Edinburgh's Hogmanay was selected by Patricia Shultz in her bucket list guide, "1000 Places to See Before you Die’ and is also the only festival to appear in the ‘Discovery Channel – Top 25 World Travel Experiences.’
So it's no wonder the city is a key destination over New Year. Edinburgh Airport is set to have its greatest ever number of arriving passengers in the pre-Hogmanay period. In the week between Christmas Day and the last flight on 31 December Edinburgh Airport will welcome around 75,000 arriving passengers, around 5,000 more than 2014.
It is estimated that tens of thousands of visitors from 70 countries will join the New Year Party in Scotland's capital, the Home of Hogmanay. The place to be for the Midnight Moment.
The three day Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Festival begins on Wednesday 30 December with the Torchlight Procession. 10,000 Torchbearers, Up Helly Aa Vikings from Shetland and pipe bands will march from George IV Bridge to the Son et Lumière fireworks finale on Calton Hill. The Procession leaves George IV Bridge at 7.00pm when an estimated 30,000 spectators will gather along the route.
Tickets for the world famous Hogmanay Street Party on 31 December are still available* but this event sold out last year. On various stages across the exclusive zoned area will be music performances from Maxïmo Park, Slaves and White, Shooglenifty, Peatbog Faeries and cabaret performers, Guilty Pleasures. BBC Radio 6 Music’s Craig Charles provides the party soundtrack from the Frederick Street Stage, and also broadcast on screens along Princes Street.
The Royal Mile is a new venue this year to see in the Bells. The Old Town Ceilidh on Parliament Square will see 4,000 revellers dance the night away with music from four ceilidh bands. The aim is to break the Guinness World Record for the largest Strip the Willow with 2,016 participants.
The Concert in the Gardens, Candlelit Concert and the Old Town Ceilidh are now sold out but there is a feast of exciting Festive shows, carnival rides and outdoor events for all the family around the city.
On the first day of 2016, the Festival celebrates Scottish arts and culture with Scot:Lands, an afternoon of pop-up performances to entertain international visitors and city folk with spoken word, dance, music and films.
At South Queensferry, the Stoats Loony Dook celebrates its 30th anniversary when around 1,200 ‘Dookers’ in fancy dress will be taking a chilly dip in the River Forth, cheered on by a large audience. It's a crazy, colourful spectacle set against a backdrop of the two Forth Bridges.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has an innovative new social media project this year. 18 international Bloggers have been invited to experience the Festival and explore Edinburgh in order to spread the word. This includes six of China’s most influential travel bloggers who boast a combined reach of more than ten million people.
Old Town Chambers, five-star serviced apartments in Edinburgh, is opening the doors to its luxury Penthouse on the 29th December, to officially launch #blogmanay and welcome the Bloggers. Gavin MacLennan, General Manager of Old Town Chambers, said: “We are thrilled and honoured to be hosting the opening night of #blogmanay. It’s such an exciting initiative that lets the world see what Edinburgh has to offer right across the festive period".
As the director of Unique Events, Pete Irvine commented, "Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the UK’s biggest outdoor winter music festival and an unmissable way to welcome 2016.”
More on Edinburgh's Hogmanay events and Edinburgh's Hogmanay tickets.
Hogmanay.net carries details of other Hogmanay events around Scotland