A SIX-HOUR street party carnival is at the heart of a “revamped” programme for Edinburgh’s forthcoming Hogmanay celebrations.
The 2018 programme is the first to be directed by entertainment company Underbelly, one of the largest events organisers at the capital’s annual Fringe festival.
Bosses vowed the city’s new year celebrations will be “refreshed, re-energized and better than ever before”, as they unveiled their plans for the world-renowned event.
Under the festival’s 25th birthday programme, the 60,000-capacity street party will begin at 7pm and last until 1am on New Year’s Day. Bands and DJs on stages, street performers, dancers, acrobats, flash mobs and fire eaters will all combine to bring a carnival-type spirit to Princes Street.
Actor and presenter Sanjeev Kohli, best-known for playing shopkeeper Navid in the BBC comedy Still Game, will host the street party.
An extended fireworks display from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle will see in the new year.
The three-day festival will open on December 30 with the traditional Torchlight Procession.
It will blaze a new path through the historic heart of the city this year, around Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament towards Holyrood Park.
The event will also mark the beginning of 2018 as Scotland’s Year of Young People, organisers said.
The following day, families will have the chance to celebrate new year together early at a new event entitled Bairns Afore in West Princes Street Gardens.
The family-friendly celebration includes an hour of entertainment and ends with its very own “midnight” fireworks moment at 6pm, allowing families to take their children home before the late night fun gets under way.
On New Year’s Day, people will have the opportunity to take part in the annual dive into the chilly Firth of Forth for the Loony Dook, raising money for a range of charities in the process.
At dusk, the Unesco city of literature will celebrate its literary heritage with projections across buildings and landmarks around the city.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here