Hogmanay is a New Year’s Eve tradition exuberantly celebrated in most parts of Scotland, but particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow, where organised street parties attract crowds of well over 100,000 every December 31st.
Originally a pagan festival that involved the worship of the sun and fire, Hogmanay was adopted with great gusto by the Romans who celebrated it as a lavish winter festival, introducing plenty of hard-partying into the proceedings. The festival has successfully made its transition to the 21st century and is an important part of the New Year celebrations that take part all over Scotland each year.
Although most people the world over have heard of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party, Glasgow has its own spectacular celebration in the city’s George Square that also offers the best of Scottish hospitality but is frequently overlooked. It’s a great night of celebration, and the Glasgow Hogmanay party attracts only a few thousand less revellers than Edinburgh’s big night. The former European city of culture has undergone a massive regeneration over the last 15 years and offers lots for visitors to do and see before and after the Hogmanay party.
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Anyone intent on attending the celebrations should be aware that only people who have obtained tickets in advance can access George Square. This is purely a safety measure designed to prevent a recurrence of the sort of overcrowding seen at the 1996 Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh that resulted in some crush injuries to revellers. Now the evening can be celebrated and enjoyed without worry until the early hours.
In Glasgow the George Square party starts early and spills over into the ‘wee hours’, with the highlight being the lone piper playing bagpipes just before midnight, finishing just before Big Ben chimes in another New Year. That’s the signal for the kissing to start as everyone wishes each other a Happy New Year, and robustly join in the singing a rousing version of Auld Lang Syne. During the evening the festivities include dancing in the streets and entertainment from big named acts as everyone drinks in the atmosphere and gets into the spirit of the evening.
As well as hours of fun, the Hogmanay celebrations also generate significant income for the cities’ hoteliers, hostelries and shops. Because most that attend Hogmanay celebrations come from outside Scotland, the revenue generated from those taking short breaks in Glasgow and Edinburgh specifically for the New Year revelry is estimated at between £15 million and £20 million per year.
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Head for Hogmanay in Glasgow’s George Square