Hogmanay

KT Tunstall to headline new Hogmanay event

November 10, 2010 By nealjwallace Leave a Comment

by Neal Wallace

Edinburgh is known across the world as the place to be when it comes to new year celebrations.

This year it’s set to become even bigger, with the addition of a “One Day”, a day of celebration to mark the 1/1/11. The event, funded by the Scottish Government’s expo fund, will showcase the best in Scottish talent, with poetry, singing and music in a free, unticketed concert in the afternoon.

Hogmanay organiser Peter Irvine said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Government’s Expo Fund has enabled us to pull together one of the strongest line-ups of Scottish writing and musical talent probably ever assembled to play over one afternoon. This roll call of talent demonstrates that the power of the word and the song is alive and well in Scotland.”

Fife-born singer KT Tunstall will headline the event with the “Resolution Concert” at the west Princes St. Gardens. Tunstall herself has handpicked the line-up, which includes Scottish artists Kassidy, King Creosote and Silver Columns. The capacity of the concert is just 3,000, a tiny proportion of the 100,000 revellers expect to descend on the city this new year.

KT Tunstall will headline the "One Day" celebrations. Photo by nni_

A full programme has been announced for “One Day”, to be hosted in the newly name Mound Precinct on Princes Street Gardens. The event will begin with a reading of new year haikus by some of Scotland’s top poets, including Alan Spence and Andrew Greig.

The main stage will then host “Scotland’s Number Ones”, with exclusive performances by Scotland’s 2010 award winning musicians, before Tunstall’s headline show.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said Hogmanay is a time when Scotland “shines on the world stage”, stating that it generates £29 million for the Scottish economy. She added: “One Day adds a dynamic and innovative edge to our traditional festivities, highlighting the best of contemporary Scottish music, culture and creativity. It will help cement Scotland’s global reputation as a fantastic visitor destination and the best place in the world to see in the bells.”

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations date back to the ancient Anamistic practices of sun and fire worship in the deep mid-winter, which later evolved into the great Roman winter festival of Satumalia.

Thousands of years on, Edinburgh now plays host to one of the world’s biggest parties. The event in its current form was first organised in 1993, after the highly successful “Summit in the City” conference a year earlier.

The 1996/97 street party drew a crowd of 300,000, leading to safety concerns and since then the party has been a ticketed. The capacity is now limited to 100,000, with around 20,000 expected to attend the “One Day” celebrations.

Irvine said he was confident the event would be a success, saying that “it will be One Great Day in Edinburgh to remember.”

Filed Under: Economy and Business, Entertainment, Life and Society Tagged With: Alan Spence, Andrew Greig, Concert, Edinburgh, Fiona Hyslop, Hogmanay, Kassidy, King Creosote, KT Tunstall, music, New Year, Peter Irvine, poetry, Silver Columns

Edinburgh to draw out new year celebrations with January 1st plans.

November 10, 2010 By zsbaker Leave a Comment

by Zac Baker

Organisers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay announced plans for extra celebrations on new years day, in a bid to take advantage of visitors still around after the world famous celebrations taking place the night before.

The plans are expected to attract over 20,000 people, however, Edinburgh’s citizens seem underwhelmed by the plans, citing a disappointment with the acts on show as the main reason for their probable absence.

Dubbed “Resolution Day” by organisers, the notable acts on show are a live set by singer/songwriter KT Tunstall, and a discussion with writer Ian Rankin, as well as performances from various other Scottish bands and poets.

“After last year, I concluded that the whole celebration had gone rapidly downhill, and I wouldn’t be going again this year anyway,” commented Graeme Henderson, a student from the capital. “I don’t think many people will drag themselves along to it, the lineup is mainly disappointing.”

Claire King, another city student, said that the performances on show “aren’t enough to get me out on New Years Day”, and that she would enjoy a discussion with Ian Rankin, if “it wasn’t the day after the party”.

Of course, the main aim of the additional day is to attract visitors to the city with a show of national produce and offer an alternative to the famous street party, which will likely bring in over 80,000 people once again.

picture courtesy of Edinburghguide.com

Filed Under: Entertainment, Life and Society Tagged With: Ediburgh, Hogmanay, New Year, party

Edinburghs Hogmanay Celebrations at Risk

November 5, 2009 By afromystik Leave a Comment

The famed Edinburgh street party in full swing, this years version however may be more sedated

By Graham Turner.

As it stands, Edinburgh is the second most desirable tourist location in the UK, second only to London. With a million people from over-seas countries coming to visit the capital every year. Naturally, this tourism has served as a staple of Edinburgh’s economy and ergonomic development. The festive season in the capital attracts a substantial portion of this tourism, most notably with the renowned Princes Street party held every year on Hogmanay. This one huge event accounts for a large portion of Edinburgh’s tourist-based income with the festivities accounting for upwards of around £40m towards the capitals local economy.

However this year, the Edinburgh council has been forced to downsize the street party as a result of the on-going tram works. Although these works have created a consistent stream of negative press as a result of convoluted scheduling and the ever expanding black-hole of a budget, there now may be long-term consequences as Edinburgh’s biggest tourist event downsizes in not only capacity, but surely quality as revelers look upon the once majestic princes street in it’s current iteration of dug-up walkways and abundance of red ‘No entry’ barriers.

Essentially, the ramifications of these changes will not only affect the short-term cash intake from the event itself, but may indeed tarnish the city’s reputation in regards to this event thus subsequently affecting future tourist interests. When contacting press representation for the street party, the issue seems to be a sort of broken record subject, when asked about the overall effect the works may essentially have on the traditionally open-plan feel of the event, response comes in stoic, mono-tone avoidance resulting in the promise of a forwarded email covering the basis of any issues as a result of the works.

The irony inherent considering the wide-spread affect this project has had is two-fold, firstly in the notion that in a time of such economic crisis, surely the city council should have been better prepared to ensure this event is bigger than ever to help nurture an economic recovery. Secondly, these developments simply add fuel to the fire in the debate that when the veil is finally lifted and these trams are in operation will they create the cosmopolitan, euro-chic feel that the local council appear to be striving for. Or, will the city’s reputation and tourist appeal be so badly affected by the on-going works that the city will never re-cooperate or indeed profit in relation to the money already spent.

Filed Under: Economy and Business, Entertainment, Life and Society Tagged With: Edinburgh, Hogmanay, New Year, Princes Street, Street Party

Crunch-hit council cancels Hogmanay bash

October 21, 2009 By gordo356 Leave a Comment

By Gordon Smith

Amy MacDonald headlined last year's celebrations (Courtesy of hardpeople.wordpress.com)

Revellers in one of Scotland’s largest cities will be without their traditional New Year celebrations as the ongoing economic crisis takes another victim.

Officials at Aberdeen City Council (ACC) have admitted that a squeeze on finances has meant that any festivities will not be “on the same scale” as past years.

Staging last year’s event, featuring Bishopbriggs-born singing sensation Amy MacDonald, and local star Sandi Thom, had set the council back over £300,000.

Officials had already agreed to slash the 2009 budget by £50,000 as part of the council’s larger cost-cutting exercise to ease it out of a reported £60 million financial black hole. Yet this latest news will come as a further blow for many who had hoped to attend the free street party to see in the new year. Granite city residents had previously enjoyed world-class acts such as Travis, Wet Wet Wet, and The Proclaimers as part of their Hogmanay line-up.

Head of Corporate Communications at ACC, Louise Scott said that despite crowds of over 20,000 in previous years, many party-goers had been arriving shortly before the bells at midnight, and as a result, such a high calibre event was not justifiable.

As an alternative, a report to go before the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee has recommended setting aside around £50,000 for community groups in the city to organise their own Hogmanay parties.

A council spokesman emphasised a formal decision had yet to be taken, with the city’s famous fireworks display from Union Terrace Gardens and the Castlegate still going ahead.

Conservative councillor for Torry and Ferryhill, Alan Donnelly told the Aberdeen Evening Express: “I feel that surely we should have been able to attract somebody up here, Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city.”

Aberdeen is not alone in facing spending cuts, with councillors at Edinburgh City Council recently announcing a 25 percent reduction in capacity for the Capital’s Hogmanay street party following budget issues.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Aberdeen City Council, Credit crunch, Hogmanay, New Year

Hogmanay Madness To Strike Capital

October 13, 2009 By mikaela124 Leave a Comment

by Mikaela MacKinnon

Hogmanay ‘madness’ struck the capital over the weekend, with tickets to Edinburgh’s four-day New Year celebrations going on sale on Saturday. Event organisers predict that tickets to the festivities will sell out in record timing, with the announcement that Madness have been confirmed to headline the Concert In The Gardens on New Years’ Eve.

Madness last performed in Edinburgh fifteen years ago, with news of their return to the city sparking much enthusiasm from prospective revellers.

The band will celebrated their successful three decades in the music industry with a fitting hat-trick of concerts this year: having performed at this years Glastonbury festival, going back to their Camden roots by staging a one-off concert in London’s Regent Street, and finishing with Edinburgh’s Hogmanay centered around Princes Street Gardens.

Pete Irvine, Creative Director of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, said in a press release, ‘Madness are the perfect party band and we’re delighted that they’ve agreed to headline Edinburgh’s Hogmanay music and firework spectacular.

Councillor Steve Cardownie, Festival and Events Champion at the City of Edinburgh Council, noted the importance of Scotland’s ‘Homecoming 2009′ year – a celebration of 200 years since the birth of Robert Burns – as a factor to help draw large numbers of tourists back to Edinburgh in time for the Hogmanay celebrations.

‘Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is envied across the world and this year, with Madness set to perform, there will be no better place to be to bring in the New Year,’ Mr Cardownie stated. ‘Madness know that Edinburgh can celebrate with the best of them – they’ll have the city jumping to Ska so its definitely not to be missed.’

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Hogmanay, Madness

2010 Hogmanay with Off Kilter at Edinburgh

October 5, 2009 By Burcin Mertcan 3 Comments

Image courtesy of Ruth Finally, Press and PR Manager

Image courtesy of Ruth Findlay, Press and PR Manager for Off Kilter

BY BURCIN MERTCAN

Despite the tram works on Edinburgh’s Princes Street the Hogmanay celebrations are going to be projected smoothly.

Edinburgh’s trams project could end up £200m over budget. The trams project started on Princes Street, on 21 February 2009 and it will last until the end of November 2009. The Edinburgh’s trams project is making stable progress and it will be completed on time for the 2010 Hogmanay event.

Every year thousands of people celebrate and enjoy the events at the Concert in the Gardens with famous bands playing and the street parties that take over Princes Street and more to come with Off Kilter at Edinburgh.

There will be many different cultural dance show performances; Scottish, Indian, Classic, Hip-Hop, and many more shows confirmed by Ruth Findlay, Press and PR Manager for Off Kilter. Every year Edinburgh puts on a firework display above the Edinburgh Castle, dazzling the city with wonderful colourful sparks. A city which invites everyone to enjoy, with its amazing view and revelling in unforgettable time with family and friends.

Madness are this year’s Hogmanay celebrations headline act playing hits like ‘Baggy Trousers’ and ‘House of Fun.’ Tickets will be on sale, Saturday 10 October at 9am, cost ten pounds.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Edinburgh, Hogmanay, music

Weather Sparks Hogmanay Party Fears

December 4, 2008 By garyphilp 1 Comment

With the current weather causing havoc in Edinburgh there are fears that mother nature could ruin the capital’s world famous Hogmanay celebrations.

Here with the full story is Fiona McIlwraith.

Filed Under: Life and Society Tagged With: Edinburgh, Hogmanay, New Year, Weather

Couples attempt to dance into the record books

November 25, 2008 By Euan Black Leave a Comment

George Square and the Winterfest events

By Euan Black

A world record attempt will take place in George Square at the end of the year.

Tea Dance Tuesdays, a weekly event as part of the Winterfest Glasgow programme, is attempting to overhaul the record for the largest outdoor tea dance. The record was set in 2005 when 195 couples danced their way into the record books at Trafalgar Square.

A spokesman for Culture and Sport Glasgow said: “The Tea Dance Tuesday event, which is running for six weeks, is an opportunity for people to come along, have fun and hopefully set a new world record.

“The Trafalgar Square dance, which set the record, was apparently a promotional event for Strictly Come Dancing, but we’re hopeful we can break the record”.

The record attempt will also invite celebrity couples to join the dancers, but there was no confirmation as to who these were.

Starting today until 6th January 2009, Tea Dance Tuesdays invites couples of all ages and dancing ability to join in the fun. There will be free tea and scones on offer to the first 250 dancers every week.

It is part of Winterfest Glasgow’s programme of events for George Square, which will also include an ice skating rink, Santa’s Grotto, and a Glasgow Hogmanay celebration where Paolo Nutini will headline. People can watch the fun from home thanks to the web cam on the Winterfest Glasgow website.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Life and Society Tagged With: Glasgow, Hogmanay, Winterfest, World Record