Scotland celebrates the New Year
Last updated 2nd Jan 2019
Scotland celebrated the start of 2019 with people from around the world joining in a colourful street party in the "home of Hogmanay''.
Around 75,000 party-goers gathered in Edinburgh where they counted down the 10 seconds to midnight before a fireworks display lit up the sky above the castle.
A mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne then rang out around the city when the fireworks fell silent.
Organisers of Edinburgh's Hogmanay planned this year's events to celebrate the ties between Scotland and Europe as the UK prepares to leave the EU in 2019.
Bands, DJs, street performers, dancers and acrobats from Scotland and mainland Europe all performed at the open air event.
Revellers enjoyed music across three stages, with Scottish favourite Gerry Cinnamon appearing on the Waverley stage, Judge Jules and the Mac Twins leading the DJ stage in Castle Street, while Elephant Sessions took to the stage in South St David Street.
Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand, supported by Metronomy and Free Love, headlined the Concert in the Gardens at the foot of Castle Rock, while some of the country's top ceilidh bands played at Ceilidh under the Castle. First in the queue to see Franz Ferdinand were Jessica Cassino, 37, from Brooklyn, New York, and 28-year-old Alina Entelis, from Israel.
Ms Cassino said: "I love Franz Ferdinand. Edinburgh's beautiful, I love it. I'll be back next year.''
Ms Entelis, who is currently studying in London, said: "When I started looking at the Franz Ferdinand concert, I saw a bunch of other events going on.
"I was participating in the Torchlight Procession on Sunday and I loved it.
"I feel like Edinburgh is the best place to be on New Year's Eve right now.
"Everybody is jealous of me back home!
"I've been here once before and I loved it and I was really looking forward to coming back.
"I think it's magical and I've recommended it to a bunch of my friends.'' The crowd featured first time vistors, return visitors and those with family links to Scotland.
Georgina McGuire, 26, from Woking in Surrey, praised the friendliness of the local residents.
"I love Edinburgh - there are good vibes and lots of sparkle. Everyone is so friendly,'' she said.
Michelle Rossiter, 30, a speech therapist from Sydney, currently working in London, said: "My heritage is from Scotland, my grandmother, that's why I'm here.
"We've already met some Scottish people, some Edinburgh locals, and they're all really friendly.
"Sydney has some pretty good fireworks, and I am looking forward to fireworks over the castle, but the concert, definitely, is the main thing I'm excited about.''
The weather was windy but stayed dry as for the festivities. Elsewhere in Scotland, Inverness hosted Scotland's biggest free Hogmanay event, while celebrations also took place in centres such as Aberdeen and Stirling.
The Scottish capital's three-day festival of events to mark the start of 2019 opened on Sunday with the traditional torchlight procession, culminating in Holyrood Park where the outline of Scotland was lit up.
The festivities are set to continue on New Year's Day when hardy people plunge into the chilly waters around Scotland for Loony Dook events including at South Queensferry on the Firth of Forth and in Loch Lomond.