Edinburgh Christmas: What is different this year?

Underbelly, which is producing Edinburgh's Christmas festival for the fifth year, has unveiled a series of changes for the 2017-18 season, which will officially open on 17 November.

Huge ice and snow sculptures of Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, Dolly the Sheep and Greyfriars Bobby will be brought into the heart of Edinburghs New Town for the festive season.

The biggest new addition is the new “frozen museum” installation, The Ice Adventure, which will take over the west end of George Street, where the Street of Light was located last year.

Underbelly has also relocated the Santa’s Grotto attraction to George Street from East Princes Street Gardens, where the Star Flyer, the ferris wheel and the main markets will remain.

A new “light dome” attraction will also be installed at the junction of Castle Street and George Street, with the west end of the latter thoroughfare expected to be closed to traffic until Christmas Eve.

Organisers hope the new features on George Street will help alleviate the kind of over-crowding problems experienced on Princes Street and The Mound last year.

Festival Square, which played host to the hit musical Five Guys Named Moe last year, will be deployed for a second time for the first ever winter run in Edinburgh of La Clique, the cult Australian cabaret show which has been one of the biggest Fringe hits since its 2004 debut.