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July 1 - A true day of celebration for Scotland: Dewar
01/06/1999
July 1, 1999 will be a true day of celebration for the whole of Scotland First Minister Donald Dewar said today.
Speaking at the launch of the programme of events, organised by Unique Events, that will take place on the day of the Opening Ceremony of the Scottish Parliament, Mr Dewar said:
"July 1 will be a day of special significance for the people of Scotland. In recent weeks history has been made with the elections for the first Scottish Parliament and its first sittings for almost 300 years. But on July 1 that Parliament assumes its full powers and can begin legislating in areas that are of vital importance to the people of Scotland.
"It is therefore right that the day is celebrated in a way that is accessible to all the people of Scotland. The centre piece of the day, the Opening Ceremony itself, will be a mixture of the traditional and modern but Unique Events have come up with a vibrant and exciting programme for the rest of the day that will, I am sure, be long remembered both in Scotland and further afield.
"It is a programme that offers something for all tastes. There will be an open air classical concert in Princes Street Gardens, a rock concert at the Ross Bandstand, spectacular street theatre and a late night ceilidh.
"Allied to the dignity of the Royal Opening Ceremony this imaginative programme will ensure that July 1 is a true celebration for the whole of Scotland on a day when the eyes of the world will be on us."
The programme opens with a bonfire on Calton Hill on the night of June 30 and continues with a parade of 1500 children from all over Scotland down the Mound immediately after the Opening Ceremony itself has finished. In the evening a rock concert entitled The Garden Party takes place in West Princes Street Gardens. It features the first Edinburgh performance of Garbage, one of the world's top selling bands, whose lead singer, Shirley Manson, comes from Edinburgh.
In East Princes Street Gardens an open air concert of classical music entitled Opera in the Gardens will take place. It features the Scottish National Orchestra and leading soloists from Scottish Opera - Donald Maxwell, baritone, and Catriona Smith, soprano - conducted by the leading Scottish composer James MacMillan, orchestra, and Richard Armstrong, operatic.
The programme will climax with street theatre in Princes Street from the French performance artists Transe Express and a ceilidh in the Assembly Rooms, George Street, featuring many of Scotland's finest traditional artists.
BACKGROUND 1. Tickets for the Garden Party (rock concert) £16.50/£14.50; Opera in the Gardens (classical music) £10; and the Big Hooley (ceilidh) £12.50 are available from a special credit card hotline 0870 739 9111; Ticketline, Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh, 0131 220 4349; or from Virgin stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
2. The Opening Ceremony itself will feature a parade of MSPs and representatives of Scottish civic society from Parliament Hall to the temporary site of the Parliament on The Mound; a procession by The Queen, and other members of the Royal Family, in an open carriage and accompanied by a detachment of the Household Cavalry from Holyrood up the Royal Mile to The Mound; and a ceremony in the temporary chamber of Parliament including an opening speech by the Queen and incorporating specially commissioned music and readings. (Full details of the ceremony will be announced in due course).
3. A public information Hotline on the opening of the Scottish Parliament will be operational from 0900 hours on Wednesday, June 2. The number is: 08700 507 507.
News Release: 1114/99
1 June 1999