17/09/2008 05:48:00
Tickets for this year's Hogmanay celebrations in Scottish capital Edinburgh are set to double in price to £10.
Out of the 100,000 passes sold for the party, just 10,000 will be sold at the previous cost of five pounds. According to Edinburgh City Council, the cheaper passes will be aimed towards locals.
With ticket sales opening on October 3, more details of the event will not be available until November. This year's programme will feature a variety of free and family events that will take place over the four days of Hogmanay - December 29 until January 1.
Edinburgh City Council's festival and events leader, Steve Cardownie, spoke to the BBC about the reasons behind the price rise: "We want our Hogmanay celebrations to continue to be best in the world.
"Not only do they put Edinburgh firmly on the world map, but they significantly boost Edinburgh's economy, last year generating over £29m for city businesses.
"The price increase to £10 will allow us to make this year's experience sparkle.
"We'll also be examining future Hogmanay events to see how we can make them even better.
"We're very aware that Edinburgh's Hogmanay has been copied by various cities, and we want to raise the bar yet again to ensure we continue to stand out from the crowd."
Edinburgh's Hogmanay attracts thousands of tourists to the city from all over the world. Its success has spurred many other cities to hold their own celebrations, including Scottish cities Stirling, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, which all hold all-night celebrations.