Inverness Hogmanay party
The Highland Council has confirmed details of the programme for “The Red Hot Highland Fling – Take 2” the five hour long Hogmanay Party that will bring this year’s Inverness Winter Festival to a close in Northern Meeting Park Arena on Friday 31 December.
Following the late cancellation of last year’s Hogmanay Show due to heavy snow, the determination of the Inverness Winter Festival team to stage one of the Highland’s best Hogmanay parties is matched by an understandable nervousness following last year’s experiences.
Inverness Winter Festival Chairman Councillor Roy Pedersen said: “Once again arrangements have been made for us to meet with Council Officials and the Emergency Services at noon on Hogmanay to receive the thumbs up to start the countdown to opening the gates. I have no doubt that everybody involved in the event will be nervously checking the weather forecasts between now and then but as we discovered last year, things can change rapidly. We are determined to stage a wonderful show and with a bit of luck we will get the opportunity to do so.”
The Inverness Hogmanay Show is sponsored by the Inverness Common Good Fund and no tickets are required for this free event. The gates at Northern Meeting Park will open at 8pm and spectators will be greeted by a display of fire juggling and the chance to take part in a fundraising Chinese lantern launch which is being organised to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Burnett Road in Inverness.
Hosted by Moray Firth Radio’s Ken Kelman, the show will start at 8.30pm when Blazin Fiddles take to the stage. From remote village halls to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, Blazin' Fiddles have delighted audiences with their Highlands and Islands tunes and it could be argued no other band has quite captured the excitement, passion and the sensitivity of Scottish music as they have. They are quite simply one of the most exciting and memorable fiddle ensembles ever to take the stage.
Topping the Hogmanay bill by popular demand (with a family friendly 9.45pm start time) are the band who won the prestigious MG Alba Scottish Traditional Band of the Year Award for the second time last month, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers – a blazing rock band that went down a storm at the 2008 St Andrew’s Day concert in Inverness. Since then the band have been rocking the world from New York to Beijing and in October members of the Inverness Highland Games touring party got a taste of what’s in store at Hogmanay when they watched the band perform on the main stage in front of 30,000 bouncing Basques in the Scottish Highlands Arena at the Nafarroa Oinez Festival in Pamplona.
The band given the task of ensuring thousands of Highlanders keep warm by dancing the night away is the Isle of Skye-based Peatbog Faeries. One of Scotland’s best known names in contemporary folk music, the band will take to the stage at 11.00pm for a rousing 90 minute set that will include a short fireworks display by the award winning Fireworx Scotland display team at midnight.
The Red Hot Highland Fling will take place in Northern Meeting Park Arena which is located in Ardross Street behind Inverness Cathedral.
The gates will open at 8.00pm and there will be bar and hot food facilities on site. Disabled Car Parking for blue badge holders only will be available in the main Highland Council Car Park which is located in Glenurquhart Road. All other drivers are asked to use the City Centre Car Parks on the night and park considerately
This is a family friendly Inverness Winter Festival event and young children are welcome to attend.