Buildings will be lit in blue and white, the colours of the saltire, to mark the occasion, while the red hot element will be provided by the "bagrock" of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers who headline the free party in the Northern Meeting Park on Sunday .

St Andrew's Day celebrations, funded by the Scottish Goverment, begin tomorrow with a programme of traditional entertainment in the city centre, including a Blue Light Ceilidh for 13 to 16 year olds in the Spectrum Centre.

"It's going to be an amazing weekend," Highland Council events officer Gerry Reynolds promised.

"It's going to start at 5.30pm with evensong at the cathedral and Arts in Motion from Evanton, who did such a good job projecting lights on the Town House during the Christmas lights switch on, are going to turn their attention to St Andrew's Cathedral and the castle.

"Then at 6.30pm we have a torchlight procession in aid of the homeless. We are going to ask families to join us up at the castle where they can buy torches and every penny from that will go to charity."

The marchers will cross the river to the Northern Meeting Park where they will be welcomed by the Falcon Drummers and, if brave enough to stand the heat, can take on the MFR charity firewalk.

Inverness Gaelic Choir will open the musical entertainment at 7pm, followed by Blazin' Fiddles Bruce MacGregor and Friends and Lyndsey Sutherland, winner of the Inverness Has Got Talent contest held at the Eastgate Centre, before time for some audience participation with a giant strip the willow.

"Then we have the Red Hot Chilli Pipers to bring the show to an amazing climax," added Reynolds, who witnessed the band's 21st century version of the pipes and drums at their recent show at The Ironworks in Inverness.

"There's something very special about up here. There's such a great feel good factor whenever we put on an event in Inverness."

Though not being seen as a dry run for the Inverness Hogmanay party, which will also take place at the Northern Meeting Park, Reynolds acknowledged that he, along with the council's Winter Festival working group, would be looking at how the St Andrew's celebrations had gone to help plan next month's event.

As with the Hogmanay party, the public is being asked to upload photographs and videos from the St Andrew's celebrations onto the winter festival website [http://www.invernessfestivals.com], to record the events.

Earlier this week The Magic Numbers were announced as headliners for the Hogmanay show, which will also feature local talent in Inverness bands Shutter and Lowtide Revelry, and more traditional music from Single Malt Sound System, Albannach and Northern Constabulary Pipes and Drums Band, along with a fireworks display, Highland Games events for children and a live link up with Waipu Highland Games in New Zealand.

The Magic Numbers already have a track record of entertaining Highland audiences having been among the headliners at last year's Belladrum Festival, and have Scottish connections of their own in Romeo and Michele Stodart — who make up the band with another brother and sister pairing Sean and Angela Gannon — are half-Scottish.

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers

"Magic Numbers encompass families more than other acts," said Rob Hicks of Beyond Music, which helped pull together the Hogmanay line-up.

Adding that The Magic Numbers would have broader appeal for tourists than a niche Scottish group, Hicks added: "They surprised us how well they did at Belladrum. They tick all the boxes. I know other cities were after them, but I'm pleased they have come north."

Councillor Glynis Sinclair (Culloden and Ardersier) of the Winter Festival working group said she was delighted at the strength of the Hogmanay show, particularly as preparation work had only begun in August.

The Northern Meeting Park can accommodate up to 40,000 revellers, though organisers expect less than that on the night. However, Councillor Sinclair has faith there will be a good turn out, regardless of weather conditions.

"We are made of sterner stuff. It's no big deal to us if it hails or snows," she said.

* Music venue The Ironworks, now under the management of Rob Hicks and Belladrum Festival founder Joe Gibbs, is dispensing with live bands for this year's Hogmanay party.

In its first year, The Ironworks marked Hogmanay with Carl Barat's post-Libertines band Dirty Pretty Things and last year Birmingham's The Twang and Skye's Peatbog Faeries shared the Hogamany bill.

Welcoming in 2009 will be Filth, one of the more recent additions to the Inverness clubbing scene. DJs Andrew McGibbon and Ross Lyall have several years experience behind them, including a stint as resident DJs at Motion Nightclub in Inverness until its closure earlier this year.

Also appearing will be State of Grace (Scott Langley and Al Carson) and the Deviation DJs.

Tickets are already available from the venue.

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