For the very first time Scotland celebrated St Andrew’s Day with a Ceilidh and Concert in the heart of the capital city.

In a public celebration of Scotland and all its people, crowd of 4,000 attended the events on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. The Lawnmarket played host to a celebration of Scotland’s many cultures with live music on an open-air stage. In The Hub, people danced the night away at the One Scotland Ceilidh with live ceilidh music, bands and DJs.

Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm, who opened the event, said:

"We said that this year we would be celebrating Scotland's many cultures on our national day and it was great to see so many people coming together at last night's One Scotland Ceilidh to celebrate, enjoying the variety of music and dancing. This was the first event of its kind and I am delighted that the ceilidh and concert were such a success."

David Jackson, Manager of Edinburgh's Winter Festivals, said:

"As the first St Andrew's One Scotland Ceilidh we are delighted by how well the night went. There was a great atmosphere with everyone enjoying the music in the street and the dancing in The Hub. It looked fantastic with saltires adding to Edinburgh's sparkle. We hope that a St Andrew's Day event will become a regular addition to Edinburgh's Winter Festivals."

Pete Irvine, Unique Events, said:

"Its always difficult to know how things are going to work out when you do them for the first time, especially outdoors in the winter. But we were delighted both with the site that we used at the top of the Royal Mile, which turned out to be a perfect setting, and with the turnout. The various bands and other entertainment were enthusiastically received and over the evening we believe we entertained around 4,000 people."

Acts performing on the night included: Peatbog Faeries, Tartan Dholies, the Dougie MacLean Band, Wild Cigarillos and Croft No.5, Tablao Flamenco, Fribo and the Boghall & Bathgate Pipe band.