Covid in Scotland: Rave cancelled over threat to vaccination centre - BBC News
The event would have forced the largest vaccine hub in Edinburgh to close for more than a week.
DJ Patrick Topping was to be the headline act at Saturday's rave

A rave that would have forced Edinburgh's largest vaccination centre to close for more than a week is to be cancelled, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The first minister was asked by Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton about Saturday's planned event at the Royal Highland Centre.

He said operators were contractually obliged to begin dismantling the vaccine operation on Tuesday.

But Ms Sturgeon said action was under way to cancel the rave.

In response to the Scottish Lib Dem leader, the first minister said that with the new faster-spreading variant of Covid now in Scotland it was "no longer appropriate" for the event to take place and there would be full compensation for the cancellation.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs at Holyrood she wanted to increase the facilities for vaccination, not see them go in the opposite direction.

About 3,500 people were thought to have been scheduled to attend the house and techno music rave at the Ingliston venue's Lowland Hall on Saturday, which was to feature DJ Patrick Topping.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, who is the MSP for the area, said he had raised the issue with the health secretary on Monday, who had been unaware of the plan to temporarily move the vaccine hub.

He said: "The RHS wanted to do the right thing but to cancel would cost them more than £60,000 and there was no guarantee of financial support from the government."

Earlier, the first minister had outlined how she wanted everyone over 18 to have booked a Covid booster vaccination by the end of the month.

The vaccination push is being ramped up in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Ms Sturgeon said that Scotland is facing a "likely tsunami" of new infections of Covid-19 in the weeks ahead, with a "very significant" impact on health services.

She advised that people in Scotland should limit socialising to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas and shops and hospitality venues will also be told to bring back physical distancing and screens.
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