A FLOATING acrobat, fireworks, skaters and 200,000 twinkling lights will launch the Capital's Christmas festivities tonight.
Thousands of spectators are expected to gather in and around East Princes Street Gardens this evening to see the Christmas lights switched on by Lord Provost George Grubb and competition winner, seven-year-old John Swanson, of Restalrig.
A series
of spectacular events will take place in the run-up to his big moment.
The evening kicks off at 5pm with Any Dream Will Do star Keith Jack taking to the stage in East Princes Street Gardens to warm up the crowds.
There will also be music from children's band Funtastic, who will perform in the La Gaiete Spiegeltent during December.
Members of the drag act, Drags Allowed, who are performing in the tent's White Magic Christmas Cabaret, will also join them on stage.
Leith's own champion skating star, Alisha Carnie, 15, will then glide on to the ice rink for a special performance, joined by the Inverness ice skating squad.
To ensure that people can catch sight of the fun from as far afield as possible, an aerial acrobat will then take to the skies.
Suspended from a floating balloon called the heliosphere, she will perform twists, turns and tumbles in the sky to musical accompaniment.
The Lord Provost and young John will then flick the switch to turn on lights all over the Capital, in locations including Ramsay Gardens, Castle Bank, St Andrew Square and George Street.
At 6pm, the Christmas market will open and competition winners will be given the chance to have a special advance turn on the ice rink before it opens to the public tomorrow.
The producer of Edinburgh's Christmas, Nickie Gott, said the addition of the heliosphere to the evening's entertainment was bound to prove a crowd-pleaser.
She said: "We travel around the world looking for unusual things and we saw the heliosphere down in Devon.
"It's a giant helium balloon like a mini hot-air balloon, with somebody suspended under it.
"The balloon is then harnessed to two men who walk about the crowds and move the balloon around as the suspended person performs. It's beautiful."
Ms Gott added. "I'm just looking forward to seeing it all come to life, because you spend months and months preparing for it.
"I liken something like this to a giant jigsaw – there are lots of little pieces to put in place and then you get the final picture.
"I always cry when they turn the lights on – it's just magical."
