The Scottish Capital
Hosts the World’s
Most Spectacular New
Year Festival
By Louise Farquhar
Hogmanay may not
be a familiar term to everyone but for those of Scottish blood it is the
time-honoured excuse used by the entire population to indulge in decadent
and riotous parties on the 31st of December every year. The
Scots, who are never slow to exploit any reason to have a party, use the
occasion to drink vast quantities of alcohol, kiss strangers and watch
fireworks – not necessarily in that order. Although shindigs take place
throughout the land the most spectacular venue to welcome in the New Year is
Edinburgh.
Already wildly
famous for its international arts festival in August Edinburgh has also
cultivated a New Year affair over the last nine years with magnificent
results. Visitors from around the globe are flocking to the city to share in
the Hogmanay revelry and the 2002/2003 10th anniversary programme
is showing no signs of disappointing them. The line-up runs from the 29th
of December 2002 until the 1st of January 2003 and includes
processions, music, dancing, carnivals, street parties and sporting events.
Perhaps the most
exciting event is The Royal Bank of Scotland Street Party, which takes place
on the 31st of December– Hogmanay. Over 100,000 people gather in
Princes Street, East and West Princes Street Gardens, The Mound and Waverly
Bridge, which are the arterial routes through the Georgian part of the City.
The dramatic castle, perched high on its volcanic rock, acts as the
centrepiece for this exuberant carnival of music, dancing and street
theatre. 200,000 partygoers used to pack into Princes Street when the
festival first started but this number was scaled down to half by the
authorities as safety was a major concern. Admission is free but tickets are
required to get into the party area where characters in raincoats with
telescopic necks mingle with the crowd and ghost-like men on stilts inflate
huge balloons. There is also the Concert in the Garden, which showcases
international bands and music artists and people attending this are
guaranteed access to the street party afterwards. For those who don’t get
tickets to either event there is still plenty to enjoy as the sound from the
pop bands fills the frosty air and spectacular fireworks spray light over
the whole city.
If spending hours outside at night
in the middle of winter, in a city whose latitude is the same as
St.Petersburg, doesn’t appeal then one of the indoor events might suit you
better. The Assembly rooms, which is home to many excellent shows in the
summer festival, hosts The New Year Revels. This eclectic mix of music
caters for all tastes and ages and is very popular. Tickets are required for
this as for The Candlelit Concert in the Cathedral. Here choral and
orchestral pieces are performed in the magnificent setting of St.Giles
Cathedral.
The
festivities are not confined to Hogmanay. On the 29th December,
to get you into the party spirit, there is a torchlight procession through
the spooky Old Town culminating in a breathtaking finale on Calton Hill. The
following night, on the 30th December, if your hangover is
bearable from the excesses of the previous night, then the Night Afore
Fiesta offers the perfect dress rehearsal for the big New Year bash. Pipes
and drums play for the world’s biggest ceilidh and this year there will be
an attempt to break the world record for the longest Strip The Willow dance
– already set at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Festival last year. Despite the
unrestrained behaviour on New Year’s Eve the party continues on the 1st
January with huskies at Holyrood Palace – one of the Queens Scottish
residences, a bicycle triathlon and more street theatre on The Royal Mile.
So if your idea
of bringing in the New Year is a nip of sherry by the fire and then off to
bed at 12.01am then perhaps it’s time to let your hair down, shake away
those cobwebs and get yourself over to Edinburgh. Hogmanay is an age-old
tradition where the party-mad Scots come together to celebrate and enjoy
this truly unique occasion. Come and join in.
TM
Hogmanay may not
be a familiar term to everyone but for those of Scottish blood it is the
time-honoured excuse used by the entire population to indulge in decadent
and riotous parties on the 31st of December every year. The
Scots, who are never slow to exploit any reason to have a party, use the
occasion to drink vast quantities of alcohol, kiss strangers and watch
fireworks – not necessarily in that order. Although shindigs take place
throughout the land the most spectacular venue to welcome in the New Year is
Edinburgh.
Already wildly
famous for its international arts festival in August Edinburgh has also
cultivated a New Year affair over the last nine years with magnificent
results. Visitors from around the globe are flocking to the city to share in
the Hogmanay revelry and the 2002/2003 10th anniversary programme
is showing no signs of disappointing them. The line-up runs from the 29th
of December 2002 until the 1st of January 2003 and includes
processions, music, dancing, carnivals, street parties and sporting events.
Perhaps the most
exciting event is The Royal Bank of Scotland Street Party, which takes place
on the 31st of December– Hogmanay. Over 100,000 people gather in
Princes Street, East and West Princes Street Gardens, The Mound and Waverly
Bridge, which are the arterial routes through the Georgian part of the City.
The dramatic castle, perched high on its volcanic rock, acts as the
centrepiece for this exuberant carnival of music, dancing and street
theatre. 200,000 partygoers used to pack into Princes Street when the
festival first started but this number was scaled down to half by the
authorities as safety was a major concern. Admission is free but tickets are
required to get into the party area where characters in raincoats with
telescopic necks mingle with the crowd and ghost-like men on stilts inflate
huge balloons. There is also the Concert in the Garden, which showcases
international bands and music artists and people attending this are
guaranteed access to the street party afterwards. For those who don’t get
tickets to either event there is still plenty to enjoy as the sound from the
pop bands fills the frosty air and spectacular fireworks spray light over
the whole city. 
The
festivities are not confined to Hogmanay. On the 29th December,
to get you into the party spirit, there is a torchlight procession through
the spooky Old Town culminating in a breathtaking finale on Calton Hill. The
following night, on the 30th December, if your hangover is
bearable from the excesses of the previous night, then the Night Afore
Fiesta offers the perfect dress rehearsal for the big New Year bash. Pipes
and drums play for the world’s biggest ceilidh and this year there will be
an attempt to break the world record for the longest Strip The Willow dance
– already set at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Festival last year. Despite the
unrestrained behaviour on New Year’s Eve the party continues on the 1st
January with huskies at Holyrood Palace – one of the Queens Scottish
residences, a bicycle triathlon and more street theatre on The Royal Mile.
So if your idea
of bringing in the New Year is a nip of sherry by the fire and then off to
bed at 12.01am then perhaps it’s time to let your hair down, shake away
those cobwebs and get yourself over to Edinburgh. Hogmanay is an age-old
tradition where the party-mad Scots come together to celebrate and enjoy
this truly unique occasion. Come and join in.