Dancer launches appeal to put sparkle back into the Nutcracker
Principal dancer Constance Devernay, as the Sugar Plum Fairy, launches Scottish Ballet’s Nutcracker Bauble Appeal to restore the production’s sparkly set and costumes before it returns to the stage this winter. Ballet fans will be asked to ‘buy’ one of the glittering curtain of 4,500 baubles
Huge ice and snow sculptures of Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, Dolly the Sheep, Greyfriars Bobby and the Loch Ness Monster will be brought into the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town for the festive season.
A “frozen museum” will be created at the west end of George Street as part of a major overhaul of the city’s winter festivals.
Kelpies, Highlands cows, Vikings and eagles will be among the other “Scottish icons” turned into works of art for The Ice Adventure, which will run until Christmas Eve.
The new ticketed event, billed as an “immersive walkthrough experience”, will replace the popular Street of Light installation, which attracted more than half a million people to George Street and the Royal Mile in the last two years.
One of Edinburgh’s most prominent buildings will be turned into a giant advent calendar as part of a drive to ensure attractions are more spread out around the city.
Historic images of Edinburgh in winter will be projected on to the face of General Register House, the national archive building at the corner of Princes Street and the Bridges, in the run-up to Christmas.
Underbelly, which is producing the Christmas event for the fifth time, has confirmed that the city’s popular festive ice rink will be allowed to return to St Andrew Square, despite a controversial ban on Fringe shows in the summer, for the duration of the seven-week festival.
Meanwhile, Scottish Ballet has launched its Nutcracker Bauble Appeal to help restore and refresh the sparkle of The Nutcracker set and costumes before it returns to the stage in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Newcastle this winter. Members of the public are encouraged to “buy a bauble” to support the appeal.