What a blast! New Year is in with a bang around world
Fireworks in the East and celebrations Down Under… then Scots get chance to show they know how to throw a party
TENS of thousands of revellers took to Scotland’s streets last night to bid farewell to 2015 and ring in the new year in an ‘out of this world’ celebration of ceilidhs, music and fireworks that also featured a message from outer space.
Revellers from more than 80 countries flocked to Scotland, keen to experience the country’s renowned Hogmanay celebrations that culminated in a series of spectacular firework displays illuminating the start of 2016.
As part of the night’s festivities, British astronaut, Tim Peake, on the International Space Station (ISS), beamed a message on to screens at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party just before midnight.
Speaking in front of a Saltire, Major Peake said: ‘I’ve enjoyed celebrating Hogmanay on many occasions in Scotland.
‘As much as I’d love to be down there with you celebrating this evening, I think I’ve found the perfect place to see in 2016.’
Ayrshire band Biffy Clyro were the headline act at the sold-out Concert in the Gardens in the capital, while other major celebrations took place at venues around the country. Deacon Blue entertained fans at Open Air in the Square in Stonehaven, where the Kincardineshire town held its traditional fireballs ceremony.
Stirling drew crowds with a Carnival of Light and Sound event, while Inverness staged its Red Hot Highland Fling and
‘Truly global event with revellers from all over’
Glasgow hosted the Merchant Square Hogmanay Party.
A firework display took place in Aberdeen where around 3,000 people joined in the celebrations in the city centre.
Celebrations had already taken place in the southern hemisphere.
Andy Murray – in Australia for the upcoming Open – used his Facebook page to upload a video of the city’s fireworks display to wish fans a ‘Happy new year from Perth!’. In New Zealand, fireworks launched from the Auckland Sky Tower and in Sydney, scarlet fireworks cascaded off the bridge like a waterfall while yellow flares erupted through the Harbour Bridge where millions gathered to watch the 20-minute display that had a ‘City of Colour’ theme to mark the start of 2016.
With 77f (25c) for New Year’s Day in Sydney and 102f (39c) in Melbourne, it was a world away from Scotland, where the country has been deluged with rain.
On Scots’ TV screens, the newly reformed Bay City Rollers rolled back the years as they performed live at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow as part of BBC Scotland’s Hogmanay Live, hosted by Jackie Bird.
Lead singer Les McKeown and band members Alan Longmuir and Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood took viewers back to their 1970s heyday with a medley of hits such as Shang-a- Lang. Miss Bird said she was a Rollers fan when she was a teenager and was thrilled the Scots band were on the show.
She added: ‘If I’d known when I was 15 that I’d get to introduce the Bay City Rollers on live telly, I’d have thought all my Christmases had come at once.’
On STV, viewers watched Elaine C Smith’s Burdz Eye View of Hogmanay with special guests including the First Minister who was joined by her mother and sister to reminisce about Hogmanays past.
Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘For many of us in Scotland, Hogmanay is as important as Christmas Day when it comes to spending time with family and friends.
‘I really enjoyed getting together with Elaine and bringing some of my family along for the recording of the show.’
As well as the crowd-drawing events countrywide, party-goers took to the streets where they savoured Scotland’s unique Hogmanay atmosphere, with an estimated 75,000 gathering in Edinburgh for the famous street party.
Pete Irvine, director of Unique Events which produces Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on behalf of the city council, said: ‘This is a truly global event with revellers joining us from around the world. This year we’ve gone one better and will be visited from space.’
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay worked with the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency to feature the message
from outer space in the celebrations. Ex-Army Air Corps officer and helicopter test pilot, Major Peake, 43, of Chichester – and whose wife is from Comrie, Perthshire – is the first Briton aboard the ISS and the first fully British professional astronaut employed by a space agency.
Edinburgh International Science Festival director Dr Simon Gage said: ‘In the few hours that revellers enjoy Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party, the International Space Station will orbit the Earth three times.’
Michelle Brews, 36, and husband Ryan, 32, flew 8,500 miles from South Africa to experience Hogmanay in Edinburgh.
Mrs Brews, a self-employed designer, said: ‘I’m excited – both of our grandparents are Scottish.’
In Glasgow, revellers counted down to the bells at the city’s biggest parties at Merchant Square and Ashton Lane.
However, heavy rain during the evening put a dampener on the early celebrations.
But Ashley McNab, a 17-year-old student living in Glasgow, said: ‘Despite the rain, there will still be loads of people out in Glasgow.’
Meanwhile, ahead of events, the Justice Secretary urged people to drink responsibly and plan ahead at Hogmanay. Michael Matheson said he wanted partygoers to have a night to remember for ‘all the right reasons’.
He said: ‘Plan your journey home ahead of time. Use public transport or get a designated driver.’
Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, added: ‘If you plan to have even one drink, leave the car at home.’
Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston, head of road policing at Police Scotland, said: ‘We will be increasing our enforcement throughout the festive period to discourage anyone thinking about drinking and driving.’