It's the only place to be to welcome in the New Year

Reporter

Tuesday 1 January 2013

SCOTLAND welcomed 2013 with a bang as thousands partied the night away at open air gatherings and concerts across the country.

PARTY PEOPLE: Thousands of revellers saw in the new year in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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Jody Harrison

An estimated 80,000 people from around the world crammed into Edinburgh City centre for the traditional Hogmanay festivities, with the countdown to 2013 marked with several short firework shows throughout the night to warm the atmosphere for the blistering five-minute show set off at the stroke of midnight.

The pyrotechnics – detonated at 45 different locations around the castle – were set to music for the first time this year.Simple Minds headlined a concert in West Princes Street Gardens, with The View and Bwani Junction also playing.In Glasgow, crowds were treated to a ceilidh and pipe music in George Square as Scotland's largest city marked the end of 2012 with Hogamanay Day events. There were also celebrations in cities and towns from Aberdeen to Stonehaven and Stirling.Hogmanay in Scotland has become a lucrative economic draw for cities and towns, with the celebrations in the capital alone estimated to be worth £34 million.Many visitors said they had come to Scotland to see how Scots celebrate a traditional Hogmanay, and they were not disappointed.Clare Cole, a 29-year-old primary teacher from Perth in Australia, said: "The atmosphere is great. We're staying London, but we simply had to come up for Hogmanay – Edinburgh is what it's all about at this time of year."Malcolm Barnett, 45, and his family arrived in Edinburgh from Wales to celebrate the memory of a lost loved one.He said: "My father died and he always wanted my mum Mary to see Scotland as he never got the chance to take her. We thought what better way for my mum to see the country than Edinburgh at New Year. It's hands-down got to be the best time to see the country."We could have stayed in Cardiff, but it's no Hogmanay, I can tell you."Michelle Kilvert, a sales co-ordinator, travelled from Shropshire to celebrate her 30th birthday yesterday with three friends. She said: "It's Hogmanay and Edinburgh – the two go hand in hand. It's legendary."Shropshire right now is a bit rubbish with the floods, so we thought we'd come up as it was highly recommended. We've had a great time."City bosses in Glasgow said more than 11 million people came to the city during the festive period and hailed the Hogmanay Day as a "huge success".Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson said: "Thousands took up our invitation to come and join us for some traditional Scottish merriment."Together with friends and family they looked back at the highlights of 2012 and forward to all that 2013 might bring – and they did it all with their dancing shoes on. We had a ceilidh the likes of which George Square has never seen, Skippinish raised the roof, songs were sung, whisky supped and stories retold. It was a huge success."Free concerts took place in Inverness and Stirling, while Aberdeen marked the turn of the year with a firework display. More than 10,000 people watched the famous fireball parade in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire –which went ahead despite the town suffering serious flood damage over the festive period.More sober celebrations in Edinburgh today include a sled dog race at Holyrood Park and a triathlon which will see com-petitors swim 400 metres of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, cycle 11 miles around Arthur's Seat and then run 3.5 miles.

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It's the only place to be to welcome in the New Year

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