GUIDE TO EDINBURGH’S HOGMANAY THE “ST
ballad king Tam Reid. Music comes courtesy of The Ghillies. a new band featuring some old faces. who play new Scottish tunes in the traditional style.
I Saltire Supper Saltire Court. Castle Terrace. Spin—midnight. £50. The finest in Scottish cuisine. prepared by the award-winning Atrium restaurant. is the mouth-watering centrepiece of this evening. which also includes entertainment and a glass of bubbly. Tables are arranged in tens. and you are advised to ‘dress for the occasion'. Please state in advance ifyou are vegetarian.
I Film Premiere Party Filmhouse. Lothian Road. 8.30pm—late. £15. After a splendid. box-office smashing event in August. the Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival sees in the New Year with the premiere of a new movie. teamed up with a classic from the past. Afterwards. the Filmhouse is transformed into the place to party. Tickets include a free glass of bubbly and a complementary Drambuie. I Hogmanay Club Gilded Balloon. Cowgate. 10pm—3am. £7.50 (£5). Dance into the wee hours to top local DJs. dance bands and performers at this all-new club. Tonight's guests are Freshly Squeezed and Blackanised. with DJs Frosty J. G- Mac (Squid). Joseph Malik (Blackanised). A.J. (Zulu Syndicate) and Fawaz.
I Also the Ilogmanay Carnival
(lOam—l lpm). Food Fair, Magic Bob (with a sign language interpreter). The Happy Gang, Coach and Pony Hides, Carousels, the Readiscovery Book Bus, Chosty Stories, Museum Of Childhood, The Tales Of Jemima Puddle-Duck and Ice Rink (Noon—7pm). See above.
I Cathedral Candlelit Concert St Giles' Cathedral. 7.45-9pm. £7.50. The BT Scottish Ensemble. the Choir of St Giles and trumpet soloist John Wallace perform seasonal works by Handel. Schubert and Kodaly in the gentle candlelight of Edinburgh's atmospheric medieval cathedral. I llogmanay Ball City Chambers. High Street. 8.30pm-1ate. £95 (credit card and post only). Enjoy the prestigious surroundings for the most up-market event in the festivities. Champagne. a five-course meal. wine. whisky. the Robert Fish Ceilidh Band. Arco Quartet and a supper cabaret. All proceeds go to Oxfam. Carriages at 2am.
I New Year Revels Assembly Rooms. George Street. 9.30pm—3.30am. £20. The hottest tickets of the Old and New Year. combined in one event. Boogie to the hypno-folkadelic-acid-ceilidh sounds of Shooglenifty. to the grooves of Club Latino. to the retro stomp of the Gods of Glam. and to the other special guests who will be out in force on the night. including Groove Tunnel and Johnny and the Roccos. There are bars on all floors (including a haggis bar) and the ticket allows guests to pass out to the street events happening elsewhere in the city centre.
I Hogmanay Club Gilded Balloon. Cowgate. 10pm-3am (doors closed
1 lpm—l2.30am). £10. Dance into the wee hours to top local DJs. dance bands and performers at this all-new club. On tonight‘s bill are Queen Sisterhood with DJs G-Mac (Squid). Dolphin Boy (Artistic Upstarts) and East Coast guests. I Forth FM Stage The Mound. 10.30pm-1.30am. Free. Bring in the New Year with hot indie kids Ash. Glaswegian rockers Gun. funky outfit dUMdUM and bouncy fun popsters The Supematurals. See panel for Ash.
I New Stage Waverley Centre Plaza. 10.30pm—1.30am. Party. party. party with street performers. pipe bands and a host of funky folksters including The Brasshoppers. Salsa Celtica. the Tartan Amoebas and Rock Salt & Nails.
I Princes Street Gardens Concert West Princes Street Gardens. lO.30pm—l.30am. £l2/£10. Be the envy of all those
watching on TV as you enjoy the sights and sounds of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra. Edwyn Collins. Big Country and other big name guests to be announced (you‘ll also have the best view of the midnight fireworks display). Hot food and toilets are available. but the concert is outdoor and standing. so dress accordingly.
I Fireworks Various venues. Midnight. Edinburgh brings in the New Year not just with the bells. but also an explosion of sky pyrotechnics. The main display will be in Princes Street Gardens. but check above your head all over town.
I Street Theatre and Big Screens All across the city centre. at different times of the day. there will be a mobile festival of street performers trying to catch audiences unawares. including Urgence Enfer. Mischief La Bas. Cardiff Samba School. Oaks Barn. Weapons of Sound. Alessandro. Gutty Slippers. Apu. Bedlam Oz. Sativa Drummers. The Brasshoppers and more. Later on. the city-wide party. including the bands on stage. will be broadcast to the crowds on giant TV screens suspended above Princes Street. at South Charlotte Street and at the Balmoral Hotel.
I Also the llogmanay Carnival
(lOam—l 1pm). Magic Bob, The Happy Gang, Coach and Pony Rides, Carousels, Ghosty Stories, Museum at Childhood, The Tales Of Jemima Puddle-Duck, Ice Rink (Noon-5pm) and Elili (9-10. 15pm). See above.
I Auld Alliance Palace of Holyroodhouse. l lam—4pm. £5 (£3.50/£2.50). For the first time. the Palace. with its unique collection of antiques and historical artifacts. is open on New Year‘s Day. The Scottish Flute Trio will perform old Scottish and French airs in the Throne Room. while the Auld Alliance Cafe in the stables will dish out soup. haggis and filled croissants. Admission is free to the cafe.
I Triathlon Arthur‘s Seat. Queen's Park. 1 1.30am and lpm. Swim 400m in the Royal Commonwealth Pool; cycle ten miles (three times) round Arthur's Seat; then. ifyou've got any energy left. finish off by running another circuit of 3.3 miles. The Kids Duathlon isn’t as tough. starts at l 1.30am. costs £3 to enter and has Edinburgh Bike Co-op vouchers as prizes. Adults should limber up for the afternoon event. which offers cash prizes for teams and individuals. male and
female. Bring your own bikes. helmets and appropriate clothing. Adult entry fees are £12 for individuals. £20 for teams. and forms are available from Edinburgh District Council sports centres and swimming pools. Edinburgh Bike Co-op or SAE to C. Brown. 2 Midfield House. Polton Road. Lasswade. EH18 lED (660 5213).
I Hot Air Balloons Arthur's Seat. Queen's Park. lptn. Free. Some of the UK's finest balloons will sail over the city. weather permitting.
I Music for New Year’s Day City Art Centre. Market Street. l—Spm. Free. Performances by excellent singer- songwriter Michael Marra and celtic-jazz fusionists The Keltz complement two exhibitions: Recent Aquisirions and Related Works features pieces by John Bellany. Calum Colvin and others. while Scenes Of The World To Come looks at ‘European architecture and the American challenge 1893-1960'.
I Music for flew Year’s Day Fruitmarket Gallery. Market Street. 1-5pm. Free. Just
Ash: Once upon a time, there were three young lads from Northern Ireland who ached to escape the monotonous grind of school, who dreamed of throwing down their pens, picking up their guitars and hitting the road as a kick-ass rock band. But their wicked parents made them study hard until they finished their A levels, even though they had already released a raucous album to great acclaim. Just then a fairy godmother didn’t appear ’cos this is real life and consequently the boys had to gig constantly to get themselves noticed. Luckily for them, all their hard work paid off and the trio, all of whom are still under twenty, are now In the position to slay audiences with their brand of fireball, punk pup pop and get to trash hotel rooms after the gigs without their parents finding out. Cool, huh? Ash play the Forth FM Stage at the Mound on Hogmanay. (Jonathan Trew)
Ezlll: here be monsters
across the road from the above. folk- rocker Martin Stephenson and local duo Sugartown provide the sounds. The current exhibition is titled Volcano and consists of photography. painting and video projection by Scottish-based artists including Patricia McDonald and Carol Rhodes.
I A Viennese llew Year Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 7pm. £3.50—£l7.50. Favourites by Mozart. Haydn. Rossini and — of course - Strauss blow away those hangovers as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra celebrates 1996 in traditionally classical style with conductor Carl Davis and violinist Maxim Xue Wei. All proceeds go to Action Research.
I Jazz and Blues Extravaganza Cavendish Ballroom. West Tollcross. 8pm—2am. £10. The Edinburgh lntemational Jazz and Blues Festival presents a foot-stomping night featuring the Monty Sunshine Jazz Band. Johnny Mars. The Brasshoppers. Frazer Spiers Blues Cruisers. the Jim Condie Blues Band and the Criterion Parade Band.
I One Night In Heaven Traverse Theatre. Cambridge Street. 9.30pm—3.30am. Join the young trendy things at the annual one- off party-club and set the pace for the rest of 96. One floor is dedicated to dancing of the ceilidh persuasion. with Norloch and Shetland's Rock Salt & Nails. Elsewhere there’s carbaret-style entertainment from Karen Carpenter impersonator Jackie Clunie and easy- listening grooves from Going Places. The hot and sweaty basement will pulse to the sounds of Tribal Funktion and the bar will be geared up for action.
I Also the nogmanay Carnival
(lOam—l lptn). Magic Bob, The Happy Gang, Carousels, Chosty Stories, Museum Of Childhood (l—Spm). The Tales or Jemima Puddle-Duck and Ice Rink (Noon—5pm). See above.
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Road. 228 1155. Noon. £6—£15 (£4—£10). The Edinburgh Royal Choral Union are joined by Sophie Daneman. Frances McCafferty. John Bowen. Christopher Purves and the Cantorum Amici for the first 1996 performance of Handel’s Messiah.
I Also the llogmanay Carnival (10am—l 1pm). The Tales Of Jemima Puddle-Duck and hot Alr Balloons (l—5pm. various city centre sites). See above.