A historic charity parade, which was cancelled for the first time in more than a century last year, will light up Aberdeen again this month.
The Torcher Parade, organised by the Aberdeen University Student’s Association (AUSA), illuminated the Granite City for 126 years in a row before it was axed for 2016.
The organisers had been told they could not put on the event due to a potential issue with traffic management, because council staff would have been unavailable.
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However, a plethora of students, clad in colourful costumes and brandishing torches, will once again parade through the city centre on Saturday, October 21 from 6pm to help raise funds for important north-east causes.
The procession will travel the full length of Union Street, from Albyn Street to King Street.
Alex Govier, chairman of ASA’s raising and giving committee, said: “We at AUSA are extremely excited to be bringing back the Torcher Parade for the 127th time.
“After a year’s hiatus, we’re ready and raring to go, and to take the students of Aberdeen to the streets in order to raise money for 32 local charities that make an enormous contribution to their communities.
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“We hope, through continued support, we can keep this tradition going and restore the Torcher Parade to being the largest student-led parade in Europe.”
This year, local companies will be encouraged to get involved with the festivities by city centre business group Aberdeen Inspired, and Colin Lawson Transport will provide floats for all of the institutions involved from Aberdeen University, Robert Gordon University and North East Scotland College.
And the organisers have also been given traffic management by Aberdeen City Council to ensure the 2017 Torcher is conducted safely for all involved.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “It’s fantastic the Torcher Parade is back this year, and Aberdeen City Council is delighted to be working with AUSA for a popular event in the city centre.”
