WEATHER experts forecast a ‘misty and murky’ FOG-manay for the thousands of revellers attending Scotland’s New Year celebrations.
But Scotland’s biggest Hogmanay bash said it was preparing for a its best party yet regardless of what weather was thrown at it.
A Met Office forecaster said: “There will be quite a bit of low level cloud particularly over the lower uplands and in the Borders.
“In the central belt there could be problems with visibility.
“There could be problems with visibility up to New Year’s Day due to the cloud and mist forming over cold ground.”
He added: “It will ease off when we get into New Year’s Day but it will be slightly colder.”
Despite the dreich report, party chiefs are confident that the planned fireworks display from the castle will impress crowds.
Spokesperson, Frances Sutton, for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, said there plans were well in place.
She said: “We have 2,000 firework queues that release 12,000 stars. The key thing for Edinburgh is that the fireworks are set off from three different levels.”
Organisers had been told by weather experts that any mist or fog would be cleared by a breeze that is also forecast.
She added: “We get daily weather updates from the Met Office and we monitor the issue carefully.
“If there were any adverse weather conditions we can adapt the display as it is going with a state of the art firing system.”
The city’s four day festival kicks off tomorrow (Thurs) with a brand new Opening Event in Resolution Square (the newly named event space on Mound Precinct) alongside the popular Torchlight Procession through the heart of the city and Son et Lumière.
The following day there will be the renowned Street Party, Keilidh (CORR Keilidh) and the Concert in the Gardens.
This year for the first time there will be a varied programme of events on January 1 to celebrate the unique date 1.1.11. One Day, supported by the Scottish Governments Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, kicks off with a celebration of music, art, literature and creativity when a selection of Scotland’s top singers, songwriters, musicians and performers will perform on-stage in a free and unticketed concert in, Resolution Square.
This will be followed by a Resolution Concert featuring K T Tunstall together with King Creosote, Silver Columns and Kassidy.
With tickets already sold-out for the Concert in the Gardens and The Keilidh events, organisers are encouraging revellers to purchase Street Party tickets prior to the 31st December from the official Edinburgh?s Hogmanay Box Office at The Hub, Castlehill as the final day will be extremely busy and there may be long queues.
Pete Irvine, Artistic Director of Edinburgh?s Hogmanay said: “Preparations for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay are going full steam ahead and we are very much looking forward to a fantastic four days.
“We work closely with the Met Office in the days running up to Hogmanay to ensure that we have the very latest forecast available at all times.
“It’s December, it’s Scotland – we expect it to be cold, and we are ready to deal with that.
“We recommend that people come prepared for a good Scottish winter, and a great outdoor Scottish party, and dress accordingly.”
