The Octagon air was ringing with the skirl of bagpipes during St Andrew’s Day festivities on Saturday as the 50th anniversary of the Dunedin and Edinburgh sister city relationship was celebrated.
Dunedin-Edinburgh Sister City Society member Simon Vare said it was great to see such a large age range of people enjoying themselves and all the activities on offer.
"We’ve got 2-year-olds and 90-year-olds just having a great time.
"They’ve all found something to do," he said.
He speculated the event might be one of very few, if not the only one, that could legally serve up alcohol in the Octagon.
"The guys from DogStar have brewed us a special Scottish ale ... We have haggis pie, shortbread, oat pancakes, lots of free food and whisky tasting as well."
While neither Dunedin nor Edinburgh was known for its shining days, the sun provided a great change of pace to the usual atmosphere the weather brought to both cities, Mr Vare said.
"It’s just a fantastic day — this is our 10th time having this event and while we’ve had some very dreary days, this weather makes it perfect," he said.
Highlights of the day included a big blow-off, where people gave it their all in a bid to make the most noise they could with a set of bagpipes, and a stone-of-manhood demonstration, where onlookers got to see a very big man carrying a very big stone.
Over by the very popular Scottish children’s games section, gumboot tossing soon turned into gumboot dodging as every passer-by was running from stray shoes lobbed in every direction.
The day also hosted a number of performances, including Highland dancing, a performance from the City of Dunedin Pipe Band, a concert from the Dunedin Harmony Chorus and a performance from the Grumpy Scotsman Trio.
Mayor Jules Radich said since the earliest of days in Dunedin, the city had proudly maintained the Scottish influence "despite the great distance between the two lands".
"St Andrew’s Day is a moment for us to reflect on the values of community, resilience and generosity that our Scottish forebears brought with them, and encountered here from mana whenua when founding Dunedin," Mr Radich said.
