THOUSANDS of revellers are expected to flock to the Royal Mile today to play their part in the nation's biggest ever St Andrew's Day celebrations.
Live music and ceilidh dancing are expected to lure crowds of up to 10,000 to the Lawnmarket and The Hub for almost four hours of free entertainment celebrating Scotland's patron saint.
Folk veterans Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain, Celtic dance fav
ourites Shooglenifty and folk impresarios Moishe's Bagel will lead the festivities at the huge open-air stage outside Deacon Brodie's bar.
Watergaw and The Maverick Angels will be keeping the crowds in order inside The Hub, the official headquarters of the Edinburgh International Festival, on Castlehill.
The free festivities, which start at 7pm, are being organised by the Scottish Executive, which is also laying on major celebrations in Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness.
The Executive is spending more than £300,000 promoting celebrations across the country. First Minister Jack McConnell was due to attend a special St Andrew's Day event at Leith Walk Primary School to kick off the festivities.
He said: "St Andrew's Day gives all of us a chance to celebrate Scottish traditions, our history and our culture.
"St Andrew's Day is more than just a chance to pay tribute to ourselves and to our national saint - it's a chance to remind the world that Scotland is a great country and a great place in which to study, visit or live."
Other events in Edinburgh include children's entertainment at Edinburgh Castle, which has waived its entry fee for the day, the unveiling of artist Peter Howson's exhibition devoted to the life of St Andrew, a gala dinner hosted by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, concerts and free music sessions.
The City Art Centre, on Market Street, was expected to be packed today for the first day of Howson's exhibition. More than 100 works feature in the biggest-ever solo exhibition in Edinburgh by Howson, whose fans include Madonna and Jack Nicholson.
The Stag Head Hotel, in South Queensferry, is hosting a free music session as part of a nationwide programme of events jointly organised by VisitScotland and brewing giants McEwan's.
The Jam House, on Queen Street, is playing host to Marion Anderson's Scottish Country Dance Band, while the Bongo Club, on Holyrood Road, will feature a double-bill of local singer-songwriters Andi Neate and Sophie Bancroft.
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce is staging a gala St Andrew's Day dinner tonight at Our Dynamic Earth. Edinburgh's Lord Provost Lesley Hinds said: "I'm delighted that St Andrews Day is being marked in such a particularly Scottish way on the Lawnmarket tonight, and I'm looking forward to taking part.
Rebecca Hamilton, marketing manager at Historic Scotland, said: "We're looking forward to welcoming people to Edinburgh Castle today.
"We are hoping that the free admission will be an extra motivation to come along and find out a bit more about Scotland's great historic past."
