Edinburgh’s Christmas Street of Light switched on

The Street of Light. Picture: Ian Georgeson

A spectacular new light show installed in the heart of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile for the festive season was unveiled tonight.

More than 60,000 lights feature in the new attraction, which is expected to attract around a quarter of a million people to the High Street section of the thoroughfare over the next month.

The “canopy of light”, which stretches from the Tron Kirk to the City Chambers, rises up to 18 metres tall.

It is the latest feature introduced by Underbelly, the Fringe promoters brought in to revitalise Edinburgh’s Christmas events several years ago.

Tens of thousands of tickets for the free event, dubbed the “Virgin Money Street of Light,” have already been snapped up in advance.

As well as the light show, the crowds are treated to specially-recorded versions of festive songs by carols across Edinburgh.

Organisers said 5000 tickets are available for each performance of a 20-minute show, which is being staged twice a day until Christmas Eve.

People from as far afield as the US, Australia, New Zealand, the Far East, and throughout Europe, as well as the people of Edinburgh, have snapped up tickets to the event which will run until Christmas Eve.