Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2016!
What you need to know about this year's Edinburgh Hogmanay!
The full Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations begin on Friday the 30th of December with the ‘Night Afore Concert with Paolo Nutini’.
Also on Friday the 30th is the family-friendly Torchlight Procession, which welcomes over 30,000 participants (including 10,000 torchbearers) who wind their way through the city streets lined with tens of thousands of spectators. The Procession, which is supported by EventScotland, will move from the Old Town towards the fireworks finale on Calton Hill which can be viewed from across the city and from the streets surrounding the hill. This year participation in the Torchlight Procession and access to Calton Hill will be exclusively available for torchbearers and their accompanying friends and family with new event wristbands which must be purchased to participate in the procession. A donation from the sale of both torches and wristbands will be given to the official Edinburgh’s Hogmanay charity UNICEF.
On Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st of December, Paolo Nutini celebrates the 10th anniversary of his seminal debut album ‘These Streets’ by headling the Concert in the Gardens hosted by Forth 1's Grant Stott.
On Hogmanay, the musical line-up across the seven open air stages - in the centre of the city - promises to deliver an exhilarating party soundtrack for the anticipated 75,000 revellers.
The Waverley Stage (Indie) will be headlined by music legends The Charlatans. With a career spanning four decades, the band have provided the soundtrack to a generation with all of their twelve studio albums charting in the Top 40 in the <a class="article-body-link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Chart "UK Albums Chart"">UK, three of them being number ones.
Tim Burgess said “Nowhere in the world sees in the New Year like Scotland. I've been to Edinburgh before for Hogmanay and it's always brilliant. Looking forward to another big night.”
The Castle Stage (Scottish) features exhilarating performances from leading Scottish Celtic crossover bands Salsa Celtica and Manran.
The Frederick Stage (Party) provides the soundtrack to the whole Street Party with a heart-thumping, show stopping, disco dancing set featuring DJ’s, dancers and performers from Guilty Pleasures, fresh from their hugely successful set at last year’s event. VJ’s Buttercup and Pixels mix cutting-edge visuals to accompany the dance tunes which are relayed on seven screens along the length of Princes Street and throughout the Street Party arena.
The Mound Stage (Jazz), programmed in collaboration with the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, features James Brown is Annie, Brass Gumbo and Blues n Trouble.
The Candlelit Concert will take place in the magnificent setting of St Giles’ Cathedral and the record-breaking Old Town Ceilidh returns to Parliament Square with two live open air stages featuring the best in traditional Scottish music and a new sponsor in Belhaven Brewery, who will be providing revellers with the best in local food and drink. The main Ceilidh Stage features performances from Kilter and HotScotch and ‘Ceilidh Makers’ will be on hand to make sure everyone knows the moves. The smaller stage features the very best in young Scottish musicians, including the award-winning Talisk, Top Floor Taivers and musicians from Feis Rois, for a more informal atmosphere.
New Year revellers across Edinburgh and beyond will enjoy a feast of fireworks with countdown displays on the hour from 9.00pm, rising to the crescendo of the spectacular Midnight Moment as the fireworks lift from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. The fireworks are followed by the world’s largest rendition of Auld Lang Syne as old friends and new join hands across the arena to sing Burns’ universal New Year anthem.
All stages are live from 9.00pm to 1.00am but the party starts from 7.00pm throughout the Street Party arena.
After the bells on the 31st December, free Hogmanay NightBus Services for revellers will once again run throughout the capital provided by Official Transport Provider Lothian Buses and supported by Diageo. A welcome journey home at the end of the celebrations, which last year helped over 18,000 revellers get home safely.
On Sunday 1 January 2017 the ‘Stoats Loony Dook’ sees 1,250 ‘Dookers’ in fancy dress, ranging from the weird to the wonderful, welcome the New Year with a dip in the River Forth at South Queensferry. Thousands of spectators are once again expected to line the streets to watch the Dookers parade through the town before plunging into the chilly water under the shadow of the world famous Forth Bridges. The event is supported by Stoats, who’ll be there on the day, warming everyone up with bowls of tasty porridge, giveaways and a fabulous fancy dress competition.
On New Year’s Day, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay presents Scot:Lands, an adventurous journey across Edinburgh’s Old Town with the very best in music, art and theatre created and curated by Scotland’s most innovative artists and musicians; a festival in itself – all FREE. Scot:Lands is supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and the full programme will be announced in early November.
The Final Fling, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay closing ceilidh, will take place at 5.30pm at the National Museum of Scotland on Sunday 1 January.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay also introduces Sprogmanay - New Year fun for families with young children offering arts and crafts, storytelling, music and dancing over the three days of the Festival including a free family ceilidh and Wee Scot:Lands. Sprogmanay will be concentrated in and around the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street.
Tickets for the ‘Night Afore Concert with Paolo Nutini’, the world famous Street Party, The Old Town Ceilidh, pre-booked Torches and wristbands for the Torchlight Procession and registration for the Loony Dook, are on sale now at www.edinburghshogmanay.com, by calling Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Box Office on 0844 573 8455 or by calling into the Hogmanay Box Office at The Fringe Office, 180 High Street, Edinburgh.