The crowd is already thick on Princes Street for the Hogmanay Street Party which officially gets underway at 9pm tonight with the first of the on-the-hour fireworks displays, and live and DJ music.
Around 80,000 revellers are expected to see in the New Year at the street party, the highlight of the three-day Hogmanay fest.
According to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay organisers yesterday’s Torchlight Procession (pictured above) saw a record crowd of 35,000 people including 7,000 torch carriers.
The procession followed an altered route from the Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street down North Bridge to Calton Hill for the Son Et Lumiere, led by 26 Up Helly Aa’ Vikings from Shetland and 5 pipe bands with over 100 pipers to the bonfire and a spectacular Son et Lumière display on Calton Hill.
The event experienced record pre-sales of torches this year, and 7,000 torches, the largest number ever, were all sold out before the start of the procession.
Pete Irvine, Artistic Director of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said “It’s great to start the three days of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay with such a fantastic crowd for the Torchlight Procession. We like to think that Edinburgh’s Hogmanay puts Edinburgh once again in the centre of the world map, and that the experiences that you will enjoy here are because you are in a beautiful city and in the best possible company – the famously friendly Scots.”
Tickets were still available today for the Street Party which closes at 9.00pm. Tickets for the Enclosure at Concert in the Gardens, The Keilidh and The Candlelit Concert at St Giles’ Cathedral were sold out.
The Loony Dook tomorrow at South Queensferry is also sold out, but spectators are welcome, and the Your Lucky Day Events, which will be taking place at venues across the Old Town from 1.30pm tomorrow, are free and unticketed.
As well as the Your Lucky Day, the New Year's Day triathlon and Edinburgh's Dogmanay tomorrow, the Tron will be hosting a day of activities as part of its three day "Extraordinary Hogmanay" programme. For those with staying power there's a screening of The Hangover at 9am and another party in the evening.