HOGMANAY FEATURE

EDINBURGH’S

HOGMANAY

All events free unless otherwise stated. Most paid-for tickets are ‘pass-out’, allowing you to take in the free events as well.

THURSDAY 29

I Hogmanay Carnival Waterloo Place. 4pm—l lptn. All the fun of the fair hang in the centre of Fdinburgh. Some of Europe's top rides are going to be here so if you fancy a spill. a dip or just some sheer terror then this is the place to be. Watch ottt for the Terminator.

I Thomas The Tank Engine Scott Monument. l lam-5pm. Thomas has made good his escape frotn the Fat Controller and headed north of the border for a few days. With all fares at 50p a time. how can you resist letting the train take the strain and going for a cheap awayday‘.’

FRIDAY 30

I Hogmanay Fair Grassmal‘kct. l0am—5pm. 226 5579. The historic Grassmarket will be bustling with street stalls. bands. hor food. kiddies‘ rides and itinerant theatre groups.

I Thomas The Tank Engine Grassmarket. 10am. Thomas heads tip from the Scott Monument fora one-day excursion.

I Hogmanay Carnival Waterloo Place. Noon (official openingl-l lpm. See Thursday 29.

I launch Mound Square. 7.45pm. Free. Kicking off the biggest street party in the

.. R 9mm.“ w I Torchlight Procession Parliament Square. 8pm. Free. Accompanying the revellers on their trail down The Mound and along Princes Street to Calton Hill

will be marching bands. pipes and drums. street theatre and a performance of Running Wit/t Fires by Emergency Exit Arts

I Fire Festival Calton Hill. 8.30pm. Free. Continuing the fire and lunacy theme is this culmination of the first evening‘s celebrations. lf fire lights your imagination then this evening will blow your mind. Watch out for the huge bonfire. fire sculptures. fireworks and this century‘s premiere of the Hogtnanay

pageant. The Coloshan. on the steps of the

Parthenon. Helping raise hell will be Emergency Exit Arts, The Outty Slippers Pipe Band, Macumba, The Faceless Company, Weapons of Sound, The Sativa Drummers, Mischief la Bas, The Edinburgh Puppet Company and The Edinburgh Samba School.

HOGMANAY

I Ilogmanay Fair Grassmarket. 10am—5pm. See Friday 30.

I liogmanay Carnival Waterloo Place. Noon—l lptn. See Thursday 29.

I Concert in the Cathedral St Giles‘ Cathedral. 6.30pm. £8. The Choir of St Giles’ and the BT Scottish Ensemble with director Clio Gould present a programme of seasonal and sacred music by candlelight. Master ofthe Music is Herrick Bunney.

I Exploration - A Voyage of Discovery Parliament Square. 8.30pm. French street theatre at its tnost spectacular. See panel. I New Year Revels Assembly Rooms. George Street. 9.30pm. £15. SOLD OUT. Dance until your feet bleed with the glam sounds of T-Iiextasy. the psychofunk groove of Captain Shifty. the high-octane ceilidh thrash of the Tartan Amoebas and the steamy salsa of Club Latino.

I Ilogmanay Ball Merchant Hall. George Street. 8pm for 8.30pm—3am. £50. Exclusive chance to see in the New Year in style with the Glenkinchie Ball. Those not short of a penny or two can get stuck into a four-course dinner with champagne before dancing the night away to the Robert Fish Ceilidh Band and the Hollywood Rockets. Your hostess for the evening is the expert prestidigitator. Fay Presto. Black tie or tartan dress only.

I Concert in the Gardens Princes Street Gardens. 10.30pm. £7.50. Dance into the New Year with the Celtic sounds of Runrig and the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. If the lightshow doesn‘t frazzle your eyeballs then the fireworks will.

I Street Theatre Princes Street. Throughout the evening the weird and the wonderful will be roaming around. amusing. entertaining and probably shocking the public at large.

e t \’ I Main Stage at the Mound The Mound. From 10.30pm. Free. Putting the rock 'n‘ roll into Hogmattay will be the tartan terrors of the 70s. the Bay City Rollers. the country grunge and incredible vocals of west coast heroes Thrum. the African beat of the ever-popular Bhundu Boys and the breathtaking innovation of Mouth Music. I Massed Pipe Bands Parliament Square. 1 1.30pm. Free. Skirlittg sounds for those who like their Hogtnanay traditional. I Fireworks Midnight. Come the bells. the beautiful skyline of Auld Reekie will be set ablaze by one of the tnost amazing firework displays you will ever see. Settle back anti watch the sky burn.

NEW YEAR’S DAY

I Hogmanay Carnival Waterloo Place. Noon—l lptn. See Thursday 29.

I Thomas The Tank Engine Scott Monument. Noon. See Thursday 29.

I Music For New Year’s Day City Art Centre and Fruitmarket Gallery. Market Street. lptn. Free. Soothe frazzled nerves and sore heads with two of Edinburgh's best known cool jazz bands EH15 attd Sophie Bancroft and Gina Rae at the CAC. The Fruitmarket sees the Scottish premiere of the Dublin—based trio. Reconciliation.

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I Mr Boom Traverse Theatre. 3pm. £3.50. l.et Mr Boom take you and your family onto another astral plane. A one-man entertainment explosion.

I Exploration A Voyage of Discovery Market Street. 5pm. Free. See panel.

I A Viennese New Year Usher Hall. 7.30pm. £3—£ l 5. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra. conducted by Carl Davis. presents a programme of Viennese seasonal music including works by Mozart. Strauss. Haydn and Rossini. Ida- Maria Turri sings soprano and Peter Franks plays solo trumpet.

I Club ’95 Traverse Theatre. 9.30pm—3.30am. £l0. Swing your ants to the thrash ceilidh of the Callanish eilidh Band in the Atrium. or strut your funky stuff in the theatre with Dis from Tribal Funktlon and Disco Inferno. Special guests are Helen and Yvonne aka The living Jukebox all the way from the blissed-out capital of Amsterdam.

MONDAY 2 -

I Hogmanay Carnival Waterloo Place. Noon—l lpm. See Thursday 29.

I Thomas The Tank Engine Scott t‘vlonument. Noon. See Thursday 29.

I Club ’95 Traverse Theatre. 9.30pm—3.3()am. £l0. Kicking up a storm tonight are the mad. bad dub sounds of Shooglenifty and Dis frotn Big Beat and Joy. The Living Jukebox will make their second appearance of the year.

Ticket Information and Sales

CREDIT CARD:

I Edinburgh’s Visitor Centre 031 558 1072.

I Ticketline 031 220 4349.

I TOCTA ()3l 557 696‘).

Ill PERSON:

I Edinburgh Visitor Information Centre Waverley Market.

I Assembly Rooms George Street.

I Usher Hall Lothian Road.

I Oueen’s Hall Clerk Street.

GLASGOW

Square bash

Hogmanay in Glasgow sees George Square transformed into a four- stage entertainment arena, boasting a host of bands and comedy acts who’ll encourage the crowd to swing their thangs in diverse fashions. Local lass and erstwhile Alexander Sister Lynn Ferguson will be cheerleading from the from when she comperes the event.

The Ceilidh Stage promises six- piece Celtic rockers Wolfstone with their enthusiastic blend oftraditional folk tunes and fiery rock. The Rumpff Family offer the chance to grab your pardner by the hand and hocdown to the sounds of cajun. country. rockabilly and ragtime. Taking the biscuit for out and out lunacy are The Khartoum Heroes, formed from assorted members of The Skuobhie Dubh Orchestra and Miraclehead. Pop punk and bluegrass fiddling that get them limbs a-twitching is very much the order of the day.

Meanwhile. at the Clyde Contemporary Stage, Big Vern ’n’ the Shootahs aren‘t going to let anyone get out alive unless they dance lots. There are ten of them. so arguing isn‘t wise. The Kaisers will be on hand with their 60s beat pastiche and the inimitable Hugh Reed and the Velvet Underpants will be belting out

all the classics. such as ‘Linger On Yer Pale Blue Ys’. The River Detectives have been busy laying down their third album. Blue Collar Love Songs. so no doubt material from that will receive an airing.

The World Music Stage will rock to the rhythms of The Soukous Gang. Boogalusa are coming fae Dundee to shake the shack with their high- octane mix ofcajun and African roots and Deaf Heights Cajun Aces will make an appearance to dish out a healthy portion ofcajun gumbo.

Diverse larks and capers should bring a smile to your mug at the Evening News Cabaret Stage featuring Stu Who?, Ford Keiman and John Paul Leach.

And as ifall this isn‘t enough for you lucky. lucky. lucky people. there‘ll be pipers. buskcrs. street entertainers and food to quell those munchies.

7

Entry is by ticket only. Ticket request coupons will appear in the Evening Times 15—17 December and will also be available front the Ticket Centre. Candleriggs 041 227 55/ 1. Postal requests must be received by 22 December Night buses will run at a normal weekend times from I 12.15—4. 15am. leaving from Ingram Street. Timetables front the t

Strathclvde Travel Centre.

The List 16 December l99-i—l2 January I995 17