Annual Report | 30.12.17
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ANNUAL REPORT | 30.12.17 - 25.01.181 FOREWORD INTRODUCTION There is no better place in the world to celebrate unique collaboration on Message Hogmanay than in Edinburgh. Over the last 25 years from the Skies. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has gone from strength to strength, welcoming millions of visitors to the city to We’re delighted by the increased enjoy everything it has to offer. economic impact of the event on Edinburgh and Scotland; to be With 2017 being the 70th anniversary of Edinburgh as an event that both encourages a festival city, it was appropriate that 2018 kicked off people to visit and creates with the biggest party ever staged with a line-up that employment in the city; to have was second to none. people from 80 countries buy tickets for the event but also While favourites such as the Torchlight Procession and In conceiving our inaugural As one of Edinburgh’s Festivals, see a strong local audience that Loony Dook in South Queensferry were ever present, programme for Edinburgh’s we wanted Edinburgh’s Hogmanay engages with events such as new events such as Bairns Afore and Message from the Hogmanay, we wanted to honour to be a creative festival: where Bairns Afore - a new event for Sky brought a new dimension to the celebrations, the and build on the first 24 years of artists take risks, collaborate and Hogmanay - the Loony Dook latter in particular helping to spread the benefits of this this amazing winter festival to develop their work and careers on and the Message from the Skies festival around the city. ensure that the event continues a global stage. competition. We’re very proud of to re-invent itself; to capture the volunteering opportunities The centre piece of it all, of course, was the world- the world’s imagination; and to But above all, we know that that we created with the famous Street Party. From internationally renowned entrench Edinburgh’s position as Edinburgh’s Hogmanay belongs Hogmanay Ambassador scheme artists to local bands, aerial acrobatics, parkour, and the home of Hogmanay. to Edinburgh: it’s when Edinburgh and we’re pleased to see an event entertainment on podiums and stages throughout welcomes the world in and asks it that directly employs so many the arena, there really was something for everyone, We wanted the event to continue to celebrate the New Year on its people. We were delighted to see whatever their tastes. And let’s not forget the to tell stories and paint pictures streets. So we wanted the event Edinburgh rise in our survey of spectacular extended firework display, which was that imprint themselves on the to involve the people of Edinburgh newspapers around the world and beamed to an audience of over 1 billion people in 150 world’s collective retina. New Year and for it to have long-lasting which cities’ New Year celebrations countries! is the time when the world shuts positive social, cultural and they report on; and to see the the door on one year and opens economic impacts both for the press and social media statistics We know from the Edinburgh People’s Survey that it to the next. So when better to city and for Scotland. to see how the world is talking the vast majority of residents think the festivals are tell stories that both reflect and about Edinburgh’s Hogmanay. a good thing, helping to raise the profile of the city look forward? Where better to So, in our first year of producing internationally while also delivering programmes that paint those pictures than against the event, we were delighted with These outcomes are detailed in they enjoy. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay plays a key part in Edinburgh’s backdrop? And when so many outcomes: from the this report, which we hope you our year-round festival offering and, importantly, it better to do it than when the world question that we asked Scotland find interesting. And of course, we also delivers real economic impact for the city and for looks to Edinburgh with its history and the answer that came back, look forward to welcoming you to Scotland as a whole, benefitting tourism, hospitality of celebrating the New Year? which thousands of people lit Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 19. and leisure sectors in particular. And of course, this up on Holyrood Park to mark results in jobs and opportunities for our young people. We wanted to engage the people the start of the Year of Young Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood of Scotland and our audiences People: #BRAW; to the amazing Directors of The City of Edinburgh Council has been involved in in the event. The temptation at atmosphere and moments that Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Edinburgh’s Hogmanay since 1993 and we are proud New Year is to put on an amazing the Street Party creative team to support this important event, both financially and display that will entertain and be made up and down Princes Street. operationally. Our congratulations to all involved for a spectated, but we also wanted From Skye’s Niteworks’ special great first year from Underbelly - I’m already looking people to get involved and to composition for the midnight forward to bringing in the bells when we enter 2019! participate and so develop a fireworks (a Hogmanay first) to more fulfilling, diverse and rich Rag’n’Bone Man’s singing of Auld Cllr Donald Wilson, Convener of the Culture and experience. Lang Syne; and to Val McDermid’s 2 Communities Committee, City of Edinburgh Council 3 PROGRAMME SUMMARY TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION 30.12.17 Many thanks to mass the moves of the Dashing White stage on Waverley Bridge. Barns choreographers Gina Martinez Sergeant and the Gay Gordons, Courtney, the infectiously high- Edinburgh’s Hogmanay was kicked off and Rocky Smith, who lead ahead of our first collective octane party band Colonel by the Torchlight Procession with a the formation of #BRAW, to moment at 8pm – the Big Dance. Mustard and the Dijon Five and new route from the High Street, North Historic Environment Scotland Celtic fusion band Treacherous Bridge and South Bridge down the Royal for the use of Holyrood Park, to Up and down the street, a variety Orchestra performed on a new Mile past the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, of performers entertained stage outside the Balmoral Hotel; the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and into and to the Scottish Parliament audiences, including Access (neither of them letting the Holyrood Park, which for the first time whose Presiding Officer joined Parkour performers from Leith; previous night’s Storm Dylan take allowed a capacity crowd of over 19,000 the Procession as it passed the Edinburgh-based fire performers anything away other than the ticket-holders and 20,000 spectators Parliament building. Pyroceltica; cyr wheel duo back wall of the stage!) And finally, to gather together for the finale, with Alulacyr; circus and physical on a futuristic, elevated stage fireworks from Calton Hill. HOGMANAY CELEBRATIONS theatre company Delighters; and on Castle Street, Huey Morgan 31.12.17 All or Nothing, Scotland’s ground- and Edinburgh-born DJs The Mac Marking the start of the Year of Young breaking aerial performance Twins spun party tunes from 9pm People, over 200 young musicians The Hogmanay Celebrations on 31 company, who presented to 1am, with Morgan bringing the performed and helped the procession December were Underbelly’s main spectacular choreographed whole crowd together for the keep pace, including Leith-based samba focus in its first year to reimagine performances on the facades of 10pm collective disco moment, drummers Pulse of the Place, the the event and to remind the world the Mercure Hotel and the Regus with David Bowie’s Let’s Dance and Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Juvenile of Edinburgh as the home of Building. The Diva & District Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. Pipe Band, Preston Lodge High School Hogmanay. Pipes and Drums, a 30-strong Pipe Band, Whitburn Youth Band and the all-female band formed specially MIDNIGHT FIREWORKS Hawick Scout Pipe Band. The procession STREET PARTY for the Street Party by the Lord The midnight fireworks were was met at the gates of Holyroodhouse Martin Green (Head of Provost’s piper, Louise Marshall, designed by Titanium and were, for by the winner of 2017’s Pipe Idol contest, Ceremonies, London 2012; Chief performed a medley of rock and the first time ever, choreographed 17-year-old Robbie MacIsaac from Executive, Hull City of Culture) pop covers along Princes Street, to a commissioned soundtrack Falkirk. came on board as Executive and staged a drum battle with LED by Niteworks (also playing on Producer and brought together a drumming group Spark. Sanjeev the Waverley Stage). They were The procession was led by Edinburgh’s world-leading team of creatives Kohli (Still Game, River City) was extended to 9 minutes long, Lord Provost and by the young members including Dan Jones (Sound), the perfect party host, keeping bringing Edinburgh more in line of the 2017 Jarl Squad of Vikings from Struan Leslie (Street Party everybody entertained throughout with other international displays Shetland, including one who was just Director), Ala Loyd (Design), the evening and with Edinburgh’s such as London (11 minutes) and five years old. Durham Marenghi (Lighting) and Got Soul Choir, led the crowd in Sydney (12 minutes). James O’Brien (Broadcast) to a show-stopping performance The climax of the procession was the re-vamp the Street Party through of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, spelling out, with thousands of torches, the use of light, sound, stages, relayed to screens around the of one word, on a huge scale across screens and performance.