PICTURES: Wick street party returns to bring in the New Year
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Around 600 revellers celebrated the start of 2023 in Wick town centre as the New Year street party returned for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
Local group Reviver played on the back of a truck provided by haulage firm D Steven & Son. Provost Jan McEwan addressed the crowd in the run-up to midnight and there were pipe tunes from Morven and Glenn Miller.
The event is organised by Hogmanay and People's Party Yearly (HAPPY), a subgroup of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council.
Allan Farquhar, event organiser and community council vice-chairperson, said the weather had been perfect and everyone had been in good spirits.
The truck had to be relocated from its usual spot in front of Sams Furniture in High Street. Instead it was positioned in front of the nearby Highland Council offices in Market Square.
Allan said: “We'd like to thank D Steven & Son for supporting us with the truck every year – they are fantastic. GMR Henderson provided the crowd barriers for us.
"We'd like to thank the local businesses that help us out with finance for the event as well. Everybody has been very helpful."
Allan pointed out: “The countdown didn't go according to plan. We had a slight breakdown in communications with eye contact on the stage, so we only got 5-4-3-2-1 Happy New Year!
“But normal service will be resumed next time.
“It was a good night. Everybody enjoyed themselves and, with the small committee that we've got, it ran well.”
Additional volunteers will be welcome for future street parties.
“We could always do with more, but we had enough to run the event," Allan said. "There was no trouble or anything – everybody was in good spirits.”
The area was cleared and tidied up by 2am.
“We finished the street party at one o'clock, which was the plan, and we were done and gone by two o'clock,” Allan added. “It only took us an hour or so with the people that helped us out at the end.”
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