Hogmanay celebrations as Scotland ushers in 2020
- Published
Hogmanay celebrations have taken place across Scotland as crowds gathered to usher in the new year.
Tens of thousands in Edinburgh welcomed in 2020 for what was billed as the UK's biggest street party.
DJ Mark Ronson headlined the event during which he created a "mega mix" soundtrack to accompany the fireworks display over Edinburgh Castle.
Hogmanay events were also held in other parts of Scotland, including Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Stirling.
Revellers gather for the fireballs procession in Stonehaven
Members of the PyroCeltics performed at a street party in Edinbrugh
Mark Ronson was headlining the Princes Street Gardens event for the first time
Approximately 100,000 visitors were expected to attend events across Edinburgh over the three days of the Hogmanay festival.
TV stars Dick and Dom took to the stage in Princes Street Gardens early on Tuesday evening as crowds gathered, playing music and introducing the first firework display of the night.
Performances from Idlewild, Rudimental and Marc Almond also took place on stages throughout the city centre.
Organisers used 3.3 tonnes of fireworks for the midnight spectacle over Edinburgh Castle
More than 3.3 tonnes of fireworks were installed at Edinburgh Castle for the midnight display, with organisers saying the forecast clear skies meant the event would be seen in "high definition".
Street theatre, circus acts and musical performances were on show across more than a dozen streets in the Scottish capital, including the city's main thoroughfare Princes Street and its adjacent gardens.
There had been criticism of the event's organisation, amid uncertainty around how many passes residents were allowed, with Underbelly accused of creating "unnecessary confusion" by the council leader.
They were also criticised for replacing a nativity sculpture with figurines for a whisky company.
The festivities began in the city on Monday as 40,000 people joined a torchlight procession which culminated in them forming the shape of two humans reaching out a "hand of friendship".
The festivities began on Monday with a torchlight procession
Leading the parade down the Royal Mile and into Holyrood Park was a 40-strong cast from Celtic Fire Theatre company PyroCeltica.
The three-day festival in Edinburgh will continue into New Year's day with a Loony Dook in South Queensferry as well as a series of events in the city centre.
Stirling hosted two fireworks displays, one of which was for families as part of its winter festival, while Inverness hosted over 10,000 people in Northern Meeting Park for the city's free Hogmanay party.
In Aberdeen, a street party with live music was held at Schoolhill, while BBC Scotland broadcast live from Stonehaven for the traditional fireballs parade.
A planned outdoor Hogmanay party in Dundee's City Square was transferred to a city centre nightclub, with acts including Eddi Reader and The View singer Kyle Falconer.
Work begins on Aberdeen's Hogmanay celebrations
Over 10,000 people are expected to gather in Northern Meeting Park later for Inverness's free Hogmanay party.
The Red Hot Highland Fling - which has a reputation for being a family friendly event - was first staged 10 years ago.
It will feature some of the top acts from contemporary Celtic music including Skippinnish and Torridon.
For the ninth year running tonight's event is being hosted by comedian Craig Hill.
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- Published19 July 2019
