Southside / Newington
Southside Community Council 
Awarded £700 for the Southside Community Christmas Event.
The Southside Community Christmas Event is an annual ceremony to switch on the Christmas lights in Southside Newington. It is a local community event, which attracts people of all ages. In 2025 the evening started in St Patrick Square with community carol singing led by the University of Edinburgh Music Society (EUMS) and pupils from Preston Street Primary School. After the lights have been switched on by one of the school pupils, everyone retired to the Southside Community Centre for more entertainment and some light refreshments.
Approximately 200 people attended the event. The involvement of Preston Primary School was reflected in the number of families who joined in. Event organised noted “many different backgrounds and ethnicities” which sent a positive local message of being an inclusive community. Participants noted that attending the ceremony has helped them to renew old friendships, create new ones and dispel loneliness at a time of year when people can feel quite isolated. The event contributed towards a stronger sense of community, wellbeing and place.