Family fun at Edinburgh's Hogmanay
In any other city, New Year is a time for the grown-ups. All that partying and staying up late is hardly ideal for children. There's plenty of carousing in the Scottish capital, of course, but Edinburgh's Hogmanay is also a special time for families. If you're in the city with the kids as December turns into January, you'll be delighted by the range of things you can enjoy together.
If you're new to Edinburgh, you can get your bearings by heading to Princes Street, the main shopping road which, this festive season, is peacefully free of cars while work continues on a new tram system. On one side of the street are some of the city's major department stores, on the other is Princes Street Gardens. Here, nestling alongside the imposing Scott Monument, is the Edinburgh Wheel, back for another winter season and giving exhilarating views from the top of its 33m span.
Just below this is the open-air ice rink, one of the largest in Europe and, with the fairy lights twinkling in the trees and the views up to the Old Town, one of the most spectacular.
At the highest point of the Old Town, perched on an ancient slab of volcanic rock is Edinburgh Castle. If you pay a visit before 25 January, you and the family can have fun doing the Edinburgh Castle winter quiz, rooting out the answers in the great hall, prisons and royal apartments, and taking hints from the stewards if ever you get stuck.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay kicks off in atmospheric style on 30 December with the torchlight procession. This people-powered event begins at St Giles' Cathedral, where a crowd of 20,000 gathers, flaming torches in hand, and snakes through the city centre to Calton Hill. It's a tremendous sight.
Once at the top of the hill, the good-hearted event comes to a striking conclusion with a son et lumière, fireworks, massed pipes and drums, and Vikings from Shetland. It really feels as though the Hogmanay magic has begun.
Edinburgh is a year-round tourist destination, so you are spoilt for choice about what to do next. You could take a trip to Edinburgh Zoo (open daily) where there is much excitement about the newly arrived pandas. You have to book in advance to see them, but if you don't manage, there is no shortage of penguins, big cats and monkeys to keep you entertained. Just over the Firth of Forth at North Queensferry, Deep Sea World (closed 1 January) does the same for fans of all things aquatic.
Back in the town centre, you can journey through time at Our Dynamic Earth (closed 1 January) and discover how the eye can be deceived at the Camera Obscura and World of Illusion (open daily). Other indoor diversions include the newly renovated National Museum of Scotland (open daily), loved by generations of Edinburgh children and, likewise, the Museum of Childhood (closed 1 and 2 January).
Older children may enjoy some of the films in a special Edinburgh-centred season at the Filmhouse. There are screenings of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The 39 Steps and a compilation called Edinburgh from the Archives.
But the real fun and games are on New Year's Day. From 2pm, you can join in a series of specially commissioned games around the Old Town: Resonate the Labyrinth at St Giles' Cathedral, Scotch Hoppers at Dance Base. Dreadnought in the National Museum of Scotland and Throw Things at FOUND at the Hub, as well as outdoor games in the Playground in the Grassmarket. Having chosen a team – either the Uppies or the Downies – you can collect tokens over the afternoon until 5.30pm when a closing ceremony in the Grassmarket will determine the winner. See www.thenewyeargames.com for full details.
Edinburgh's Hogmanay, 30 December 2011–1 January 2012
