Parliamentary News Release
058/2004
1 October 2004
HOLYROOD OPENING MARKED BY A DAY OF CELEBRATIONS
A special programme of events bringing together people from all walks of life has been organised to mark the official Opening of the Scottish Parliament.
Entertainment will start at 9.15am along the Royal Mile, with the Riding beginning at 11am . At the conclusion of this historic procession, the Opening Ceremony of the new Scottish Parliament building in the Chamber at Holyrood will follow.
Thousands of spectators who are expected to witness the day on Saturday, October 9, will be entertained by a programme aimed at reflecting the diversity of Scottish culture.
Among the highlights of the day, will be the official Opening Ceremony of the Holyrood building in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and the spectacular Riding event down the Royal Mile, which will bring together 1,000 people from communities across the country.
Crowds will be entertained by a variety of performances f rom a wide range of Scottish musicians and actors, and the Opening Ceremony will include performances from BBC Young Musician of the Year 2004, violinist Nicola Benedetti from West Kilbride and singer-songwriter Eddi Reader.
A specially commissioned poem penned by Scotland 's Poet Laureate Edwin Morgan will also be read during the ceremony by fellow poet Liz Lochhead.
Below is a summary of events which will mark the Official Opening:-
Parliament Hall
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, will arrive at Parliament Hall, where they will be met by Lesley Hinds, Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh ; First Minister Jack McConnell; and Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer George Reid.
The dignitaries will attend a 20-minute ceremonial event which is being held to reflect the historic change in the Scottish political landscape over the past 300 years.
The ceremony will be opened with the fanfare introduction “Royale” composed by Major W. Jackson.
During the event, Jack McConnell, Nicola Sturgeon, David McLetchie, Robin Harper and Jim Wallace will be invited to make short speeches. Also attending will be the Lord Lyon King of Arms and the Duke of Hamilton, bearing the Crown of Scotland.
Following the ceremony, the Presiding Officer and the First Minister will escort Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to meet members of the Scottish Youth Theatre.
The Riding
The Riding down the Royal Mile to Holyrood is a key element of the Opening Ceremony programme and will feature schoolchildren, community groups and representatives of civic society from every constituency in Scotland who were nominated by their MSPs. The 1,000-strong event, which will span the length of the Royal Mile and last around 30 minutes, will be attended by Sir Sean Connery, along with bands from across Scotland .
The start of the Riding which marks the centuries-old Scots tradition of Parliament and people working in public partnership will be marked by a Royal Air Force flypast at 11.01am .
The Riding leaves from Parliament Square West and proceeds down the Royal Mile before arriving at the Holyrood building for the official ceremony. The Crown of Scotland will follow on at the end of the Riding.
Holyrood
The First Minister joins the other political leaders in the line-up inside Holyrood to await the arrival of the Royal guests. The Duke of Hamilton bearing the Crown of Scotland will also arrive at Holyrood.
Tour
Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh will take a tour of the Parliament building which will include the office of Shiona Baird, the Scottish Green Party MSP for North East Scotland. This will allow the Royal guests to see the new accommodation facilities available to the Members.
Chamber
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra will perform a fanfare to mark the beginning of the official Opening Ceremony in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen in the Chamber.
The Opening programme will include performances from BBC Young Musician of the Year 2004, violinist Nicola Benedetti from West Kilbride , singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, and will include Liz Lochhead reading a poem penned by Scotland 's poet laureate Edwin Morgan.
Following the ceremony, Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by the His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, will meet guests and staff. Before departing, Her Majesty The Queen will also unveil the ‘Honours of Scotland' sculpture gifted by the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh . The sculpture of Scottish regalia has been crafted by Graham Stewart from Dunblane.
For further information, contact:
Eric MacLeod: 0131 348 5389
email: eric.macleod@scottish.parliament.uk
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email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
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