Later today we will be liveblogging with Malcolm Chisholm MSP who will be joining us at 5.30 for two hours. Send us your questions now theedinburghreporter@gmail.com
Tomorrow morning we will be at the City Chambers for the tram debate part 2. The Lord Provost has convened a special meeting to discuss trams again. The BBC report that the SNP group have advised that they will vote with their coalition partners the LibDems. The likelihood is that the tram line will now go to St Andrew Square but we are almost scared to predict anything, as there have been so many changes each day this week. We will set up a Liveblog event in the morning so that you can follow events as they unfold.
The BBC also have a story about the decline in sales for The Edinburgh Evening News where the circulation has fallen by 7.2% in the last six months. If that is the case then it bolsters the need for online journalism outlets such as ours. However we can only keep going with some advertising revenue. We have Addiply ads which are the easiest way of putting up text only ad for a very modest £20 per month. Or you can speak to us about advertising banners next to the header or in the right hand margin. Do it today! Our visitor numbers in August exceeded all previous records.
STV Local have the final part of their countdown to the MELA Festival published today. The Festival is on from tomorrow till Sunday.
We are coming up to one of the most exciting weekends in Edinburgh when the Virgin Money Festival Fireworks takes place. We have been invited for a behind the scenes look this evening and have dispatched Thomas Haywood to go and have a look at the preparations.
And the good news is that there will be some final tickets on sale from 10am on Saturday at The Hub.
The annual spectacular finale to the Edinburgh International Festival, the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert takes place in Princes Street Gardens on Sunday 4 September at 9.00pm. The performance will be relayed to theVirgin Money Family Viewing Area at Inverleith Park which will once again boast enhanced visual and audio facilities for families to enjoy.
The show promises Eastern-inspired, exotic music performed live by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with conductor Garry Walker, and includes a dazzling choreographed fireworks display against the unique backdrop of Edinburgh’s iconic castle.
The dramatic concert will begin at 9.00pm after local Firestarter Megan Blair, aged 9 from Tranent, presses the launch button and the sky lights up with over 100,000 fireworks.
The orchestra will perform the overture from Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla, which tells the story of the abduction of a Russian Princess on her wedding day; the Oriental Procession from Belshazzar’s Feast by Sibelius, a musical interpretation of a prophecy from the Book of Daniel; Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, composed to celebrate the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Emperor Alexander II; The Blackmoor’s Dance from Nielsen’s Aladdin Suite, written as the finale for a performance of the Arabian tale; extracts from Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet The Nutcracker, the instantly recognisable Russian, Chinese and Arabian dances; and as a finale a second offering from Borodin, the Polovtsian Dances from the unfinished opera Prince Igor.
Audiences are encouraged to submit their photos from the event on Twitter using the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert hashtag #vmfireworks. All pictures posted with this tag will automatically be entered into the Festival’s Fireworks Photography competition, with the best picture winning a pair of tickets for the concert in 2012.
The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert microsite features a wealth of information on how to make the most of this spectacular event, including picnic ideas, transport information and a live Twitter feed connecting Fireworks Fans on the night. Further information on the event on the Virgin Money website.
There are of course many places you can take photographs of the fireworks from, and a lot depends on the weather but we would ask you to add your best to our Flickr Pool. Or email them to us and we will use the best on Monday morning!
