Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2016: First acts announced
Paolo Nutini and The Charlatans among this year’s Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations
It’s still over three months away, but the first details of Edinburgh’s world famous Hogmanay party have been revealed this morning.
The heart of the Hogmanay night celebrations is always the Concert in the Gardens and this year gravel-voiced singer Paolo Nutini takes the headline slot. "When they offered us the gig, I was made up," says Nutini, "as it was ten years ago that we had shown up at the castle, lined up to play alongside the Pet Shop Boys and unfortunately it was a washout... forcing the powers that be to cancel. We went back as a three piece in ‘08 to play a small set before legging it to Glasgow for George Square but this now gives us a chance to make up for lost gigs.”
The gig is Nutini's only Scottish show this year and marks ten years since the release of debut album These Streets. “We had no plans for any shows this year after Wales but this was the only one that over the years I hoped that we would get another shot at,” he says. “Edinburgh is electric at that time of year and I'm glad we get a chance to be a part of it. Let's dance ladies and gentlemen."
Over at the Waverley Stage on the same night, The Charlatans will perform. “Nowhere in the world sees in the New Year like Scotland,” says Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess. “I've been to Edinburgh before for Hogmanay and it's always brilliant. Looking forward to another big night.” Special guests joining Nutini and the Charlatans will be announced shortly.
Elsewhere on Hogmanay, the Castle Stage will feature performances from Scottish Celtic crossover bands Salsa Celtica, Manran and Ross Ainslie, Ali Hutton & Friends, while the Mound Stage’s jazz programme looks like James Brown is Annie, Brass Gumbo and Blues n Trouble.
Frederick’s Party Stage will feature DJ’s, dancers and performers from Guilty Pleasures, and VJs Buttercup and Pixels will be mixing cutting-edge visuals to accompany the dance tunes to be relayed on seven screens along the length of Princes Street and throughout the Street Party arena.
Other highlights are The Candlelit Concert, which will take place in the magnificent St Giles’ Cathedral, and the record-breaking Old Town Ceilidh, which returns to Parliament Square with the best in traditional Scottish music.
If you can weather your hangover, the festivities continue on New Year’s Day. After taking a 'loony dook’ into the Forth at South Queensferry there’s free mini-festival Scot:Lands, described as “an adventurous journey across Edinburgh’s Old Town with the very best in music, art and theatre created and curated by Scotland’s most innovative artists and musicians” – last year's line-up featured Emma Pollock, Miaoux Miaoux and Neu! Reekie!. The festivities come to a close with The Final Fling, the closing ceilidh, which takes place from 5.30pm at the National Museum of Scotland.
Tickets for Concert in the Gardens, the Street Party, The Old Town Ceilidh go on general sale 30 Sep at www.edinburghshogmanay.com
Limited pre-sale Concert in the Gardens tickets will be on sale to edinburghshogmanay.com registered users from 10.00am on Thu 22 Sep; Street Party, £25.00. Early bird tickets for EH postcode residents, £20.00. Old Town Ceilidh Tickets, £47.50