21/11/2007

Scotland The Brave: Monster Hogmanay Ceilidh Launched

Scotland is planning a huge party for the traditional Old Year's Night weekend with Edinburgh revealing its official programme for Hogmanay.

To start with a 'Monster Ceilidh' will be held on Sunday, 30 December with a mix of music and street theatre.

Indie rockers Kasabian will headline the Princes Street Gardens concert, with support from Idlewild and Calvin Harris.

Then, hoping to put last year's problems behind them – when the Hogmanay street party was cancelled at the last minute because of bad weather – the programme will include the traditional torchlight procession to Calton Hill, with the ceremonial burning of a Viking long ship and wicker effigy.

More than 100,000 revellers are expected to pack the city centre for a night of live music and fireworks with the theme to be the Scottish Highlands.

Pete Irvine, of organisers Unique Events, said: "Our aim this year is to reconstruct that great home-grown social gathering, 'the ceilidh', and present it to the world in a completely new and exciting way."

The city's Lord Provost, George Grubb, said: "Come rain or shine, the programme this year is bigger, better and more exciting than ever."

However, there are issues ahead as the organisation of the four-day festival after 2008 is under discussion, with various companies bidding to operate the celebrations.

There has also been a call for funding of about £100m to keep all of the Scottish capital's festivals ahead of international competition.

(BMcC)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

14 October 2004
'Unacceptable performance' sees WH Smith post big losses
Unacceptable performance, operational shortcomings and tough competition lay the core of a poor year for WH Smith, according to the company's chief executive.
24 September 2013
High Street Shop Closures Slow Slightly
The rate of high street shop closures has slowed slighted, according to a study. In the first half of the year, some 18 shops closed each day in town centres, down from 20 per day for the same period last year. Overall, 209 shops closed in the first half of the year, compared with 953 for the same period last year.
19 October 2015
Man Charged With Four Murders Between 2014 and 2015
A 40-year-old man has been charged in connection with the murder of four men between June 2014 and September 2015. Stephen John Port, of Cooke Street, Barking, has been charged with four counts of murder and four counts of administering a poison with intent to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm, contrary to s.
30 January 2014
Man Arrested Over £1m Heroin Find
A man has been arrested in connection with the seizure of heroin, with an estimated street value of £1 million. Police Scotland recovered the heroin, along with a quantity of tablets, a firearm and ammunition, during the search of a property in Inverleith Street in Carntyne. A 33-year-old man has been charged with drug find.
03 July 2012
Paddington Murder Investigation Launched
Detectives have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man in Paddington. The body of Michael Walser, 45, was discovered at his flat in Gloucester Terrace W2 on Sunday 24 June 2012. A post-mortem gave the cause of death as a head injury.