Friday November 20, 2009
The full line-up for Edinburgh's rockin' Hogmanay Street Party has just been announced. If you're thinking of heading for Edinburgh for Hogmanay, the city's four day New Year's bash, you'll need a ticket for the New Year's Eve street party and all its concert stages - and they are already selling fast.
Loads of local, UK national and international acts are planned for each of the party's stages. Each stage will have a different musical theme but one Street Party Pass is good for admission to all three:
- The Waverley Stage - The Enemy headlines, along with Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Stanley Odd.
- The Party Stage - Guest DJ The Great Calverto hosts The Cuban Brothers and Glitterbanditz.
- The West End DJ Stage promises the world's biggest dance floor, with DJ MYLO, Gary & Tom (Snow Patrol) and guest Richard Colburn (Belle & Sebastian).
All this and one of the biggest street parties in the world.
Wednesday November 18, 2009

One of the very coolest UK webcams springs into life at the end of this month to capture the winter solstice.
The Sun and its transit through the seasons seems to have been essential to ancient worship. On Orkney, several Neolithic monuments are aligned with sun and moon to suggest some ritual purpose. At Maeshowe, the island's awesome Neolithic chambered burial mound, the setting mid-winter sun lights an inner chamber for about three weeks before and after the winter solstice. You can watch it happen via the live Maeshowe webcams. They're scheduled to come to life on November 30 and will continue transmitting until February 6, 2010.
The interior webcams will operate from 2 to 4p.m. GMT and an interior camera will be aimed at Maeshowe from 9a.m. to 4p.m. GMT. Remember to make note of the time difference because when it's dark outside, there's no light inside Maeshowe. And dates are always approximate, so keep checking in to make sure.
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Monday November 16, 2009

Traditional British cooks have already started collecting the ingredients for their Christmas puddings and British Christmas cakes. These things take time. Unless you are teetotal, you want to have several weeks to "feed" your favorite alcoholic tipple to the masterpiece. And, even if alcohol is off the menu, a traditional pudding needs a few weeks to mature.
Find out more about Christmas Customs and Traditional British Christmas Foods, along with recipes from About.com's own experts.
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Thursday November 12, 2009

More than 60 artists and makers based at Yorkshire Artspace in Sheffield will open their studios to the public, next Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21
Sculpture, painting, photography and print, furniture, jewelry, silverware, metalwork, ceramics, textiles, stained glass and mosaic will all be on show and much will be available to buy
The is a chance to explore the award winning Persistence Works, the UK's largest purpose built studio complex for artists and makers. The occasion will also be the first time visitors can look around Porter Brook Studios, a new creative complex for 18 artists, next door.
A full programme of activities is scheduled for the Open Studios event, including:
- live music with acapella harmony from The Purple Cats
- Saturday Cafe selling homemade cakes and refreshments
- original art and craft on The Marketstall
- Kid Acne talks about his new mural at Yorkshire Artspace
- a sweet making performance by Sweet Theatre, with a limited edition candy created for the event.
During the free Open Studio days, visitors can win an original painting by Paul Evans and work with artists to:
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