Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party may be raucous and drunken but I hope we keep it – Susan Dalgety

These days I bring in the New Year under the duvet, most likely listening to a podcast about American history or the Tudors.

Fireworks are let off from Edinburgh Castle as part of the Hogmanay New Year celebrations in Edinburgh (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA)

But there was a time when I partied like it was 1999. I loved Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. The street party with its frenetic energy, beer swilling across Princes Street, young people from across the world linking arms as the bells rang out.

I even ventured to a ceilidh in the Assembly Rooms once, setting aside my fear of Scottish country dancing long enough to teach my bemused English husband how to Pas de Bas.

And how I loved the fireworks at midnight. The noise, the colours, the explosion of energy and hope.

So it was with more than a tinge of sadness that I read that the fireworks and street party may be dropped in favour of drones and something less raucous than thousands of drunk folk singing Auld Lang Syne.

I am no stick in the mud. My grandchildren will testify that I know the difference between Toca Boca and Tik-Tok. And I am a big fan of Fireboy DML. So I understand why the council thinks that, after nearly 30 years, it’s time to refresh the city’s world-famous New Year programme.

I applaud the idea that there should be Hogmanay events far outside the city centre. When I moved to Fisherrow, I was delighted to discover that Musselburgh hosts its own fireworks on New Year’s Eve, just a stone’s throw from my flat, as part of its Family Hogmanay celebrations.

The rockets go off at 7pm on December 31, which means everyone from old fogies like me to our eight-year-old granddaughter can enjoy the spectacle and still be in bed before the bells.

I also think it’s a great idea to extend the Hogmanay programme beyond the current three days. We need all the fun we can get as we emerge from Covid into the cost-of-living crisis. And the city’s hospitality industry needs support to recover from the impact of lockdown.

But I would hate to see the street party replaced. It’s not very child-friendly, I agree, but there is plenty of scope for other events that would appeal to families. And let’s be frank, Scotland’s traditional Hogmanay has always had hard liquor at its heart. As long as there are the proper safeguards in place, I think there is something life-enhancing about the street party.

And please don’t ditch the fireworks. I understand the environmental argument for replacing the display, but surely the carbon cost could be offset. An organised fireworks event is a thing of raw, visceral beauty, and there is nothing better than Edinburgh’s iconic fireworks.

The explosion of light and colours against the midnight sky fills me with sheer joy. It’s hard to explain their appeal. They are otherworldly, mesmerising. Magical even.

The world, and our city, has changed since March 2020. The city council is right to look again at its winter festival programme. Nothing lasts forever. But humans have been using fireworks for at least 2,000 years. I hope they will continue to light up Edinburgh’s Hogmanay for at least another few years.

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