The Street Party (tickets, review) is perhaps the best-known event in the 3-day Edinburgh's Hogmanay Festival. The New Year street party is a ticketed event that takes place the length of Princes Street, with live bands, dancing in the street, and street theatre troupes mingling with crowds.

The street party climaxes with the bells of Big Ben at midnight, and a dramatic fireworks display above Edinburgh Castle and from Calton Hill to herald in the New Year. This is followed by a joining of hands as the crowd sings Auld Lang Syne, a kissathon, and more partying into the wee wee hours both on the street and around the city.

The festivities get going when the stages and screens go live at 9pm. Access is by street party ticket and booze is permitted so long as it is not in cans and glass containers. There are also some pay bars and food outlets within the street party area. Ticket pass-outs are not permitted (leaving the arena and trying to gain re-entry) and there is also no entry after 11pm.

The Concert In The Gardens and The Keilidh also take place within the Street Party cordon, although these require separate paid tickets to get into.  

Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party has been scaled back in recent years from 180,000/200,000 of the millennium party to around 80,000 and takes place within a smaller cordoned-off area. The event has been affected in the past by ongoing tram works.

Free night buses are laid on for revellers.

2011-2012 bands line-up

The headline event is the Concert in the Gardens (which you need a ticket for AS WELL AS a street party ticket) is headlined in 2011-12 by Primal Scream with support by Bombay Bicycles and Sons & Daughters.

Here's the line-up for the 5 Street Party stages:

Waverley Stage: The Vaccines, Kassidy, Hog The Stage (TBC)

East End DJ Stage: Mark Ronson,  Jaymo & Andy George, Stu Todd

West End Stage: Friendly Fires, Wild Beasts

The Mound Party Stage: Frisky and Mannish, Cuban Brothers, hosted by Great Calverto, with X Factor's Jade Richards

Celtic World Music @ Scott Monument Stage: Peatbog Faeries, Capercaillie, Rura

Television coverage and Hogmanay livestreams

In the past Hogmanay has been broadcast live on television by Sky News and the BBC and the BBC has webcast the celebrations. In 2011/2012, there will be a Hogmanay live video stream.

You can also try and catch the celebrations on Edinburgh webcams although the feeds are usually unable to handle the spike in traffic.