Underbelly have organised Edinburgh’s Christmas for the last three years and they have tried to introduce new things every year. This year the biggest event they have introduced is the Virgin Money Street of Light.
There are 60,000 lights on the structure which has illuminated the High Street during two shows each night but which finishes tomorrow on Christmas Eve. The light display is synchronised to the music, and it has proved to be a spectacular and popular addition to the calendar of events.
We met up with Charlie Wood of Underbelly to find out what is still on in Edinburgh after the successful light installation goes out for the last time. The new addition to Edinburgh’s Christmas launched on St Andrew’s Day and runs till tomorrow on Christmas Eve.
The specially designed architectural installation of 60,000+ lights stretch along the Royal Mile, from City Chambers to the Tron Kirk. Audiences enter a stunning canopy of light, rising up to 19 metres high and listen to specially commissioned recordings from choirs from across Edinburgh – all synchronised to the lights.
- The music comes from the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the Edinburgh Gay Men’s Chorus, the Edinburgh Police Choir and the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union.
- The Edinburgh Festival Chorus sing extracts from Stella Natalis and Joy To The World (Karl Jenkins) accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Christopher Bell.
- The Edinburgh Gay Men’s Chorus sing Gaudete (Traditional), The Flood (Take That), Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall), Jolene (Dolly Parton), I Wanna Hold Your Hand (The Beatles) and Deck The Halls (Traditional).
- The Edinburgh Police Choir sing One Day Like This (Elbow), Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen), Get Lucky (Daft Punk/Pharrell Williams) and Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen).
- The Edinburgh Royal Choral Union sing extracts from The Messiah (Handel) accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Michael Bawtree.
- The event runs for 25 days from 30 November to 24 December 2015. There are two shows a day, Monday – Saturday at 6.30pm and 8.15pm, Sunday at 5.30pm and 7.30pm each lasting approximately 20 minutes.
- Tickets are free of charge, and 5,000 tickets are issued for each show, giving a total capacity over the event of 250,000 people.
- Virgin Money Street of Light has been made possible with the support of Virgin Money and is part of Edinburgh’s St Andrew’s Day celebrations with support from Scotland’s Winter Festivals. The Virgin Money Street of Light is supported by the Royal Mile Business Association.
Last year the Christmas and New Year events created an economic impact of £241.1 million for the city. Just under 1 million visitors came to Edinburgh during the six weeks specifically to enjoy the Christmas and Hogmanay events.
Elsewhere in the city there are still many Edinburgh’s Christmas events to enjoy till 4 January. This includes Circa’s Beyond at the Spiegeltent in St Andrew Square. Acclaimed international circus company Circa are making their Edinburgh’s Christmas debut, having wowed at Edinburgh’s Fringe with Wunderkammer, Close Up and Beyond.
“Get up close and personal in our magical 1920s Spiegeltent with extraordinary circus performers and enter a beautiful and bewitching world. This intimate, red-curtained realm draws us into a cabaret, a zoo, an asylum… and a stage.”
The full Edinburgh’s Christmas programme is here.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
