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The Street Party and Concert in the Gardens

Street Party stage31 December. Entertainment starts 9pm. No admission after 11pm

Princes Street and surrounding area

Options from £10 to £45. Details below. Strictly no admission without a pre-booked ticket

Update on 31 December: tickets are still available, only to personal callers at The Hub near Edinburgh Castle. 

The best-known of Edinburgh's Hogmanay events, a trip to the Street Party is a rite of passage for party-goers around the world. Since its quiet beginnings in the early 90's, the event's grown to accommodate almost 100,000 revellers, all packing into the environs of Princes Street right in the centre of town.

At heart, the Street Party's a one-night music festival, with five stages spread throughout the Princes Street area. This year's main stage is headlined by Madness, who surely need no introduction; they're backed up by indie-rock band Noisettes, who played the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury earlier this year.

   
 

Safety and security - what to expect

The Street Party has a proud reputation as a friendly and safe event, despite the prodigious quantities of alcohol consumed. This comes at a cost, though - so to make the most of your evening, be sure you're in line with the security rules.

There is absolutely no entry without a pass. You'll be amazed at the size of the barriers they put up - there really is no way round this restriction.

Get there early. There's no admission after 11pm.

You're allowed to bring in booze, but glass containers will be confiscated at the gate. Bags may be searched. There are bars available inside the Street Party, though they're obviously very busy.

Don't indulge in too much New Year cheer before you arrive. Police may turn away guests "under the influence of excessive alcohol".

 
   
You need a special Concert in the Gardens ticket to get a first-hand view of the main stage, but the action's relayed to the hoi polloi using big screens on Princes Street. Unless you're a die-hard Madness fan, the basic Street Party Pass may well be enough for you - and some even suggest the atmosphere's better out in the public area.

Those without concert tickets also have three public stages to choose from, each running three or four hour-long sets.  The Enemy headline at one end of the street, while DJ MYLO will be getting the dance floor jumping down at the West End.  Meanwhile, The Cuban Brothers and the outrageously glam Glitterbanditz hold court at the Party Stage.

You final option's the popular outdoor ceilidh (or Scottish dance), which for unknown reasons is spelled The Keilidh this year.  Once again, you need a special ticket for that - and though it's a great atmosphere, if you're more about the dancing than the party, you might prefer the indoor event at The Hoog.

When all's said and done, the Street Party's a simple proposition: a great excuse to get up close and personal with 100,000 like-minded revellers, drink a lot, bounce around insanely, and share the excitement as the bells approach. After the big-screen countdown and the fireworks are done, expect to be hugged, kissed or hand-shaken by an uncountable number of utter strangers - before partying some more and then, head ringing, rolling very late home.

Getting the right ticket

As the Street Party has grown in size, so its ticketing system has grown ever more bamboozling. There are now no fewer than four different options, which range in price from £10 to over £40, and each grant access to different bits of the shindig. But it's not all bad news: the Party Pack ticket, notorious for inflating the ticket price by throwing in some bad-value merchandise, seems to have been withdrawn this year.

This year, we've decided to quote prices including the per-ticket online booking fee, as this is the price the majority of people will pay.

A basic pass (£10) gets you access to the city centre area, and three stages located at Waverley, the Mound and the West End. For details of the running-order on those stages, check out the Hogmanay website.

To see headliners Madness and Noisettes, you'll need Concert in the Gardens tickets.  There are two classes of ticket: the cheaper ones set you back £40, while to gain access to the stage enclosure, you'll have to pay a whopping £45.  Both classes of ticket will get you into the less crowded gardens area, with extra beer tents and much nicer toilets. Of course, you can also venture out to the three "public" stages.

Finally, tickets for The Keilidh get you into the area round the Mound, including the ceilidh dance floor and the stage where local folk-rock bands play in the bells. These tickets cost £32.50, and again include access to the public areas (but not to the Concert in the Gardens). The ceilidh's usually the last event to sell out - so these tickets can work as a last-ditch way to get into the main Street Party.

All tickets are available online, and from the usual Hogmanay ticket outlets.
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