Festive cheer for Princes St

OUTDOOR cafes, fairground rides and even live reindeer are set to be brought to Princes Street to boost the city centre over the festive season.

Special events are expected to be laid on as late as 9pm at weekends to encourage visitors to stay in the heart of the Capital. Shops are also expected to stay open until 9pm in the run-up to Christmas.

Once tramworks come to a halt at the end of November, all but one lane of Princes Street will be pedestrianised .

And a £200,000 festive marketing campaign will include TV advertising for the first time.

Andy Neal, chief executive of Essential Edinburgh, said businesses had been badly hit by the closure of Princes Street for tram works. “This is a real opportunity to help them catch up a bit of that lost trade.”