Source: The Scotsman
http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=495402004
On May 1, 2004 The Scotsman reported, "Despite weather that was more like winter, the rites of spring were celebrated again in Edinburgh last night. Thousands of spectators bought tickets for the first time to watch the Beltane Fire Festival on the city’s Calton Hill. Contrasting the disappointment at the festival’s cancellation last year, last night saw an atmosphere of celebration among the 300 performers of the Beltane Fire Society. The crowds whooped and yelled as they followed the performers around the hillside and watched them re-enact scenes from Celtic mythology against a dreich and misty backdrop. Spectators cheerfully decanted their wine and spirits into plastic bottles at the gate in accordance with the glass ban imposed by the council...However, crowds were more sparse than in previous years and despite the fears of residents and some sections of the council, there was a peaceful atmosphere among the spectators...A group of Christian demonstrators made their objections known last night by parading in Princes Street with a wooden cross bearing the word: 'Why.'"