Pitlochry's Scottish New Year Celebrations

Scottish New Year is welcomed in Style at Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire, by closing of Atholl Road, Pitlochry's main street to traffic and having it filled with new year revellers. This takes place on New Year's Day between 1pm to 4pm. Entrance is free. This new year event is very popular and always very well supported.

A band plays Ceildh music and invites everyone to dance traditional Scottish Ceilidh (pronounced kay lee) dances such as Strip the Willow, Dashing White Sergeant, The Gay Gordons, The Military two step and much more.

It is a great way for locals and visitors alike to get a breath of fresh air from the revelries of the night before and keep warm. You will see many locals there wishing each other a good new year, some with whisky flasks offering a nip in the time aged fashion.

MacDonald Bros Butchers supply a continuous stream of hot pies, sausage rolls, and soup. All free of charge. The food is absolutely excellent and very welcome on a cold New Year's day. There are of course donation buckets for your contributions to help fund next year's event. You will also find people going round selling raffle tickets.

Pitlochry in Bloom hand out mulled wine, again there are donations buckets for guests to help with funding.

Bells Blair Atholl Distillery is a great supporter of Pitlochry town in so many ways. You will see their details on the canopy above the band, without their invaluable support Pitlochry would find a big hole in meeting the costs of staging these kind of events. It is so important in small communities such as Pitlochry for all the businesses to help out and make what Pitlochry is, a superb little Highland tourist town.

Scotland has a tradition of seeing in the new year with special celebrations, indeed New Year was always more important in Scotland than Christmas. Some of these traditions still continue with many locals leaving any party just before mid night to be in their own home for the bells that chime in the new year.

Auld Lang Syne is the song used the world over and is part of all Scottish New Year Celebrations including those at Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire.

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