Edinburgh’s Hogmanay begins on Sunday with the torchlight procession. Thousands have already bought tickets to process with torches from the Old Town to Holyrood Park where you are promised an ‘iconic visual moment’.
The Torchlight procession is now firmly established as a part of the Hogmanay celebrations, and the pipes, drum and dance bands from across Scotland will join in, including Edinburgh Samba Band, Glencorse Pipe Band and Hawick Scout Pipe Band.
Celtic Fire Theatre Company PyroCeltica will lead the procession with their Highland Warriors will show off their fire skills with huge flaming claymores.
#ScotArt – Marking the conclusion of Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, puts young people at the heart of the Torchlight Procession and the opening of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. Following months of debate and discussion with 100s of young people across the county, the 14 incredible #ScotArt wicker sculptures capturing the pride, passion and creativity of Scotland’s young people across its regions will form the fiery heart of Scotland, creating a spectacular finale to the Year of Young People 2018 with an iconic visual moment to be shared with the world.
#ScotArt Young Champions who have led the nationwide youth engagement project, each carrying a banner emblazoned with their regional symbol join young pipe and drum bands at the head of the Torchlight Procession down the Royal Mile into Holyrood Park where the Procession will form the distinctive outline of Scotland lit by thousands of torches. The #ScotArt sculptures then come together to form a heart shape at the centre of this outline of Scotland. As the heart is lit, young people are placed at the country’s beating heart symbolically representing a collective national youth voice, offering symmetry to the #ScotWord project delivered to herald the arrival of 2018 and book-ending the Year of Young People events programme.
Following the grand #ScotArt collective moment, those gathered can keep warm by dancing to an evening of top entertainment, including performance from Pyro Celtica, DJ Calverto, The Torches and a very special headline performance from Stephanie Cheape, Scotland’s new vixen of dark pop before the night comes to a sparkling end with fireworks lifting from Calton Hill at 9pm.
It appears that it will be good weather throughout the weekend. We spoke to Greg Wolverson from the Met Office who tells us that the next few days will be mild.
Martin Green the Executive Producer of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is delighted that the acts now include the French Trans Expresse. This is part of the new PLACE programme which is a threeway partnership between the government, the council and Edinburgh’s Festivals. This partnership will allow Edinburgh’s Hogmanay to invite an international arts company to take over and reimagine bits of the entertainment each year.
This group are renowned for circus, aerial work and classical music and will contribute to the theme of We Love you, a celebration of Scotland’s ties to Europe at the street party.
He said : “They are an amazing group and they are going to add a piece of sparkle to the evening. We have an aerial group from Scotland and Trans Expresse who have been working together, and the project goes on into next year.”
Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, directors of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “The Torchlight Procession is Edinburgh’s Hogmanay’s iconic opening event and this year will close the Year of Young People with ScotArt. We’re expecting tens of thousands on the Procession and as spectators. At the finale on Holyrood Park, the torchbearers will form the burning outline of Scotland and in the middle. the ScotArt sculptures, which have been designed by young people across Scotland will be put together in a heart shape and set alight. The image will rightly place young people and their creativity right at the heart of Scotland.
“This year’s Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has a fantastic line-up of events for young and old under the banner We Love You, a celebration of Scotland’s long-standing cultural ties with Europe. From our Concert in the Gardens headliner Franz Ferdinand to Carlos Nunez at the McEwan Hall, Massaoke at Bairns Afore to Gerry Cinnamon and Snap! at the Street Party, and the Loony Dook to our 6 writers creating love letters to Europe in Message from the Skies across the city, the programme is diverse, exciting and fresh. We look forward to welcoming you all.”
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Frank Ross, said: “It is a special moment to lead such a breath-taking torchlight procession through Scotland’s capital and to see people come together from all over the world to celebrate the start of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. You see the city at its best and you can’t help but feel proud of its streets and its people. This year, the event has raised much needed funds for the OneCity Trust and involved young people from all over Scotland to welcome the Year of Young People 2018. I want to thank every single young Scot involved. Well done.”
The Final 15 #ScotArt Symbols:
| Region | Chosen Symbol |
| Dunbarton-shire Argyll & Bute | Steam boat on Loch Lomond in front of Ben Lomond |
| Central Scotland | TV set with thistles for an aerial |
| Edinburgh & Lothians | Greyfriars Bobby guarding Arthur’s Seat |
| Dumfries & Galloway | Peter Pan and Tinkerbell touching a star over a large open book |
| Lanarkshire | Coal cart filled with Irn Bru |
| Renfrewshire | Witches hat with Paisley swirl for the tip |
| Grampian | Lighthouse with waves spelling out ‘Fit like?’ |
| Ayrshire | Tam o’ Shanter riding his horse Meg over the Brig o’ Doon, pursued by Nannie the Witch |
| Highlands & The Islands | Stag in a kilt, highland dancing with a dram of Whisky in its hand |
| Fife | Peacock wearing a crown with the struts of the Queensferry Crossing as its tail feathers |
| Shetland & Orkney | Viking Puffin |
| Glasgow | Billy Connolly busking with his banjo |
| Tayside | Person with Scotland flag at top of Dundee Law |
| Europe | Patchwork love heart with peace sign behind |
| Borders | Highland cow with rugby 7s ball on its head |
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
