Dundee has been urged to look to Stirling for inspiration to create its own unique Hogmanay celebration.
Stirling has built up its official Hogmanay events over the past few years, beginning with concerts by acts such as Deacon Blue on the castle promenade to its new, family-orientated event that includes a light parade and fireworks display.
There have been growing calls for Dundee to arrange official Hogmanay celebrations in the city, particularly once the V&A museum on the waterfront has opened.
Dundee man Graeme McKenzie launched a petition online demanding a formal Hogmanay celebration in Dundee after critics branded the city centre like a “zombie apocalypse” on New Year’s Eve.
Scotland is internationally-renowned for its New Year bashes and Edinburgh is one of the world’s top destinations for December 31, with Stirling fast catching up.
A spokeswoman for Stirling Council said: “Stirling’s new-style Hogmanay offers a more inclusive programme which brings together all age groups in a celebration of light, colour and sound. The event caters for everyone in the area and beyond, particularly children and families, an often overlooked demographic at Hogmanay.
“This was the second year of the light parade and our spectacular Midnight Moment fireworks which have been hugely successful in reinforcing a real sense of community spirit and celebrating the creativity of the many people who took part in our free lantern-making workshops.
“Our lantern parade is at the core of our Hogmanay programme and is very much community led, featuring sculptures and lanterns which are created and carried by community groups, children and local artists. We run the lantern workshops from mid-November and they are always full.”
She added the celebrations attract visitors from across the country.
“This year, we also had participants who had heard about the parade and wanted to take part in it. The parade is further enhanced by performances from local musicians, bands and arts groups making it an incredible spectacle,” she said.
“This is something we’re looking to build on to make Stirling one of the top go-to destinations in Scotland for New Year.”
Mr McKenzie said Dundee should seek to follow Stirling’s lead and seek to find its own way to celebrate Hogmanay.
He said: “I think the people of Dundee should decide what happens.
“I will be looking to hold a public meeting for ideas, the way forward is definitely be creating a unique event not a copycat one.”
Dundee City Council already makes funding available for smaller community events but some councillors, such as the SNP’s Stewart Hunter has said he is “open” to the idea of a larger-scale event.
The Scottish Government has said it would support any move by Dundee to capitalise on the expected influx of tourists the V&A is expected to bring and develop its own unique New Year’s Eve event.
Tourism agency VisitScotland has said funding is available to support Hogmanay celebrations.
