Take the High Road into 2005: Edinburgh's Hogmanay

November 9, 2004 -- If you're still casting about for New Year's Eve plans, consider visiting Scotland -- the very birthplace of the New Year's resolution and Robert Burns' beloved anthem, "Auld Lang Syne." Edinburgh's annual Hogmanay, has become Scotland's national festival, and a World-party.com poll ranks it the fourth best party in the world -- ahead of New Orleans' Mardi Gras and Munich's Oktoberfest.

The four-day celebration, set against the backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle runs from December 29 to January 1 and annually attracts 100,000 visitors from all over the world. The city turns away many more would-be guests, however, so act fast for a limited number of passes into the Royal Bank Street Party, the culmination of Hogmanay, on December 31.

December 31 has been the focus of Scotland's winter solstice celebrations for centuries, owing to the fact that many Scots had to work on Christmas -- presumably for extra money to pay off debts before the new year, one of many Hogmanay traditions designed to resolve old business and make a fresh start. Scots also ritually scour their homes all day on the 31st, to likewise clean the slate, and to welcome guests for an evening of food, drink, and gift exchanging.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a global extension of this tradition of hospitality. Jennifer Gilmour, of the Edinburgh Lothian Tourist Board, says, "We live to welcome people from elsewhere to celebrate the new year. Half the crowd comes from overseas, but it's a very friendly party, with everyone introducing themselves to complete strangers from around the world."

Schedule of Hogmanay Events

December 29: 12,000 people with flaming torches (known as hogmanay and thought to ward off evil spirits) process through the historic center of Edinburgh, behind a 40-foot longboat carried by Shetland Vikings. At Carlton Hill, revelers cast the longboat into the flames of an enormous bonfire, to the accompaniment of fireworks and music.
December 30: Take up with the George Street party featuring pipe bands and traditional Scottish dancing.
December 31: From 10am to 1pm, 100,000 revelers gather in the street, against the backdrop of the Edinburgh Castle, to celebrate the new year with concerts (this year's roster features Blondie and Scissor Sisters) and the Seven Hill Fireworks display -- all part of Royal Bank Street party.

Note: Only 100,000 passes are available, and general admission is sold out. You can still gain access by joining the First foot Club for £15 with a £2.5 booking fee (see www.edinburghshogmanay.org). Most hotel packages (see below) also include street party passes.
January 1: Join the thousand people who run a mile along the length of Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile and through the grounds of Holyrood Palace into Royal Park during The One O'Clock Run or join a smaller group of around 150 people for the Loony Dook -- a dip into the frigid waters of the Firth of Forth!

Getting There and Staying There

Edinburgh hotel bargains are scarce during Hogmanay, unless you book a package tour. Hogmanay packages don't include transportation from the U.S., but a number provide accommodations, festival tickets and round-trip train or bus fare from London. Accommodations-only packages are also available for travelers who plan to fly into Edinburgh.

The cheapest packages are available through Tracks Travel (tel. 011-44-8451300936; www.tracks-travel.com/HOGMANAY%202004.html). The £255 (about $473) per person package covers three nights in a 3-star hotel, with continental breakfast, street party pass, trips to various tourist destinations and round-trip passage from London by bus. Tracks packages are the most structured, however, with the slowest transport from London. (Buses are on the road for about a day each way, leaving London on the 30th at 7am and returning to London Jan 2nd by 9:30 pm.) The other drawback is that the only available accommodations, the Holiday Inn Express in Livingston (tel. 011-44-1506-650650), is 18 miles from downtown.

Party People (tel. 011-44-20 7792 4444; www.pptravel.com/event.asp?EventID=HG) also offers relatively inexpensive packages with a wider range of options. Choices include bus tours from London, high-speed train packages from London or accommodations-only packages. Rates include city center hotels, exclusive pre-Hogmanay parties, the street party, and other extras. Trips run from December 30th Dec to January 2nd, from £269 ($499) and up. (Some package rates apply to rooms shared by three and four people, so be sure to clarify before you book.) One accommodations-only package starts at £219 ($406), with accommodations at the Ibis Hotel in Edinburgh.

Visit Scotland packages (tel. 011-44-845225512; www.visitscotland.com/sitewide/edinburghhogmanay) include 2 to 3 nights accommodations, full Scottish breakfasts, pass for the street party, and a variety of other extras, depending on the hotel, including the Grand Hogmanay ball. Rates are per person based on double occupancy at a variety of higher end accommodations, mostly in the city center, from £285 to £450 ($529 to $835). The Holiday Inn Corstorphine Hotel -- a four star establishment for £215 about $399 -- is the best bargain, though it's three miles from the city center, adjacent to the Edinburgh Zoo) Twenty-eight day cancellation notice required.

Transatlantic Airfare

It's expensive to fly directly into Edinburgh from the U.S., but cheap flights are available from London, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Munich. London is best, with frequent, one-hour British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297; www.ba.com) flights to Edinburgh from $116.

The cheapest flights to London at the moment are available through 1-800-flyeurope (www.1800flyeurope.com). A round-trip flight to London from Boston is $179; from Philadelphia $290; from Los Angeles $447.75. (Please note these prices do not include taxes and fuel surcharge, which may add up to $160 to the ticket price.) British Airways fares to London are also relatively inexpensive: $388, plus taxes and fuel surcharge, from New York, JFK International.

Train travel from London to Edinburgh, via Great Northeast Railways (www.gner.com), costs roughly the same as a flight but takes more than four hours.

While you're in town, be sure to check out the Edinburgh Castle, Royal Britannia Yacht, Holyrood Palace, Whiskey Centre, the Camera Obscura overlooking the city, National Gallery, and the Museum of Scotland. For more information, see: