New Year's Eve In Dunedin: Hogmanay Party, Cosmic Bowling, Burlesque

Editor's Note: According to the National Weather Service, there's a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, mainly after 2 p.m. with patches of fog occurring before 11 a.m. The chance of thunderstorms increases to 40 percent into the evening with patchy fog between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Be sure to contact the venue, especially if the event is taking place outdoors, to make sure it hasn't been canceled.

DUNEDIN, FL — No other nation in the world celebrates the New Year with quite as much revelry and passion as Scotland does, and it's hardly surprising that the enormous Hogmanay celebration that engulfs the country is legendary the world over.

It's no wonder the tradition has continued in the Florida seaside town of Dunedin where everything Scottish is revered.

Hogmanay is what Scots call New Year's Eve — Dec. 31 — the big night that marks the arrival of the new year, according to The Scotsman. Its origins reach back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Vikings with wild parties in late December.

The Hogmanay cèilidh is a traditional New Year's celebration to renew friendships, make new friends, and dance jigs and reels to traditional Scottish folk music. As the clock counts down to midnight, a bagpiper plays, followed by everyone joining in singing Auld Lang Syne, the Scottish New Year’s poem penned by Scotland's bard, Robert Burns.

In a Scottish tradition dating back to pagan times, the new year is marked with the sharing of yule cakes, or shortbread biscuits, symbolizing the sun. Because Scottish shortbread was considered a luxury for the common folk in ancient times, it is reserved for sharing on New Year's, Christmas and at weddings.

On New Year's in Scotland, the first shortbread biscuits are traditionally offered to “first footers," those who were not already in the house when midnight struck. This is the origin of the Scottish party tradition of having one guest leave just before the bells so they can knock on the door as the new year begins. It is considered a sign of prosperity and good luck in the new year.

Here are some events to welcome 2023:

• Celebrate at the New Year's Eve Hogmanay Party with award-winning Celtic rock band Kirk McLeod and Seven Nations on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Scottish Cultural Center, 917 Louden Ave. Dunedin. There will be a full meal, dancing, a champagne toast, Scottish shortbread and bagpipes at midnight. All tickets include day membership to the Scottish American Society of Dunedin. Click here.
• Dunedin American Legion Post 275, 360 Wilson St., Dunedin, will host a New Year’s Eve Party with live music by SoulFish from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Click here.
• Dunedin Lanes, 405 Patricia Ave., will host a New Year's Eve bowling party Saturday at 9 p.m., featuring unlimited cosmic bowling from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., free shoe rental, party favors, an extra-large 15-slice two-topping Jet's Pizza, a bucket of popcorn and a champagne or soda toast at midnight. Click here.
• Sallie's Bistro, 2152 Main St., Dunedin, will celebrate the new year Saturday with a six-course menu with seatings at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Click here.
• The Restorative, 420 Patricia Ave., Dunedin, will offer a French-inspired New Year's Eve dinner starting at 5 p.m. Saturday. Click here.
• The Nest at Caracara, 730 Broadway, Dunedin, will ring in the new year at 7:30 p.m. Saturday with New Year's Eve Burlesque, a reception glass of Piper Heidsieck brut champagne and a variety of canapes. Click here.
• Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin, will host a New Year's Eve party with Freekbass & The Bump featuring Sammi Garett providing live music, and a countdown and champagne toast from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. Click here.
• Caledonia Brewing, 587 Main St., Dunedin, will host a Rockin' New Year's Eve Party with VJ Hural Knight playing favorite music videos from the '80s and '90s, along with beer and champagne. Click here.
• The HEW Chophouse at the Fenway Hotel, 453 Edgewater Drive, Dunedin, will host a New Year's Eve dinner complete with a complimentary champagne toast on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. Click here.

Nearby:

• The Brine House, 100 Main St., Suite 104, Safety Harbor, will host a New Year's Eve dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, with a special prix fixe four-course menu, complimentary glass of champagne and music by Matt Plaisted from 6 to 10 p.m. Click here.
• Bogata Kitchen + Bar, 917 11th St., Palm Harbor, will ring in the new year Saturday from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with The Broken Hearts Tom Petty tribute Band, a dessert bar and coffee station, and a champagne toast. Click here.
• Ring in the New Year at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N Bayshore Drive, during Havana Nights New Year's Eve 2023 on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. It will feature welcome bubbles, a gourmet hors d'oeuvres flight, dinner buffet and dessert bar, a two-hour open bar, live music with Orquesta Infinidad, a champagne toast at midnight and party favors and professional photographs. Click here.