Scotland set to light up for national day

Iconic buildings and landmarks the length and breadth of Scotland have come together in a spectacular way to mark St Andrew’s Day.

Locations including Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Rothes Halls in Glenrothes, the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Ness Bridge in Inverness and Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie all turned blue to mark Scotland’s national day.

This Scotland-wide light up project brings to a close the largest ever programme of St Andrew’s Day events, offers and activities, which saw over 400 venues offering discounted or free entry in the run up to the day and Historic Environment Scotland giving away thousands of free tickets to a selection of the best known heritage sites.

Fiona Hyslop, cabinet secretary for culture, Europe and external affairs, said: “Scotland’s national day is a great opportunity for everyone in Scotland to come together to celebrate our rich culture and heritage. I’m delighted that a host of our most prominent attractions, the length and breadth of the country, have chosen to mark St Andrew’s Day in this unique way.”

Eleven major St Andrew’s Day public events were also held in a variety of locations, all part of the Scottish Government’s Winter Festivals programme which has been provided with a record £390,000 of funding to support 21 key cultural events in 15 local authority areas across the country in 2015/16, covering St Andrew’s Day, Christmas, Hogmanay and Burns.

For more information on the Scotland’s Winter Festivals programme, which runs until January 25, visit www.scotland.org