Carol Concert
Free event, no ticket required.

Nativity Carol Service
Free event, no ticket required.

Contact details

Christmas in Edinburgh
Tel: +44 0131 529 3914 (general information)
Official website: Edinburgh's Christmas

The Great Scottish Santa Run
Official website: The Santa Run

Printed Christmas brochures

You can find brochures and leaflets with all Christmas events in Edinburgh in the Tourist Information Centre in Princes Street. Two such brochures are illustrated on the right.

Christmas Guide What's on in Edinburgh in December
The information on this page was last checked for accuracy in October 2009. Please check the official Capital Christmas website for up to date information.

>> Back to Edinburgh Christmas guide index

All Edinburgh Christmas articles:

Christmas Lights Switch On - Information on the switching of the Christmas Lights in Edinburgh's City Centre.

Edinburgh's Winter Wonderland - Info and pictures on Britain's largest outdoor Christmas festivities.

Traditional German Christmas market - What to see and buy in the traditional German market in Scotland's Capital.

Other Christmas events - Description on other events taking place around Christmas time in Edinburgh including the famous Great Scottish Santa Run.

Christmas Hotel Breaks with Christmas Day Lunch - Comparison of the best Edinburgh hotels for Christmas breaks.

Getting to Edinburgh for Christmas and New Year - How to get tickets for cheap flights, bus and train travel to Edinburgh for Xmas and Hogmanay.

Photos of Christmas in Edinburgh - Picture gallery with Christmas photos from Edinburgh's winter festival celebrations.

Calendar of Christmas Events in Edinburgh - Full listings for Christmas activities, tickets, dates and times.

Edinburgh Christmas Web links - Links to other web pages related to Christmas in Edinburgh.

Also see:

Edinburgh Military Tattoo - Information on Edinburgh's most popular summer event, part of the Capital's International festival taking place each August.

Edinburgh Hogmanay - Guide to the biggest New Year celebrations in Britain and continental Europe with four days of events.

Accommodation in Edinburgh - Tourist information on quality accommodation schemes, hotels and how to choose accommodation in Edinburgh.

Hotels in Edinburgh - Visitor information on choosing hotel accommodation in Edinburgh.

Plan the Best Edinburgh Holiday:

Edinburgh Travel Essentials

Ghost & History Walks to explore the Old Town and Underground Vaults. Dramatised or realistic, from £7.50. Walking Tours

Beautiful Photos from Edinburgh

Calton Hill panorama of Edinburgh City Centre and CastlePhotograph of Balmoral Hotel and Edinburgh Castle at dusk, from Calton Hill. Photo #G3917

Edinburgh Castle and Old Town landmarks at duskView of Edinburgh Castle and many Old Town landmarks (Tolbooth, Camera Obscura, Ramsay Gardens, etc) with the distinctive Calton Hill cannon in the foreground. Photo #G3906

Scott Monument, Princes Street, EdinburghImage of the statue of Sir Walter Scott, part of the Scott Monument. Photo #F0199

Origin of 'Edinburgh'

Tourists have problems with the name of Edinburgh. There are hundreds of ways people write it and the most common writings include 'edinburg', 'edinborough', 'edimburgh', 'edinbourgh', 'ediburgh', 'edinbugh', 'edinboro', 'edingburgh', 'edinbrugh', 'edimburg', 'edinburugh', 'edingurgh', 'edinbrough', etc.

According to the Scottish Place Names dictionary, the name Edinburgh means 'Fort of the Rock Face'. The 'edin' part comes from Scottish Gaelic and means 'rock face', while 'burgh' comes from Old English meaning stronghold.

Some more obscure (and quite funny) ways of writing Edinburgh include: edinburough, edingburg, edinbourg, edinburh, edinurgh, edenburg, edinbough, edinbourough, edinbrgh, edingborough, edenburgh, edinberg, edinborgh, edinborugh, edinburge, edinburhg, edingbourgh, etc.

Edinburgh is spelt Edimburgo in Spanish and Italian and Édimbourg in French.

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