A capacity crowd of 10,000 people packed into the streets of Stonehaven to witness the annual Hogmanay fireball spectacle.
Blessed by unseasonably warm temperatures, revelers were treated to a procession of 45 fireball swingers and a grand fireworks display.
The festival is more than a century old and draws thousands of people into the town for what has become one of Scotland’s largest Hogmanay events.
In pictures: Hogmanay in Stonehaven
Stonehaven Fireballs Association chairwoman, Susan Leiper, said its success was a testament to the town’s community spirit.
She said: “Look what we’re creating here in Stonehaven. It’s all done by volunteers and no one person is bigger than the events we put on.
“It’s a credit to Stonehaven that we put on such a display, whether it’s the fireballs, the dippers or the Open Air in the Square.
“The weather was really good to us and we had a capacity crowd of around 10,000 by 11.30pm.
“Those that got in early got a really good view and we had fireworks afterwards. All 45 swingers were absolutely loving what they do.”
Swingers of all ages, who each fill their fireball with their own recipe of combustible material before they are lit, led the 30-minute procession down from Bervie Braes, onto the High Street and finally to the waterside where the fireballs were flung into the sea.
According to legend, the ceremony burns off bad spirits from the previous year so the New Year can begin afresh.
Work on next year’s event has already begun and the capacity crowd helped the association raise more than £7,500 on Wednesday night.
Ms Leiper added: “We’ve just finished counting the collection buckets and we’ve raised £7,500. That’s going back in the pot for next year to pay for the 2015 event.
“A lot of what we do is self-funding so we do count on people who put their change in the buckets.
“We don’t set a target, because you can end up disappointed, we just ask people to give what they can.”
Ms Leiper also thanked 2014 sponsors Aberdeen Business School, without whose help she said the event would not have been possible.