Scotland ready for Hogmanay party
31st December 2009
Thousands of revellers are preparing to take to the streets of Scotland to see in the new year. The biggest street party is due to take place in Edinburgh, where 80,000 people will gather for music, dancing and a spectacular firework display.
Deacon Blue will headline the celebrations taking place in the centre of Glasgow.
Anyone heading out to enjoy the parties has been advised to wrap up warmly against the winter weather.
Temperatures are expected to fall to about -2C at the Edinburgh street party.
Madness will headline the Concert in the Gardens, while The Enemy, Frightened Rabbit, Stanley Odd and We Were Promised Jetpacks will all appear on the Waverley stage.
The New Year will be heralded by a massive fireworks display above Edinburgh Castle, before a laser and light display will take place the length of Princes Street between midnight and 0100 GMT.
Deacon Blue will perform for a 10,000-strong sell-out crowd in George Square, Glasgow, before 2010 begins with a fireworks display over the City Chambers.
Strathclyde Police Ch Supt Bernard Higgins urged people partying in Glasgow to drink sensibly and keep an eye on their valuables, and to ensure they have planned how to get home safely afterwards.
"We want everyone to enjoy themselves, have a great time and remember it for all the right reasons," he said.
"Look after yourself, wrap up warm, drink responsibly and have a plan for getting home and stick to it. "
Flaming balls
Elsewhere, the streets of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire will be lit up by the annual fireballs festival which has welcomed in the new year for about 150 years.
Dozens of participants will swing the flaming balls around their heads as they parade along the High Street during the ritual which, according to legend, was thought to banish harmful influences or ensure enough sunshine for a successful harvest in the coming year.
Blazin' Fiddles, Peatbog Faeries and The Red Hot Chilli Pipers will all perform at a free event at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness.
Crowds gathered at the esplanade of Stirling Castle will see in the new year with acts including Sandi Thom and the MacDonald Brothers.
In Aberdeen, there will be a firework display above His Majesty's Theatre at midnight.
Smaller events will be held in towns and villages across the country as Scotland welcomes in 2010.
Source: BBC
