My wife and I were planning on spending New year in London but we have heard so much about hogmanay that we are thinking of trying it. Does it get really wild? We both do not drink so will we still have fun? how amny days is the hogmanay?
Hogmanay is the Scots word for New Year's Eve. If you're talking about the celebrations in Edinburgh, I think you would love it.<BR><BR>Being a Scot, however, I've never been. Others here have so they will fill you in.<BR><BR>You will find details on<BR><BR>http://www.edinburghshogmanay.org/
Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations can be a lot of fun but if you really want to enjoy yourself it may take some planning! <BR>The first thing to remember is that for the evening of the 31st from around 8pm the centre of town is cordoned off and access is by ticket (see the official site for details on how to get them!). If you're inside the area when they close it off then you don't need a ticket. A lot of pubs and clubs also operate on a ticket-only basis so bear that in mind. You'll still have fun though as there are lots of entertainments, music, fireworks and street performers all over the place. Things get pretty busy on Prince's Street and the Royal mile as it gets near to midnight, so if you don't like too many crowds then avoid being stuck in the middle of these areas!<BR>Another option is to go to a ceilidh, which is a traditional scottish knees-up. Usually there's a live band and a caller and you can exhaust yourself dancing all the traditional dances and having a lot of fun. You can get tickets for ceilidhs that include a banquet and dancing (quite expensive but you're guaranteed to have a lot of fun). <BR>You don't have to stay in Edinburgh for Hogmanay, as it's a big event all over Scotland (there's more info here: http://www.holiday.scotland.net/feat...nay_201201.htm). <BR>Some people (present company included!!) find that celebrating Hogmanay in Edinburgh is not what it used to be, given the proportion of tourists to locals and the fact that due to the ticketing policy, many locals cannot access the center of their own city to celebrate! (Believe me, this does annoy people). Still, you're bound to have a great time wherever you celebrate New Years in Scotland.
My boyfriend and I went to Edinburgh for the Millennium Hogmanay and we HATED IT. Don't get me wrong, we loved the city of Edinburgh and the nice, chatty people, but it was just too damn cold and damp. There were also too many people and there were times we thought we would be crushed to death from the surging crowd (thank Buddha for the Edinburgh police who kept the crowd in check)in the streets beneath the castle. If I ever went again, I would find an INDOOR party where you could watch the festivities from a coozy, warm room with lots of windows. We saw alot of people enjoying themselves this way and had wished we had done the same.
John, you're right that the street party was overcrowded that year. The following year, the number of passes to the party have been limited, so you would not have the same experience were you to go again. The weather is another thing!<BR><BR>fred, if you're thinking about going to Edinburgh, you better start now looking for somewhere to stay. Check the web site Sheila gave you. It will have information about all the events that are planned from about December 27 to January 2.
