The final preparations are being made for a traditional Aberdeenshire event which will herald the arrival of 2016 with a burst of flames.
When the clocks strike midnight tomorrow, a group of Stonehaven locals will take to the streets, swinging fireballs above their heads, in a ceremony which can be traced back at least to the early 1900s.
About 12,000 people are expected to line the roadsides of the Mearns town as the participants make their way through the town centre to the harbour, accompanied by the skirl of the bagpipes.
The fireballs ceremony – which last roughly half an hour – is one of the most popular Hogmanay events in Scotland.
The event will run separately to Stonehaven’s Open Air in the Square event, which will be headlined by Scottish band, Deacon Blue.
Speaking last night, the chairman of the Stonehaven Fireballs Association, Ross Milne, said: “We are always really grateful for the support we get. There are quite a lot of man hours behind the scenes.
“It is a full-time job, but it is worth it to keep such a tradition going. It has got to be done. It is a good thing for Stonehaven and Scotland.
“It goes back certainly to the turn of the century. Some reckon its origins are pagan. It dates back a long, long time.
Mr Milne said the ceremony had been a feature of his and other Stonehaven residents’ lives since they were a young age and was proud to play a role in putting on the show.
He added: “I am a harbour loon. I have been going to it since I could walk. We are just really proud for Stonehaven, it is a cracking event and it is really good that Stonehaven manages to put it on every year.”
The fireballs weigh anywhere between 5lbs and 15lbs, are soaked in combustible oily waste and paraffin and are held together with wire cages and 5ft long ropes.
Police will also be on-call patrolling the streets of Stonehaven and all of Aberdeenshire’s busiest towns including Ellon, which will host the Gig at the Brig.
The force will be making its presence known across the region as part of its divisional violence crackdown, Operation Sandside.
Area Commander for Aberdeenshire South, chief inspector Richard Craig, said: “We want to encourage people to enjoy themselves, have fun with their friends and family members but to be safe and responsible.”