Capital is game for launch of Olympic year

Thousands of people are expected to descend on venues on the Royal Mile, Grassmarket and Chambers Street for what is being billed as The New Year Games.

Participants will be divided into teams of “uppies” and “doonies” – inspired by the ancient ball games still played in parts of Scotland – before competing in specially designed games and challenges.

Details were revealed just days after organisers of a spectacular Olympic-themed event taking place on Arthur’s Seat next August issued a call for participants, who will run around the landmark wearing “lightsuits”.

Organisers of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations are joining forces with a London-based firm, Hide & Seek, which has staged similar events in the V&A and Tate galleries, as well as outdoors on London’s Southbank. The New Year’s Day project will also involve a number of leading Scottish artists.

Four main games or challenges will be staged inside The Hub, St Giles’ Cathedral, Dance Base and the main hall of the National Museum of Scotland.

An outdoor “playground” will also be set up in the Grassmarket, to allow people to try their hand at other games and to sign up for the indoor games, and decide which team to join.

Full details of the games themselves are being kept under wraps until the day, although they will include “re-imagined” versions of hopscotch and battle- ships.

Among those working on the event will be the Edinburgh experimental pop band Found and the Glasgow-based artist Brian Hartley.

The New Year Games – which are being funded with £250,000 from the Scottish Government – have been inspired by Scotland’s centuries-old games of The Ba’, which are traditionally staged in Jedburgh in the Borders and Kirkwall, Orkney.

Participants are still aligned to the uppies or doonies depending on which part of the towns they hail from. For the Edinburgh event, people will be asked to choose depending on whether they consider themselves as northerners or southerners.

Pete Irvine, director of Unique Events, the Edinburgh company that produces the Hogmanay celebrations for the city council, said: “Since the Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh are the major event in the UK heralding the start of the Olympic Year, we felt it was important to mark it with something significant.

“Although Hide & Seek have done quite a few events in galleries like the Tate and V&A in London, this is completely new for them. We think this will be a phenomenal start, with the whole of the Old Town becoming a boardgame for the afternoon.”

Hide & Seek director Alex Fleetwood added: “We had more than 3,000 people at the weekender we did at the Southbank last year and we’re hoping the Edinburgh event will be even more successful.

“We won’t be saying too much about the games until people turn up so it’s more of a surprise for them, but they will all be fun and playful experiences.

“New Year’s Day in Edinburgh is about getting off the sofa and out of the house. The city is a magical place to stage an event like this.”

The New Year Games will be one of only two major events staged on 1 January, the other being the traditional “Loony Dook” at South Queensferry.

Meanwhile, Mr Irvine insisted this year’s line-up for Hogmanay itself was the best since the celebrations were first held in 1993-4. Primal Scream and Bombay Bicycle Club will be performing at the flagship Concert in the Gardens, while acts appearing at the street party include Mark Ronson, Friendly Fires, Peatbog Faeries, Kassidy, Capercaillie and Jade Richards, the X Factor hopeful.

Mr Irvine added: “You have to remember that in London all there is going to be is a fireworks display on Hogmanay.

“As well as our fireworks, we will have seven stages and the strongest and most credible line-up we’ve ever had at the street party.”

Tickets for the street party and the Concert in the Gardens are available from www.edinburghshogmanay.org and the Fringe box office on the Royal Mile.