WHAT event is worth getting out of bed for in the middle of the night and setting up camp outside a shop until the sun rises – the Boxing Day sales, perhaps?

Not for the people of Peebles, who braved a cold night to grab tickets for their beloved Beltane Ball.

Festival enthusiasts woke in the wee hours of Saturday morning (May 5) to line up outside McGrath's, cash in hand to buy the sought-after tickets.

The familiar sight of locals wrapped in coats, hats and gloves, covered in blankets and sitting on the Peebles Eastgate has become a tradition for those who refuse to miss out on the town’s annual event.

And business owner David McGrath revealed that people started queuing this year from 3.30am for tickets which went on sale at 8.30am, selling out within fifteen minutes, a “fantastic” response, he said, from the people of Peebles.

Waking up with the lark was Amanda Bruce, who arrived at the shop at 3.40am. But she was not the first to arrive, as young girls were sitting in a car keeping warm before braving the chilly wait for McGrath's to open.

Amanda told the Peeblesshire News that she decided to go down earlier than intended. "Although I was buying for a party of eight, I was the one who volunteered to go along and get the tickets. There were already two young girls sitting in a car who got out about five minutes after I arrived but they were happy to let me be first in the line."

And the two local Cinderellas who 'shall go to the ball' turned out to be Ailidh Copeland and her friend Natalie Stewart. This year’s Cornet Elect’s Lass Loryn Paterson told us that the girls braved the night on the street and said it was worth it to go "balling with their besties".

Within minutes another group had arrived, and before long a line of locals were sitting on deckchairs armed with hot filled flasks.

Amanda added: "Everyone was in good spirits and Forsyth’s bakery did a good trade from the queue once it opened. It was quite mild to begin with, but got cold.

"Having only ever been to the ball once before, I was chuffed to get the tickets for my friends as none of them have ever been and are all looking forward to kicking off the Beltane in good style."

It wasn’t quite the happy ending for some. With 210 tickets sold, many missed out and 28 hopefuls put their name on the reserve list.

And as the sun rose on this sleepy Border town, one thing was certain – the historic Beltane Festival still runs deep in the hearts of the people of Peebles. And those with tickets for the ball lived happily ever after!

  • This year's Beltane Week takes place from June 17-23.