Nights Out: Christmas and Hogmanay club picks

Before we get into Hogmanay nights out, it's important to celebrate those weird non-days in between Christmas and New Year's Eve. In Edinburgh, immediately after Christmas comes Optimo’s Club_Nacht Boxing Day on, well, Boxing Day, where the Glasgow pair will play a five-hour set sure to be endlessly worthy of your time on The Mash House (37 Guthrie St) dancefloor. Will they play Abba? Almost certainly. Slayer? Wouldn’t put it past them. In Dundee, head to the extravagant Mains Castle (Mains Loan) for 80s bangers, house and disco at Dare!’s 10th Birthday, hosted by drag artist Jon Pleased Wimmin on the 27th, while in Glasgow, head for streetRAVE at the world-renowned Sub Club (22 Jamaica St), where Utah Saints are set to bring the party on the 28th, before Fun Lovin’ Criminals frontman Huey Morgan DJs St Luke’s (17 Bain St) the following night.

On New Year’s Eve Eve in Edinburgh, the Night Afore Disco Party brings Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Scottish pop royalty Altered Images to Princes Street Gardens West, perfect to get you in the mood for the big night, while the OVO Hydro (Exhibition Way, Stobcross Rd) in Glasgow hosts Fraz.ier’s huge CONCEPT. event for a night of high-energy techno, huge visuals and pyrotechnics. Staying in Glasgow, Hogmanay night itself has a lot to offer – Optimo take over Room 2 (69 Nelson Mandela Pl) in the City Centre, Glitch41 bring a night of improvised groove music to The Rum Shack (657-659 Pollokshaws Rd) in the Southside, while the Ashton Lane Hogmanay Street Party brings a ceilidh, street performers, DJs, food stalls and more to the West End. If you find yourself in Dundee for NYE, Duck Slattery’s Hogmanay Hootenanny, where dancing on benches seems to be strongly encouraged, is a good starting point. But check out venues like Kings, Church, Conroy’s Basement and The Hunter S. Thompson nearer the time for announcements.

Glitch41

The biggest celebrations in Scotland, of course, are found in the capital. For a more traditional Scottish knees-up, head to one of many ceilidhs on offer in the City Centre. Try the Hogmanay Ceilidh at Stramash (207 Cowgate) for an early evening taste from 6.30-8.30pm, or make a night of it with the Hogmanay Hoolie at Ghillie Dhu (2 Rutland Pl) or The Hogmanay Snow Ball Ceilidh in the opulent ballrooms of Assembly Rooms (54 George St).

On Princes Street itself, you’ll find Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party, predicted to attract around 30,000 people from all over the world. The party will transform the city's main thoroughfare into a huge outdoor arena with massive screens, DJs, outdoor bars, street food and an enormous fireworks display from the castle to help see in the bells at midnight with a bang, while in Princes Street Gardens West, the display can be enjoyed after you've danced to the hits of legendary synth-pop duo The Pet Shop Boys. To keep the party going after the street party winds down, some of our clubbing highlights include Soul Jam at Sneaky Pete’s (73 Cowgate), Samedia Shebeen at La Belle Angele (11 Hastie’s Cl), Fly Club at The Caves (8-10 Niddry St) and The Soul Foundation at Summerhall (1 Summerhall Pl).

If all of that doesn’t have you in a sobbing heap by the time you wake up on the 1st, or even if it does, you can keep the party going. In Edinburgh, the inaugural New Year's Day Final Fling takes over Princes Street Gardens West, celebrating up-and-coming Scottish talent with Edinburgh’s own Hamish Hawk set to play. Later, head to The Liquid Room (9c Victoria St) for the Taste New Year’s Day Party, while in Glasgow head to XXL Glasgow with Reinier Zonneveld and more for a full complex takeover of SWG3 (100 Eastvale Pl).