Edinburgh is Hogmanay!

Starting from tomorrow the city comes alive for Hogmanay.

We were at a press conference this morning to hear all about it and it all sounds very exciting with aerial acrobats and music from The Human League, along with many new attractions.

Councillor Donald Wilson is Culture Convener and he told us that the investment by the. It’s of Edinburgh Council is well worth it. He told The Edinburgh Reporter :”Hogmanay costs the council £800,000. It is a huge event this year. The scale of the event for the 25th anniversary of Hogmanay and the outgoing 70th year of the Festival had to be something big and special and I think we’ve got that.”

There will be armed police officers on the street but Chief Superintendent Kenny MacDonald said there is no specific threat that they are aware of. If you are coming to the city centre you are advised to leave any bags at home as this will enable you to get into the events more quickly.

Martin Green is Executive Producer of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Street Party and he is sure that those attending will be entertained as never before. He said : “I think we have tried to pay most attention to the visitor experience whether you are from Edinburgh or elsewhere. There will be something different going on every hour. In the first hour we will lead some country dancing and then in the second hour we will have a Big Sing and in the third hour you will start to see some of the aerialists performing. We put some new performance stages in that make it sound better and we have better lighting too. The night should be a richer and more theatrical one. “

A free Hogmanay NightBus Service once again runs throughout the capital for revellers supported by the City of Edinburgh Council and provided by Lothian Buses.  The service starts at 00:20 and runs until 04:00 and will help around 20,000 people get home safely. Edinburgh Trams are once again offering free Hogmanay Tram Services to ensure revellers can leave the city centre after the Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations. Free trams will run from midnight until 05:00 every 20 minutes. Details of times and routes can be found at www.edinburghshogmanay.com.

The nine big screens will be put to best use and Rag’n’Bone Man will belt out Auld Lang Syne across the city centre just after the fireworks.

This year Underbelly are in charge of the three day-long event which starts with the Torchlight Procession and ends on Monday evening with the Message from the Skies. This will showcase Edinburgh and Scotland’s literature in a unique collaboration between Edinburgh-based author Val McDermid and others commissioned with the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

These are the people who are in charge of the entertainment and your safety and they are all quietly confident it will be the best yet.

The man from the Met Office, Greg Wolverson, believes the temperatures will be around freezing so if you are going to any of the events you should wrap up warm.

Ed Bartlam co director of Underbelly explained that some of the events are already sold out.

While all tickets for Concert in the Gardens, Hogmanay HQ and the Candlelit Concert are sold out, there are still Street Party wristbands available (£26 incl booking fee). These can be booked on-line at www.edinburghshogmanay.com or on the phone on 0844 573 8455 but must be collected from the Box Office at 109 George Street, Edinburghbefore 8pm on31 December.   Limited pre-booked torch vouchers and wristbands for the Torchlight Procession are also available through the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Box Office.  Places at the New Year’s Day dip Loony Dook are SOLD OUT.