An American family has been left “devastated” after spending $10,000 (£8,000) and travelling 4,000 miles from Georgia to visit Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival, after many events were cancelled due to inclement weather.
Amber Newton, 45, and her husband Richard, who has Scottish heritage, saved up for years to fund the special trip for their two sons, aged 13 and 16.
With New Year’s the couple’s favourite time of year, they were keen to make a special trip every five years to mark the occasion as a family.
However, the weather has resulted in widespread Hogmanay event cancellations, with the Street Party and Torchlight Procession -which the family had tickets for- called off yesterday.
Speaking to our sister title Edinburgh Live, Amber said: “We’re devastated. We’ve spent thousands of dollars. I was full of positivity yesterday, but today I’m overwhelmed and not very optimistic. It just sucks. My husband cried about three times yesterday. He never cries.”
The family, whose friends and family generally don’t travel, flew over 22 hours to be in the capital for the festivities. Her mother, who has never left Georgia, was excited for them to see more of the world, and bought them tickets to the Torchlight Procession.
They saved and sacrificed to fund the trip, with the couple choosing not to buy each other Christmas presents this year and close their garden swimming pool during the summer. They also put their savings towards the trip instead of a car for their son’s 16th birthday.
Amber, a librarian, worked at a bar and a summer school for two years to boost their savings.
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She said: “The pool’s liner was broken and it was either go to Europe or have a pool. It all went straight to the trip”, adding: “It’s huge that we are here and want to make it a tradition that we get out of our little town.”
The family were queuing for the procession, with Richard already having bought his own torch, when they learned the event had been cancelled.
Amber said: “This is what my husband was dreaming of. He wanted to go to the Torchlight event and feel like a real Scotsman. We want the real Scottish experience.”
Despite their disappointment, they are still making the most of their trip, and are on the lookout for traditional Scottish events to attend.
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